Month: April 2012

Kashmir is ultimate for outdoor film shooting: Saroj Khan

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For renowned Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, the locale for her latest song sequence could just not be better. Srinagar’s Tulip Garden Tuesday not only fascinated Khan, but also convinced her this was the ultimate shooting destination.

“We have wandered in Europe and America for many years as Kashmir had remained unavailable for us. This is really the ultimate destination for all the filmmakers whose stories and theme are powered by nature,” Saroj told IANS.

Two 1993 Jaipur blast accused jailed

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A designated TADA court here Tuesday convicted two men, Jalees Ansari and Abrar Rehmat Ansari, for a 1993 terror attack in Jaipur and jailed them for 15 and 20 years respectively, a lawyer said.

The court, however, acquitted Mohammad Jamal Alvi and Habeeb Ahmed owing to lack of evidence against them in the case.

A teenager had been injured after three low-intensity bombs kept in tiffin boxes went off in Jaipur’s Walled City area on Sep 30, 1993.

Commander was bathing as British n-submarine hit sandbank

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An inquiry has concluded that the commander of the Royal Navy’s newest nuclear-powered submarine was taking a shower minutes before it ran aground in 2010.

According to the report, Commander Andy Coles was spotted returning to his cabin as HMS Astute, Britain’s most advanced hunter-killer sub, headed into a sandbank, the Daily Mail reported.

The embarrassing detail is included in the inquiry which found that a catalogue of errors contributed to the beaching of the one billion pound (over $1.6 billion) submarine off the west coast of Scotland Oct 22, 2010.

Man dresses like dead mum to steal benefits

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A New Yorker has been accused of dressing up as his mother for six years to reap $115,000 in benefits. He would don a wig, wear heavy make-up and her dresses besides using a cane to appear like her.

The mother died in 2003.

On Tuesday, jurors were to be shown a screening of Thomas Prusik-Parkin, 53, allegedly carrying off his act.

His mother – Irene Prusik – died at 73. After making sure her death would not be accurately recorded, Thomas began collecting $700 a month in Social Security in her name, in addition to his own disability checks, officials claim, the Daily Mail reported.

British teen comes alive after being brain dead

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A teenager declared brain dead by four doctors in Britain made a miraculous recovery after his emotive parents requested medics for a second opinion moments before his life support was to be switched off.

Doctors described Steven Thorpe as “truly a unique case” after he awoke from a two-week coma following a multiple car crash that claimed the life of his schoolfriend, the Daily Mail reported.

Rajasthan BJP legislator to be tried for staged shootout

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A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court Tuesday committed for trial the case against senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rajendra Singh Rathore, who has been arrested for his involvement in the Dara Singh staged shootout, a lawyer said.

Taking cognizance of the chargesheet filed against Rathore by the CBI, the court prima-facie found the charges against him true and committed to the case to trial to district session’s court.

Andhra parties welcome by-poll schedule

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Political parties in Andhra Pradesh Tuesday welcomed the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India for by-elections in one Lok Sabha and 18 assembly constituencies.

The ruling Congress party said it was prepared to face the by-elections. State minister Basvaraj Saraiah exuded confidence that the party would win all the seats including Prakala assembly seat in Telangana region.

The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also hailed the poll schedule. Its leader N. Rajakumari was confident that the party would bag all the seats.

57 people die of swine flu in India

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As many as 57 people have died, mostly in Maharashtra, of swine flu in the country till April 18 this year, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad agreed that swine flu or H1N1 has re-surfaced in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan

and Tamil Nadu.
In Maharashtra, 20 people died of the virus from January to April 18 this year, he said.

The state also recorded the highest number of swine flu cases with 463 people infected with the virus.

Sonia Gandhi holds strategy meeting with senior leaders

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With the second phase of the Budget session having commenced, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday held a strategy meeting with senior leaders.

The meeting comes at a time when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has issued an ultimatum to the Centre to declare a moratorium on repayment of loans by West Bengal.

Besides the Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee, it was attended by several senior ministers including AK Antony, P Chidambaram, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Jairam Ramesh, Salman Khurshid as also political secretary to Congress President Ahmed Patel.

KCR slams Congress for MPs suspension

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Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday came down heavily on the Congress party for suspending its eight MPs from the region for raising statehood issue in the Parliament.

Egypt Gas Deal Scrap Shocks Israel

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Egypt’s decision to scrap a gas export deal with Israel has sent shockwaves into the Jewish state, amid worries about the move’s impact on a peace treaty between the two countries.

“I see this as very serious,” Knesset Member and former defense minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Army Radio on Sunday, April 22.

In a surprise move on Sunday, Egypt cancelled a 15-year contract to supply Israel with natural gas.

Anti-Islam MP Brings Dutch Govt Down

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The Dutch government collapsed Monday, April 23, following the withdrawal of far-right, anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders over a dispute on budget cuts.

