Month: May 2012

Super Kings edge past Deccan Chargers

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Champions Chennai Super Kings, after suffering two consecutive defeats, bounced back to beat cellar dwellers Deccan Chargers by 10 runs to move up to fourth spot on the leaderboard in the Indian Premier League at the Chepauk Stadium here Friday.

Batting first on winning the toss, the Super Kings scrambled to 160 for six, thanks in the main to some big hitting in the last over by Dwayne Bravo (12 off four balls) and then restricted the Chargers to 150 for five with Cameron White, dropped off the first ball he faced, making 77 off 53 balls.

Eight killed in Pakistan drone strike

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At least eight people were killed and several others injured in a drone strike in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region early Saturday, media reports said.

The unmanned aircraft fired two missiles at a house in Darai Nashtar of North Waziristan. The house was destroyed, Geo News reported.

Four other drones continued to fly over the area after the attack.

Citing a local media report, Xinhua put the toll at 10. One person was injured in the drone strike, it said.

‘Viagra effect’ from a glass of pomegranate juice

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Men and women who drank a daily glass of pomegranate juice for a fortnight experienced a surge in the hormone testosterone, which increases sexual desire in both genders, Daily Mail reported Friday.

The latest achievement claimed for pomegranates, which are already acclaimed as a superfood, will be welcome among those who would prefer a natural aphrodisiac.

The study, by researchers from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, involved 58 volunteers aged between 21 and 64. By the end of the fortnight both sexes had seen “significantly increased” testosterone levels.

Haryana, Punjab girls bag top two spots in civil services

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Two young women from Haryana and Punjab, the states with one of the worst sex ratios in the country, have secured the top two ranks in the civil services examination.

Shena Aggarwal of Haryana’s Yamunanagar town and Rukmani Riar of Punjab’s Hoshiarpur town have bagged the top two ranks (No. 1 and 2 respectively), beating male candidates.

Chandigarh’s Prince Dhawan secured the third rank in the country and the first among male candidates.

The results of the CSE were declared by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in New Delhi Friday.

Demand for making a Christian either Prez or VP

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An organisation today appealed to parties to elect a Christian in the post of either President or Vice President.

In a statement, Association of Democratic Socialism (ADS) said it is sad that Christians had no president or
vice-president “in the last six decades.

———————–PTI

Gen Bikram Singh or his wife not related to PM, family: PMO

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The Prime Minister’s Office today said Army Chief-designate Lt Gen Bikram Singh or his wife is not related to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or his family and dismissed a media report in this regard as “scurrilous” and “mischievous”.

In a statement, the PMO said, “the allegation that Gen Bikram Singh or his wife is related to the Prime Minister or
any member of his family is completely untrue.”

Commenting on the media report, it said, “this is a scurrilous, irresponsible and mischievous statement. Other
newspapers or media outlets should not reproduce or repeat the baseless story.”

SP MLA fumes after being asked to sit in audience

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Ruling SP MLA Arif Anwar Hashmi was today left fuming after he was asked to sit in the audience by officials during a state function and said he would demand privilege action, prompting Jails Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh to offer a public apology.

At a function at jail premises here, Minister for zoological gardens S.P Yadav and home secretary Madhukar
Dewidi were sitting on the dais besides Singh.

As Hashmi, MLA from Utraula, tried to take a seat on the dias, he was stopped by officials and local leaders, forcing
him to take the seat in the audience.

Hazare is my spiritual friend: Ramdev

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Describing Anna Hazare as his “spiritual friend”, yoga guru Ramdev today said he would continue to work with the anti-corruption crusader.

Hazare is my spiritual friend….those speaking against Hazare and his team these days are the ones who are either
corrupt or encourage corruption,” Ramdev told reporters here.

Whenever Hazare and his associates became active, such people targeted them, he said .

To a question, Ramdev said he stood by his statement against MPs and added there are 102 MPs against whom criminal
cases are registered.

Army jawan commits suicide

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An Army jawan today allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a tree at the signal centre of the Vajra Core headquarters here.

The body of 26-year-old Lans Naik Kanta Prasad Sachaan was found hanging with a tree near the signal centre this morning, Defence spokesman Naresh Vig said.

Prasad, who hailed from Kanpur, was posted in Delhi and had come at the signal centre on temporary basis on April 27,
Vig said.

He was apparently depressed over family dispute.

Prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide, but police are investigating the matter, Vig said.

Gujarat govt transfers 3 senior police officials

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The Gujarat government has transferred three Additional Director Generals of Police (ADGPs) rank officials, including Rajkot City Police Commissioner Geetha Johri.

The transfers come months before the state goes to poll scheduled to be held in December. All these officers had
completed three years in their respective posts.

Gujarat’s ADGP (Investigation) H P Singh shall be new city police commissioner of Rajkot, replacing Johri.

Johri, who earlier headed the investigations into the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, has been transferred

Gujarat didn’t bow before Nehru, who is Sonia, says Modi

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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today took a swipe at Sonia Gandhi, saying that his state had not bowed down even before Jawaharlal Nehru, let alone the present Congress president.

Modi also took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying that Singh’s house is run on generators, but Gujarat is a power-surplus state.

He was speaking in Botad town of Bhavnagar district, 120 km from here, during a function to dedicate 32 km-long Narmada pipeline from Navada to Botad.

“The Centre should stop misusing its power to win elections of Gujarat. It is trying to destroy the people and

Constable shot dead in Bhind district

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A constable of Madhya Pradesh Police Special Armed Force’s Indore-based 15th Battalion was shot dead by unidentified persons near Kamri village in Bhind district today.

