Month: August 2012

SPOT Demands judicial probe into Kokrajhar riots

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Society for Promotion of Tolerance (SPoT) secretary Syed Ali Hashmi has demanded that the Centre order an inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court and initiate action against the culprits in the communal violence in Kokrajhar district of Assam.

Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, Syed Ali Hashmi demanded that the Union government introduce ‘Communal Violence Bill’ in Parliament and pass it in the ensuing session. He lamented that though riots took place in Assam, the Muslim Parliamentarians have failed to raise the riots’ issue.

‘T’ Congress MPs meet Shinde and Moily

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Telangana Congress MPs called on new Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde here on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media later, MPs Ponnam Prabhakar, Rajaiah and Suresh Shetkar said that they just met Shinde as a matter of courtesy and had not discussed any political issues with him.

As Shinde has taken over as the new Home Minister from Chidambaram, who was shifted to the Finance Ministry again, it would be Shinde who would be handling the Telangana issue henceforth. It is in this context that the Telangana Congress MPs met Shinde.

Government exporting food, keeping people hungry: Brinda Karat

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CPI-M leader Brinda Karat Wednesday accused the central government of exporting food grain through big traders for use as animal fodder while keeping people hungry in the country.

“Already the Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government has sold 25 lakh tonnes of food grains to big businessmen, who would export them for the purpose of animal foodstuff in various countries,” Karat, a Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member, told a large gathering of people here.

“The government has decided to export more food grain when crores of people are starving,” she said.

Childhood obesity could erode fertility later

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A sharp spike in childhood obesity may more than damage overall health — it could be disrupting the onset of puberty and erode the ability to reproduce, especially in females, according to a study.

Human bodies may be scrambling to adjust to a problem that is fairly new. For thousands of years of evolution, poor nutrition or starvation were a greater concern, rather than an overabundance of food.

Bulging waist damages sexual, urinary functions

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For all you men out there – a bulging waist not only spells higher risk of blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes but also damages your sexual life and causes frequent urination, reveals a recent study.

The study by New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is the first to comprehensively show that obesity in men affects not just their hearts and metabolism, but also their sexual and urinary health.

Avian flu virus wiping out baby seals

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An avian flu virus is wiping out large numbers of baby harbour seals, after infecting these aquatic mammals with pneumonia, in New England, US.

Wildlife authorities first became concerned in September 2011, when seals with severe pneumonia and skin lesions (eruptions) suddenly appeared along the coastline from southern Maine to northern Massachusetts.

Even animals won’t eat Mid-Day Meal in Goa: Parrikar

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The food given to school children in Goa under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme is unfit even for animals, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the legislative assembly Tuesday.

He said the government wanted to improve the quality of the food served in its schools, suggesting milk and whole grain biscuits and involving parents-teachers associations in the meal cooking and distribution process as the options.

Australian universities woo students from India

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Promising quality education and bright job prospects, 18 educational institutes from Australia are touring six cities of India as part of an “education fair”.

According to Tom Calder, trade commissioner of the Australian Trade Commission, eight Australian universities were ranked among the top 100 in the world in 2011.

“We also have lower unemployment rates compared to the United States or the United Kingdom. An Indian student with an Australian qualification will easily get employed there,” Calder told IANS here.

“The universities also offer job assistance,” he said.

India allows investments from Pakistan

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In a major step towards normalising economic relations, India Wednesday announced changes in regulation to allow investment from Pakistani firms and individuals.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) issued a circular making changes in the Consolidated FDI Policy to allow investments from the neighbouring Pakistan.

The government of India has reviewed the policy and “decided to permit a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan to make investments in India, under the government route,” the ministry of commerce and industry said in a statement.

US says it is trying to force Assad to step down

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The US is continuing its efforts to make Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad resign, according to US State Department spokesperson Patrick Ventrell.

“The situation is grave, and we’re witnessing the regime’s continued assault on its own people,” said Ventrell during a daily press briefing Tuesday.

“We are continuing and accelerating all the efforts we have had in place to get Assad to step aside as soon as possible.”

Taliban leader held in Afghanistan: ISAF

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A senior Taliban leader has been captured in Afghanistan’s Zabul province, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Wednesday.

“An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a senior Taliban leader in Tarnak wa Jaldak district, Zabul province, during an operation yesterday (Tuesday),” Xinhua quoted the ISAF as saying in a press release.

The senior Taliban leader organised a complex Improvised Explosive Device (IED) network responsible for multiple IED attacks in the region, according to the release which did not disclose the leader’s name.

Jilted wife goes berserk against rival’s mother

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A mother of six children in Britain left a 53-year-old woman in a pool of blood after a brutal attack at a school’s playground. She suspected that the lady’s daughter was having an affair with her husband.

Kelly Mochan stormed into the school swearing and shouting that she was going to kill Katie Vincent, as other mums picked up their kids, The Sun reported. She was carrying a baseball bat.

Vincent, 31, had actually sent her mother Tonia Vincent to collect her children on that day from the school. So a furious Mochan clubbed her with the baseball bat in front of scared youngsters.

Iran renews support for Annan’s Syria peace plan

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Iran has reiterated its support for the peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan to settle the Syrian unrest, Press TV reported Wednesday.

“We support Annan’s plan and consider it as the only sensible way (for Syria) to get out of this situation,” Xinhua quoted Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi as saying.

The minister made the remarks during a meeting with visiting deputy undersecretary of the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs Halit Cevik, who has travelled to Tehran to attend the Iran-Turkey political committee Tuesday.

Olympics hockey: India suffer another reverse, lose 1-3 to Kiwiss

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New Zealand chalked up a 3-1 win over India who thus slid to their second defeat in as many matches in the Olympic men’s hockey competition here Wednesday.