“The Prime Minister (Mark Rutte) will meet her Majesty the Queen during their weekly discussions to inform her over the current political situation,” the government’s information service (RVD) said in a statement cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Rutte tendered his government’s resignation to Queen Beatrix after a split with Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV), which supports the minority government.

Discrimination Against Muslims: What Fears Europe

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European governments are discriminating against their Muslim citizens, denying them the right to wear their hijab and build their worship places, an international human rights group said.

“Muslim women are being denied jobs and girls prevented from attending regular classes just because they wear traditional forms of dress, such as the headscarf,” Marco Perolini, Amnesty International’s expert on discrimination, said in a report on Tuesday, April 24.

“Men can be dismissed for wearing beards associated with Islam.”

Wipe out Congress to get Telagnana: BJP

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Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha state president Kasam Venkateshwarlu on Tuesday stated that the Telangana State could be formed only after the ruling Congress party gets wiped out from the State.

Addressing a gathering during Telangana Bharosa Yatra, Venkateswarlu accused the Congress party of cheating the people of the region since many decades on the statehood issue. He said that the Telangana State formation could be achieved with the burial of Congress party in the State. He called upon the people of region to teach a fitting lesson to Congress in the ensuing by-elections.

TRS condemns suspension of T-Cong MPs

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Telangana Rashtra Samithi on Tuesday condemned the suspension of eight Congress MPs from the Lok Sabha for four days for stalling the proceedings over Telangana issue.

Talking to reporters at the State Secretariat, TRS MLA K Tarakarama Rao said that it was unfortunate that the ruling party has suspended its own MPs for raising the Telangana issue in the Parliament. He said if the Congress party continues to treat the Telangana MPs in a similar way, then people would ‘suspend’ the ruling party in 2014 elections.

EC announces by-polls schedule for 18 Assembly seats

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The Election Commission of India on Tuesday announced the schedule for conducting by-elections in 18 Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat in the State.

According to the Commission, the by-election for Nellore Lok Sabha constituency and 18 other Assembly segments in the State would be conducted on June 12.

Muslim World Hosts the Largest Number of Refugees

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The Muslim world hosts approximately 52 percent of persons of concern to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (comprising refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees and stateless persons), the largest number in the world.

This figure does not include the Palestinian refugees, who fall within the specific mandate given by the United Nations General Assembly to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Court grants 9-day police custody for Bhanu

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The sixth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Nampally on Tuesday remanded M Bhanu Kiran, the prime accused in the murder case of Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy alias Suri, to nine days police custody.

While remanding Bhanu Kiran to police custody from April 25, the court directed the officials of Crime Investigation Department to interrogate him before his lawyers or his family members from morning 10 to 4 pm.

Uttar Pradesh records 42 staged shoouts

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With 42 cases, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of alleged staged shootouts 2011-12 as a total of 194 such cases were registered in the country, the Lok Sabha was informed Tuesday.

Since 2009, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also registered 426 cases of staged shootouts.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh said that Uttar Pradesh was followed by Jharkhand with 20 cases of stages shootouts and Assam with 18.

Accused of cheating MBA student hangs herself

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A MBA student Tuesday committed suicide by hanging herself in her hostel room in the Amity University Pachgaon here after a teacher accused her of cheating and tore her exam paper, police said.

Dayna, a 1st year MBA student in the Amity University Pachgaon, situated on National Highway 8, hanged herself after she was reportedly humiliated by an invigilator, one of the students said.

A student from the same university, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that Dayna was writing her examination Tuesday when a teacher accused her of cheating.

BJP for debate in LS on defence preparedness

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With the country’s defence preparedness coming under sharp focus, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh on Tuesday sought a comprehensive discussion in the Lok Sabha on the sensitive issue.

Singh, a former Defence Minister, raised the issue during Zero Hour asking the government to come forward to allay the apprehensions being raised about national defence preparedness.

The effectiveness of the armed forces and the country’s defence preparedness was being questioned, he said and sought a proper discussion on all aspects of the issue.

Outrage in Rajya Sabha over fairness cream for private parts

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An advertisement for a fairness cream for women’s private parts sparked outrage in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday with a CPI-M member raising the issue and the presiding officer saying that the government should take note of her contention.

Raising the issue in zero hour, Communist Party of India-Marxist member T.N. Seema said the advertisement pointed to the manufacturer’s “perversion”.

“This advertisement shows graphic details of a female body in a demeaning manner. It shows the perversion of the company,” she said.

Allow wheat exports to Pakistan, CIS countries’

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Punjab Tuesday asked the central government to allow the export of wheat to Pakistan and CIS countries through the Attari checkpost as the state’s produce may cross a record 115 lakh tonnes this year.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said that allowing export of wheat to Pakistan and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) would help farmers to get remunerative prices for their agriculture produce.