Month: May 2012

CM Parkala Tour: 300 TRS Workers arrested

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In view of the whirlwind tour of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana and AICC observer Vayalar Ravi in the Parakala Assembly constituency on Sunday, the police took some 300 Telangana activists into preventive custody and stirred a hornet’s nest.

Enraged over the police action, a large number of TRS leaders, including Vinay Bhaskar, Rajaiah, Ravinder Reddy and others squatted before the district police headquarters demanding that their activists be released immediately.

SRK’s punishment too harsh, says Javed Akhtar

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Renowned lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar says that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA)’s decision to ban Shah Rukh Khan from the Wankhede Stadium for five years is a “little harsh”.

MCA slapped a five-year ban on Shah Rukh, co-owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), from entering the stadium for allegedly misbehaving with security personnel and MCA officials at the stadium Wednesday night. In his clarification, the superstar alleged that he got upset when he saw MCA officials allegedly manhandling his daughter

IPL Molestation case : Slinging match video

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AUSTRALIAN cricketer Luke Pomersbach, who’s accused of molesting an American woman and assaulting her fiancé, had to swallow a bittersweet pill on Saturday.

The lack of a forced entry into the hotel room, evident in the CCTV footage provided to the court, convinced metropolitan magistrate Navita Kumari Bagha to drop the trespassing charges against the Royal Challengers Bangalore ( RCB) player, allowing him to be granted bail.

But the footage also corroborated portions of the victim’s complaint and brought up a new potential witness whom the police are yet to identify.

Facebook CEO upgrades relationship status – Married

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Topping a very busy week after the launch of a flotation at the US stock exchange, Facebook co-founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg upgraded his relationship status. He and longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan have tied the knot.

“Mark Zuckerberg added a life event to May 19, 2012 on his timeline: Married Priscilla Chan,” the 28-year-old Zuckerberg announced on his timeline on the social network.

The 27-year-old Chan and Zuckerberg met at Harvard and were dating for more than nine years. Chan is an American-Chinese, Xinhua reported.

For Bipasha, making fitness DVD challenging

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Actress Bipasha Basu is coming out with the second edition of her fitness DVD and says that shooting for it was enjoyable but not easy.

“Exactly a week left to shoot Fitness DVDs of mine! Rehearsals and preparation is on full swing! Really fun yet challenging routines this time,” Bipasha tweeted.

The 33-year-old, who was last seen in “Jodi Breakers”, launched her first DVD, titled “BB-Love Yourself”, in 2010.

She asked her fans on Twitter to suggest a suitable title for the DVD and was overwhlemed by the response. However, she has yet to finalise the name.

Air India crisis enters 13th day, losses at Rs.230 crore

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The crisis in Air India raged on for the 13th day Sunday and the national carrier’s losses mounted to Rs.230 crore as the impasse between agitating pilots and the management continued.

“The loss due to ticket cancellations, unused labour and with the bulk of our Boeing-777 fleet grounded now stands at Rs.230 crore. Our losses per day stand between Rs.13-15 crore,” a senior official of Air India’s operations arm told IANS.

‘Clean India’ campaign takes off at Qutub Minar

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A “Clean India” Campaign was begun Sunday at the capital’s landmark Qutub Minar.

“Since the Qutub Minar gets as many as 25,000 footfalls on a weekend, second only to the Taj Mahal, we decided to start the campaign here. Once we are successful here, we will take the campaign to the rest of monuments in Delhi, and later, across the coutnry,” said Amod Kanth, the director of prominent child rights organisation Prayas, told reporters.

The campaign is a joint effort by Prayas and the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

11 injured in Delhi cylinder blast

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At least 11 people were hospitalised after they sustained injuries when a cylinder exploded in a slum cluster in south Delhi Sunday, police saidy. Nine of them were discharged by evening.

The incident was reported around 11 a.m. Sunday from Jagdamba camp in Malviya Nagar area.

“All the victims were taken to a nearby hospital and nine of them have been discharged while two are still recovering. But their injuries are not serious,” a police officer said.

“We are investigating what caused the cylinder explosion,” the officer added.

Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers by nine runs

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Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at the Uppal here Sunday.

Chasing a target of 133, Royal Challengers managed 123 for nine in 20 overs.

Team Anna’s candlelight march for dead activist Balwani

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Team Anna Sunday organised a candlelight march here and demanded a proper investigation into the mysterious death of Right To Information (RTI) activist Ravinder Balwani last month.

After the march at Jantar Mantar, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said: “Police must conduct proper inquiry into the mysterious death of RTI activist Balwani. Police must not leave the investigation in the case incomplete saying that it is a hit-and-run accident.”

The death of Balwani as a unfortunate incident as he was leading a war against corruption, he said.

Lockerbie bomber who killed 270 is dead

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Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, the lone person convicted in the bombing of a US plane over Scotland’s Lockerbie that killed 270 people, died Sunday, CNN reported quoting Libyan government officials.

Al Megrahi – a former intelligence officer who had suffered from prostate cancer – was 60.

He will be buried Monday, a foreign ministry spokesman told CNN.

