Month: July 2012

Punjab to launch card for NRIs

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The Punjab government Monday announced that it will soon launch an NRI card for Punjabis living abroad to identify them for official purposes and facilitate various services for them.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, accompanied by NRI Affairs Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Monday asked the NRI affairs department to immediately work out the details for the NRI card and implement it at the earliest.

Israeli embassy car blast: Kazmi’s plea to come up Oct 12

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A Delhi court Monday refused to interfere with a magistrate’s order giving more time to the police to probe the alleged role of journalist Syed Mohammad Kazmi in the Feb 13 Israeli embassy car blast. The case would next be heard Oct 12.

Additional Sessions Judge S.S. Rathi refused to pass any order on Kazmi’s plea and said that the issue was pending before the Delhi High Court.

The court said: “Since the date of hearing in the high court is Oct 9, put up for hearing on Oct 12.”

Indian-origin physicians in US is a ‘force to reckon with’

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The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), a powerful professional community of doctors with over 65,000 members, has not only become a “force to reckon with” but aims to “advance the science of healing” worldwide, particulary in India.

According to the new AAPI president Narendra Kumar, who assumed leadership of AAPI at its 30th annual Convention in Long Beach, California last month, “the slate of officers for AAPI 2012-13 comprise of individuals who are dedicated, industrious, experienced and very aware of the challenges that lie ahead.”

British jail where prisoners enjoy adult DVDs

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Movies that may simply be described as unsuitable for family viewing, for being amorous or too violent in nature, are being shown to inmates in a British jail.

According to The Sun, films showing rape have been made available to inmates at a British jail housing sex offenders. DVDs including Deliverance, featuring a male rape scene, are on offer in the prison library.

Elephant stomps Thai man to death

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An elephant stomped a man to death near a Buddhist ceremony venue in the presence of Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, reported the Bangkok Post Monday.

The incident occurred in the morning, about 200 metres from where the prime minister was to offer alms to monks seated on the backs of elephants.

It happened after an unidentified man climbed onto a tree, located about 20 metres from where Yingluck would offer alms. When the police asked the man to climb down, he jumped onto the ground and began playing with one of the elephants.

Upgrade Mayawati’s security, BSP tells Akhilesh

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After targetting him and his government for its failure to protect the statues of Dalit icons and party chief Mayawati, a delegation of BSP leaders met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Monday and urged him to upgrade her security as well as for her monuments and statues.

Emerging from a meeting with the chief minister, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and former minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui said they had demanded that the security for Mayawati be increased to which the chief minister said he will look into the matter without any prejudice.

Israeli embassy car blast: Kazmi’s plea to come up Oct 12

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A Delhi court Monday refused to interfere with a magistrate’s order giving more time to the police to probe the alleged role of journalist Syed Mohammad Kazmi in the Feb 13 Israeli embassy car blast. The case would next be heard Oct 12.

Additional Sessions Judge S.S. Rathi refused to pass any order on Kazmi’s plea and said that the issue was pending before the Delhi High Court.

The court said: “Since the date of hearing in the high court is Oct 9, put up for hearing on Oct 12.”

Olympic tennis: Federer moves into third round

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Swiss Roger Federer Monday kept on course for adding the Olympic title to his Wimbledon crown, beating Julien Benneteau of France in straight sets in the second round of the men’s singles tennis competitions at the All England Club.

The World No.1 swept past his 32nd-ranked opponent 6-2, 6-2 in an hour and will now play either Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller or Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin.

Elsewhere in the draw, world No.2 Novak Djokovic will meet former US Open champion Andy Roddick in the second round of the Olympic tennis tournament after the American beat Slovakia’s Martin Klizan Monday.

Delhi cop arrested for cheating woman

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A 34-year-old Delhi Police constable was arrested here for cheating a widow whom he married to allegedly extract the compensation amount which she had got after the death of her first husband, police said Monday.

Kumar, who was already married, allegedly married in 2004 Suneeta, 29, whose first husband had died a year ago in a road accident.

Kumar was posted at Delhi Police training centre in Malviya Nagar. He was arrested from south Dehi’s Govindpuri Saturday, said a police official.

When do we turn adult – at 21 or 30?

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For many people it may remain a puzzle throughout their lifetime but Australian researchers feel the traditional belief of many individuals viewing age 21 to be the cusp of adulthood may not be true anymore.

According to a study conducted by researchers at Melbourne’s Brotherhood of St. Laurence charity, no longer is the age of 21 regarded as the end of childhood, as they found most of the young people regarding the 30th birthday as the changeover year.

The landmark 21st year is now seen as a time to have a great party before keeping the fun going for at least the next nine years.

PM congratulates Gagan Narang

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday congratulated Gagan Narang on winning the bronze medal in the men’s 10-metre air rifle event of the 2012 London Olympics.

“I join the nation in congratulating shooter Gagan Narang on his winning the Olympic bronze medal in the 10 metre air rifle event. I wish Narang more success in the two other events he is participating in,” the prime minister said in a statement.

Narang is the first Indian sportsman to win a medal in the London Olympics.

Forgiving and forgetting is good for heart

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Forgiving others, no matter how badly they may have hurt us, could actually prove to be beneficial for our health, a US study has found.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, found those people who let go of their anger were less likely to see spikes in blood pressure, Daily Mail reported.

The research has been published in the Journal of Biobehavioural Medicines

Uttar Pradesh ignoring Vrindavan widows: SC

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The Supreme Court Monday chided the Uttar Pradesh government for not being sensitive to the plight of widows abandoned by their kin and living in miserable conditions in Vrindavan.