India, after a sensational start when Sandeep Singh converted a second minute penalty corner, faded away as the Kiwis came storming back with goals by Andrew Hayward (13th), Phillip Burrows (24th) and Nicolas Wilson (29th), and then nursed the lead to the end.

Saibaba Temple gets diamonds worth Rs.1.18 crore

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An identified person has donated two diamonds worth Rs.1.18 crore to the Shirdi Saibaba Temple here, an official said Wednesday.

“A Sai Baba devotee donated two diamonds of two and three carats each and a gold chain. We found the diamonds in the temple’s donation box. They are valued at Rs.1.18 crore,” said an official of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust that runs the temple.

However, this is not for the first time the temple has received such a big donation.

Half of Thailand’s Buddhist monks are obese: Study

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Pot-bellied Buddhist monks, striving to reach spiritual enlightenment, could be hampered in their pursuit of nirvana because of obesity and lifestyle diseases, a study has suggested.

A study of Buddhist monks in Thailand has found that nearly half of them are obese and blames their weight gain on sweet treats given to them by worshipers, Daily Mail reported.

President, PM greet nation on Raksha Bandhan

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President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday greeted the nation on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

“I extend my greetings and good wishes to my fellow citizens in India and abroad,” said Mukherjee.

Ansari said Raksha Bandhan, which falls Thursday, signifies the bond between brothers and sisters.

“Let us follow the ideals associated with this festival to promote amity, harmony and goodwill in our lives” and society, said Ansari.

Ekta overwhelmed by response to ‘Kyaa Super Kool…’

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Film producer Ekta Kapoor says she is overwhelmed by the box office response to “Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum”.

The film, a sequel to the 2005 film “Kya Kool Hai Hum” and which opened last Friday, has already raked in over Rs.29 crore.

“We were told that since our brand was seven years old, we’ll have a Rs.10 crore opening. We had the highest opening during Ramzan. I’m totally overwhelmed,” Ekta said at a press conference Wednesday.

10 Maruti union leaders arrested

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Ten Maruti Suzuki union leaders were arrested Wednesday for their alleged role in the July 18 violence at the company’s Manesar plant that led to the death of a senior executive, police said.

“The accused will be produced in a court Thursday,” Haryana Director General of Police Ranjeev Singh Dalal told reporters here.

With this, all the 12 members of the car company’s labour union, accused of instigating other workers to indulge in violence, have been arrested.

The other two office-bearers of the union were arrested earlier.

Olympics: Kashyap first Indian male shuttler in quarterfinals

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Parupalli Kashyap scripted history by becoming the first Indian male shuttler to enter the singles quarterfinals at Olympics, but fancied archer Deepika Kumari suffered an opening round loss while the hockey team stumbled to their second back-to-back defeat at the London Games here on a scandal-hit Wednesday.

Indian boxer Manoj Kumar also reached the pre-quarterfinals in the 64kg class with an emphatic victory over Serdar Hudayberdiyev of Turkmenistan late Tuesday night. The 25-year-old was in control throughout the bout as he registered an easy 13-7 win.

Team Anna hardens stand, cops want them hospitalised

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The condition of Team Anna members, who are on a fast over the last eight days, deteriorated Wednesday, even as they hardened their stand on not negotiating with the government over the Jan Lokpal bill, despite an epistle from the Delhi Police that they be hospitalised over their worsening health.

The health of Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai, who sat on their hunger strike July 25, gave cause for concern to doctors attending on them and they advised that the fasting activists be taken to hospital forthwith.

Dhoni made $26.5 million last year, Tendulkar $18.6 million

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India’s “Captain Cool” Mahendra Singh Dhoni and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar lead world’s highest-paid cricketers with as many as six Indians making it to the Forbes list of top ten.

Dhoni’s success on the pitch, including leading India to its second ever Cricket World Cup championship “had helped turn him into India’s biggest celebrity,” said the reputed US business magazine noting “the fame has paid off: last year, Dhoni made an unprecedented $26.5 million,”

I Hurt as Three blasts rock Pune

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At least three low-intensity explosions were heard in different parts of Pune city Wednesday evening, police said.
One person was injured as four apparently-coordinated low-intensity explosions rocked a single street in Pune Wednesday evening, police said.

One of the blasts took place at the Bal Gangadhar Chowk near the Rangsharda auditorium on the busy Junglee Maharaj Road and another in a dustbin outside a McDonalds outlet nearby around 7.30 p.m., police said.

A third explosion occurred near the Dena Bank in the same area, triggering panic among people during the evening peak hour.

Pooja has taken big risk by taking me in ‘Jism 2’: Sunny Leone

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Adult movie star Sunny Leone feels actress-director Pooja Bhatt has taken a big risk by casting her in ‘Jism 2’.

“I think Pooja took a bigger risk than me by casting me in the film. I am happy that I got this film and I think I have done my best. I hope people will like it,” Sunny told PTI in an interview.

Leone’s participation in controversial reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ led to her entry in Bollywood. She will be seen in erotic thriller ‘Jism 2’, directed by Pooja Bhatt. Sunny is paired opposite Arunoday Singh and Randeep Hooda in the movie, releasing this Friday.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain discuss bilateral relations

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Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have held bilateral talks during which the two sides reviewed prospects of furthering cooperation between them.

They also discussed the latest developments in the Arab and regional arenas and the two countries’ stances in this regard.

The talks were held Tuesday between Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, deputy premier and minister for defence, and Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The Bahraini crown prince is visiting Saudi Arabia along with the Deputy Supreme Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces and others officials.