Al Megrahi’s cousin Omer al-Gharyani told CNN he was with al Megrahi at the Tripoli hospital when he died.

His death came more than two years after he was freed from a life sentence in Scotland on the grounds that he was dying.

IPL molestation case: Victim’s fiance backs her version

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The statement of the fiance of an American woman, who was allegedly molested in a five-star hotel here by IPL cricketer Luke Pomersbach, has corroborated her version on the incident, police said Sunday.

Sahil Peerzada’s statement backed that of his fiancee Zohail Hameed, in her mid-20s, who was allegedly molested at the ITC Maurya Hotel here early Friday morning by Pomersbach, 27, a Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team’s Australian player.

Karnataka officer pays with life for exposing land scam

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A senior Karnataka government official who was brutally assaulted May 15 for exposing scams in house-building cooperative societies and was on life support at a hospital here died Sunday, police said.

S.P. Mahantesh, 48, passed away early Sunday, deputy commissioner of police B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda told reporters.

However, the police are yet to arrest any of the attackers. “We have got vital clues,” Gowda said.

Mahantesh, a Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer, was working as deputy director of the audit branch of the state’s cooperative department.

AP CM targets Jagan, calls him an ‘opportunist’

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday targeted YSR Congress party chief and Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy accusing him of being an an “opportunist”.

Speaking at a function here, the Chief Minister, who was joined by PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana in the attack against Jagan, alleged the Kadapa MP had amassed wealth by misusing the powers of his late father and former AP Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

Charging that Jagan was hungry for power, Reddy said “he is leading a princely life and cannot claim to be poor people’s representative. He is ruthless.”

Madhu Yaskhi threatens to resign from Congress

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Congress MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud on Sunday announced that he would resign from the party and post if the Centre fails to announce a favourable decision on Telangana statehood by July this year.

Talking to reporters, the Nizambad MP made it clear that he would resign from the primary membership of Congress party and also from the Lok Sabha membership if the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre fails to decide on Telangana. However, he hoped that the Congress would take a decision in favour of formation of Telangana State.

‘Statins prevent cancer in heart transplant patients’

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Statins prevent cancer and reduce death from all causes in heart transplant recipients, independently of cholesterol levels, says a new study.

Frank Enseleit, deputy director of heart failure and transplantation at University Hospital in Zurich, who led the study, says patients can safely begin statin therapy six months after transplantation and they should take the drug for the rest of their lives.

Falling rupee a major cause of concern for the govt: Pranab

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Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the steep fall in the rupee was a matter of great concern and the Centre was trying to resolve the situation.

“It is a matter of great concern. We are watching the situation. The Centre is not (sitting) idle. We are trying to resolve Mukherjee told press here.

“This is due to the Eurozone crisis,” he said.

Mukherjee added, “There is also currency crisis in emerging markets including Brazil.”

At the forex market, the domestic currency has been falling against the US dollar over the past few days.

Mamata Banerjee: A study in contrast

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Mamata Banerjee’s car still stops at all traffic signals, she still lives in a single-storey house in a dingy lane, and wears her trademark cotton saris and rubber slippers. But professors get arrested for circulating her cartoons and for supporting slum dwellers, she loses her cool over uncomfortable questions and sees a conspiracy if there is any criticism of her.

West Bengal’s maverick chief minister, who completed one year in office Sunday, is a study in contrast.

Saudi recruits women to seize foreign ‘raqis’

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Saudi Arabia, departing from a long-standing policy, is now recruiting women to help seize foreigners involved in spiritual treatment activities dubbed as Roqaya following a government decision to ban expatriates from this practice, a newspaper in the conservative Muslim Gulf Kingdom said on Saturday.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the country’s feared religious police, said it would start sending undercover female detectives to pose as customers for raqis, who use Koran verses and incense in their treatment, so they can be captured red handed.

Facebook CEO marries longtime gf

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Mark Zuckerberg has added a new post to his timeline. He and longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan have tied the knot.

The Facebook co-founder and chief executive officer announced on the social network: “Mark Zuckerberg added a life event to May 19, 2012 on his timeline: Married Priscilla Chan.”

Zuckerberg, 28, posted a photo which showed the young CEO wore a suit jacket at the wedding rather than his trademark hoodie, Xinhua reported.

The couple tied the knot at Zuckerberg’s home in Palo Alto, California.

Salman best entertainer: Shahid Kapoor

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Salman Khan is the undisputed entertainer of the Hindi film industry, says Shahid Kapoor, adding he would not even try to emulate his favourite actor.

“I don’t think anybody can be Salman Khan. And I don’t think anybody should try and be like him. There is only one Salman Khan and I am sure he is not trying to be like someone else,” Shahid told reporters when he was asked if he wants to be an entertainer like Salman.

“I am a huge fan of him and enjoy his work. I am not trying to be someone else and I am trying to create an identity for myself,” the 31-year-old said.

NATO vows longer stay in Afghanistan

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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has pledged to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, despite international calls for withdrawal of foreign troops from the war-ravaged country.

The NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the military alliance will continue its presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014 combat mission to provide Afghans with a better future.