Describing the plight of the widows as a “serious human problem”, the apex court bench of Justice D.K. Jain and Justice Madan B. Lokur reprimanded the government saying “no body is concerned” about them.

“Spend some money here also,” the court said, drawing the government’s attention.

“Now at least you should be a progressive state,” the court said.

Sonia Gandhi should be leader of Lok Sabha, says Congress MP

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Amid deliberations in the Congress on the choice of leader of house in the Lok Sabha, a party MP Moday suggested that Congress president Sonia Gandhi should take the post.

“In my personal opinion, she should be the Leader of the House and there maybe a deputy leader also,” said the MP, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity.

The suggestion has come amid clear indications from the Congress that a new leader of the house will be appointed before the start of monsoon session of parliament Aug 8 in place of Pranab Mukherjee.

50 detained outside Pawar’s house, Team Anna denies role

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A total of 50 people, claiming to be supporters of Anna Hazare, were detained Monday for protesting outside the house of union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar here.

“A total of 50 people have been detained. They were protesting outside Sharad Pawar’s residence,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Manish Kashyap, told IANS.

However, Team Anna denied indulging in any protest outside Pawar’s residence.

The incident was reported at 2:20 p.m. at Sharad Pawar’s New Delhi residence at 6 Janpath where people were shouting anti-government slogans.

Process on to deliver Zardari’s donation to Ajmer shrine

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More than three months after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari announced a donation of Rs.5 crore to the Ajmer dargah during his visit to the revered Sufi shrine, the Pakistan high commission Monday clarified that arrangements are being made to fulfill the pledge.

“Arrangements are in hand to make the donation as announced by the president of Pakistan,” a spokesperson of the Pakistan high commission said here.

“The High Commission thanks the government of India, the state authorities, and the Dargah committees for their cooperation in this regard,” the spokesperson said.

29 pilgrims killed in Haryana accident

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At least 29 pilgrims, including three children, on their way back from a shrine in Rajasthan were killed in a head-on collision between two trucks in Haryana’s Bhiwani district Monday morning, police said.

Twenty-two people died on the spot, while seven others succumbed to their injuries in hospital, a police officer here said. The dead included 10 women and three children.

I am lonely: Mumtaz

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Mumtaz, the heartthrob of millions in the 1960s and 1970s, turns 65 Tuesday and says she has no complaints from life except for loneliness.

“After I got married, my husband has given me lots of comforts. I enjoy the life of affluence. But I am a bit lonely,” Mumtaz told the author on phone from London.

Her elder daughter Natasha is married to actor Fardeen Khan and settled here, while her husband Mayur Madhvani, whom she married in 1974, and younger daughter Tanya are constantly travelling for work.

Shooter Narang opens medal count for India, wins bronze

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India’s rifle shooter Gagan Narang clinched the bronze medal in the men’s 10-metre air rifle event of the 2012 London Olympics while his illustrious compatriot and defending champion Abhinav Bindra failed to qualify for the final round at Royal Artillery Barracks here Monday.

The gold went to Romanian Alin George Moldoveanu with a total score of 702.1 (599 qualifying, 103.1 final) and Italian Niccolo Campriani bagged the silver with 701.5 (599 qualifying, 102.5 final).

Railway Minister doesn’t rule out blast in TN Expr

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Railway Minister Mukul Roy did not rule out the possibility of a blast behind the devastating fire in Tamil Nadu Express that left 32 passengers dead on Monday.

“I am not excluding anything. I got a call from Divisional Railway Manager that there was a report of a blast. I don’t want to dwell on it further since you will infer that I am trying to divert the cause of the mishap to another direction,” Roy told reporters here fore leaving for the accident site.

Rosaiah concerned about environment

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Tamil Nadu Governor Dr K Rosaiah today said environmental degradation has become a serious global concern. Inaugurating the Regional Convention on Eastern Ghats, jointly organised by the Hyderabad-based Greens Alliance for Conservation of Eastern Ghats (GRACE) and the SRM University, he said the year 2005-14 was marked as United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and 2010-20 as United Nations Decade on Biodiversity.

Two held for throwing bomb

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Notorious criminals Siva alias Track Siva and Anand alias Anandkumar were arrested for throwing a country-made bomb at a timber merchant’s house at Naveena Garden here on last Thursday night.

Superintendent of Police (North) S Ramaraj said the two were held following the arrest of an eight-member gang from a crematorium on Cuddalore road.

Grid collapse: Delhi blames UP, Punjab, Haryana

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Delhi government on Monday accused Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab of overdrawing power from the Northern Grid which led to its collapse triggering severe power cuts in the national capital besides long outages in most parts of North India.

Delhi Power Minister Harun Yusuf, quoting official figures, said Uttar Pradesh was overdrawing 900 MW of power more than the allotted quantity from the grid at 2 AM while overdrawal by Haryana and Punjab was 580 MW and 500 MW respectively.

Uma stresses on need to clean important rivers

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Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti on Monday said there was a need to clean important holy rivers across the country, including the Ganga, Cauvery, Narmada, Yamuna and Brahmaputra.

This would help not only those on a holy pilgrimage, but also ensure fishermen get better quality fish, she said.

Bharti, here as part of her ‘Save Ganga’ campaign, took a holy dip in all 22 holy waters in the famous Ramanathaswamy temple, amid tight security.

BJP flays politics of ‘untouchability’ against Modi

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The BJP on Monday criticised the politics of “untouchability” witnessed in the country against Narendra Modi and said this was the “worst kind of vote bank politics” experienced in the country.

The party also attacked all such critics who have been raising the issue of Gujarat riots but were maintaining silence on the Assam violence.