Shyam Sunder, the SAF constable, was riding a motorcycle from Gajna village to Bhind town when three unidentified
assailants shot him from a close range, killing him on the spot, police said.

——————–PTI

Singhvi should be “hanged if found guilty”: Hazare

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Anna Hazare today said Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi should be hanged if found “guilty” in connection with the controversial CD purportedly showing him in a compromising position with a woman.

“Singhvi should be hanged if found guilty,” Hazare said replying to a reporter’s question here this evening.

Hazare is currently touring Maharashtra to campaign for a stronger Lokayukta Act in the state.

Singhvi quit as Congress spokesperson after the scandal broke out, but maintained that the CD was fake.

‘Salman is the most misunderstood’

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`Salman is the most misunderstood`Mahesh Manjrekar opens up about his friends and foes in the industry and his criticism of Bollywood

For Mahesh Manjrekar, friendship occupies a special status in his life. His close friend Sachin Khedekar and he not only started their careers together, the actor also plays the lead role in the filmmaker’s forthcoming Marathi project.

Illegal work visas push frustration button among Saudis

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Though the Saudi government says that it has declined in recent years, the trade in illegal work visas remains a serious issue for the Saudi Arabia.

This is not simple a case of the authorities being deprived of a clear picture of how many expatriates are actually employed in Saudi Arabia. Everyone working here without proper authorization, whether because they arrived on illegal documents or have stayed on once their work permits have run out, is taking a job that could, and indeed very often should be done by a Saudi.

Don’t break oaths and don’t kill Muslims: Osama’s letter

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During his last months holed up in a villa in Pakistan, one of the concerns on Osama bin Laden’s mind was image control: Al-Qaida’s branches and allies were making the terror network look bad in the eyes of the Islamic world.

A newly released selection of letters captured in the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden a year ago shows the al-Qaida leader was meticulous in tracking how his associates’ actions and public statements reflected on the cause of jihad, or holy war. And he frequently tried to keep them in line.

Teenage bomber kills 24 in Pakistan

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A teenage suicide bomber targeted police in a bustling Pakistan town square on Friday, killing at least 24 people and wounding dozens in the tribal area near the Afghan border, officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it had wanted to kill the local chief and deputy of a tribal police force recruited by the government to help defeat the Islamist insurgency in the northwest.

Both died in the attack in Khar, the main town of Bajaur district, after a bomber who intelligence officials said was aged 14 to 16 detonated explosives strapped to his chest.

Common Values Unite Muslims, Christians

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Reaching a common message of mercy, respect and caring for the weak, Muslim and Christian leaders from across the Middle East and Denmark wrapped up a three-day conference in Beirut aimed at enhancing understanding between the two faiths.

The conference “had enhanced understanding between Muslims and Christians by focusing on common values which overcome religious and cultural differences,” reverend Riad Jarjour said, Lebanon’s The Daily Star reported on Friday, May 4.

Handling poisonous substances at home

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Extensive arrangements are being made by the Riyadh-based Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to observe the National Poison Prevention Week beginning today, a senior official from the organization told Arab News.

The goal of the week is to raise awareness about the risks of being poisoned by household products, medicines, pesticides, plants, bites and stings, food poisoning and fumes.

Iraqi aims to write world’s longest copy of Quran

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Hussain Al Kharsan kneels, bent over a giant sheet of paper, laboriously writing the words of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, in beautiful Arabic script with a traditional wood and feather pen.

The 25-year-old Iraqi aims to take an unusual path to fame: writing the longest copy of the Quran in the world. Al Kharsan says the scroll is to be between 5,500 and 6,000 metres long, or 3.4 and 3.7 miles.

His aim, he says, is to set a Guinness World Record.

Saudi Arabia warns Iran over UAE island, Bahrain

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Saudi Arabia repeated on Wednesday that it would not tolerate threats to the Gulf Arab states’ sovereignty, the latest warning to Iran after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to the UAE island of Abu Mousa.

“Any harm that comes across any of our countries is harm that touches us all,” Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Nayef said in a speech at a meeting of GCC interior ministers in Riyadh.

Nayef also condemned Iran’s occupation of the UAE island and its role in events in Bahrain.

No evidence against me, says freed cricketer Asif

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Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif on Friday said there had been no evidence for his conviction in Britain for corruption and spot-fixing, a day after he was released following six months in prison.

“I spent the six months under difficult circumstances,” Asif told Pakistan’s Geo television in London, in his first public remarks since being freed from Canterbury jail on Thursday after serving half his 12-month prison term.

“But despite the difficulties, I kept my fitness and I am thankful to my fans and family for supporting me during this difficult phase,” he said.

Don’t ignore Muslim issues – Australian MP

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MUSLIM issues are at a flashpoint in the community and ordinary people’s concerns about sharia law and burqas must be heard, a federal MP says.

Rowan Ramsey

Liberal Rowan Ramsey said about 80 per cent of submissions to a federal inquiry into multiculturalism were antagonistic to Muslims.

Liberal Rowan Ramsey said about 80 per cent of submissions to a federal inquiry into multiculturalism were antagonistic to Muslims.

“There is a considerable level of anxiety, mistrust, expressed in that 80 per cent that are at least wary about Muslim culture,” he said today.

Sangma pitches for tribal as president

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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader P.A. Sangma Friday pitched for a tribal candidate as the next president of India, saying that an appeal will be made to various political parties to support a candidate from the community.

He said that tribal leaders will meet here May 9 and would demand that a member of the community be the next president.

“We will pass a resolution to appeal to political parties to support an adivasi (tribal),” he said.

Sangma, a former Lok Sabha speaker, however, said he was not a candidate himself.