Month: August 2012

LeT a threat to stability in South Asia: US

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Lashkar-e-Taiba is a threat to stability in South Asia, a top US counter terrorism official has said urging Pakistan to take stronger steps against the outfit responsible for the Mumbai attack.

“I have not seen any decrease in Lashkar-e Taiba strength. It continues to be a matter of great concern to us, and I’ve spoken on many occasions about the threat to stability in South Asia that Lashkar-e Taiba poses,” the Ambassador at Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Daniel Benjamin, told reporters here at a news conference yesterday.

Ansari got Pakistani Nationality with the help of locals: Ujjwal Nikam

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(Siasat News)Mumbai Police Crime Branch officers said that 26/11 suspect Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal had used nine-email address to keep in touch with the terror network.

Official said that “now we are checking Ansari’s Face book and Orkut accounts”.

Ansari during interrogation said that he saw a foreign national at a Lashkar-e-Toiba terror camp in Pakistan and later learnt that he was David Coleman Headley, Crime Branch officers claimed.

13-year-old girl develops mental problems after sexual abuse

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(Siasat News)A 13-year-old girl student develops mental problems after sexual abuse for the last two months by her teacher.

The girl had not told her parents about her abuse and was suffering psychological consequences of the sexual abuse as her teacher threatened her not disclose this to anybody.

After examining her, doctors informed that she was sexually abused by someone and hesitant to reveal anything.

Ahmadinejad mocks Romney visit to Israel

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Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is calling a visit to Israel by US presidential candidate Mitt Romney as “kissing the foot” of the Jewish state to boost his bid for the White House.

Ahmadinejad did not specifically name Romney, but his comments were an unmistakable jab at the Republican contender’s stop this week in Israel. Romney strongly backed Israel’s drive to stop Iran from possibly seeking nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the claims.

Ahmadinejad questioned why Romney would make “concessions to get some pennies for (his) campaign?”

MS Dhoni tops Forbes highest earning cricketers list

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni topped the list of the world`s highest earning cricketers compiled by Forbes magazine, followed by Sachin Tendulkar, as six Indians made it to the list`s top-10.

With earnings of USD two crore and 65 lakh, Dhoni features at the top of the list, out of which USD two crore 30 lakh comes from the commercials, while the rest USD 35 lakh he earns from playing cricket.

Dhoni`s USD two crore 30 lakh is also the highest among cricketers earned from commercials.

Marriage might happen any day: Salman

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Bollywood star Salman Khan, who is busy promoting is forthcoming project Ek Tha Tiger says that he does not intend to remain single throughout his life and he can marry any day.

Apparently, marriage questions used to trouble Khan. In an interview earlier, he said, “I don’t understand why everyone is after me to get married?” But now, the most eligible Bollywood bachelor is not only facing these questions boldly, but he is hinting that he might get married any time.

Congress Will Give Even 200 Seats To BCs If They Have Winning Chances: Thulasi

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PCC official spokesperson Dr N Thulasi Reddy has said that the Congress high command would allot 150 seats, if necessary, even 200 seats in the Assembly to the BCs if they have winning chances.

Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan here on Tuesday, Thulasi Reddy said that TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who announced the BC Declaration, should first give his TDP Chief post or Leader of Opposition post to the BCs.

City Man Goes To SC For Probe Against Botcha In Liquor Scam

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Alleging that PCC Chief Botcha Satyanarayana was involved in irregularities in liquor tenders, a person named Giri Yadav from Hyderabad filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking an inquiry into it. In his petition, Yadav alleged that Botcha was not only involved in liquor tenders’ irregularities but also ran benami liquor shops. Giri Yadav pleaded with the Apex Court to direct the State government to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into it and initiate action against the minister.

Lok Satta Welcomes HC Stay-On Fuel Surcharge Collection

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The lok satta party today welcomed the andhra pradesh high stay on power distribution companies (discoms) imposing fuel surcharge on domestic and industrial consumers for electricity consumed in the past.

in a media statement, lok satta party working president d. v. v. s. varma wanted the government to drop the ‘tuglakian’ proposal of collecting fuel surcharge for power consumed long ago at least now in the light of the high court stay.

Seeking Centre’s Nod For Export Of 9,000 Tons Of Red Sanders: CM

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Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday disclosed that some 9,000 tons of red sander logs were seized while being smuggled out of the country. He said that his government was trying to obtain permission from the Union government to export the same.

The Chief Minister was inaugurating 63rd Vana Mahotsavam program in Thummalur Reserved Forest in Ranga Reddy district on Tuesday. On the occasion, the Chief Minister planted the first sapling as part of the program to plant 20 lakh saplings in one day in the entire State.

US targets banks that help Iran

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US President Barack Obama Tuesday announced new sanctions against foreign banks that help Iran sell its oil.

Obama said the latest round of sanctions is to “deter Iran from establishing payment mechanisms for the purchase of Iranian oil to circumvent existing sanctions”.

China’s Bank of Kunlun and Iraq’s Elaf Islamic Bank have been targeted for “knowingly” enabling financial transactions for blacklisted Iranian banks, Xinhua reported.

JNURM second phase draft in next two months

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Union Urban Planning Secretary Sudhir Krishna on Tuesday said that the second phase of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission draft plan was under the study of Inter-Ministerial Group and the report would be finalized within two months.

US Judge orders $6 billion in damages for 9/11 victims ‎

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A US judge here has ordered terror group al Qaeda, Taliban and Iran to pay nearly USD six billion to relatives of the victims and survivors of the September 11 attacks.

The lawsuit was filed against the terror groups as well as against Iran for its complicity in the attacks.

In his 16-page ruling US Magistrate Judge Frank Maas has ordered that the 110 survivors and 47 victims’ estates that are parties to the lawsuit be awarded damages of the amount of USD 6,048,513,805.

Microsoft unveils new email service

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Microsoft Tuesday introduced the preview version of Outlook.com, a new free web-based personal email service with cleaner user interface and integration with social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

“We think the time is right to reimagine email. So today, we’re introducing a preview of Outlook.com,” Chris Jones, a Microsoft corporate vice president, wrote in a blog post, Xinhua reported.

Microsoft said that with Outlook.com, there are 30 percent more messages visible in the inbox than similar web-based email services most users now are used to.

Karnataka MLA held in cash-for-bail scam ‎

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Andhra Pradesh ACB, probing the cash-for-bail scam involving jailed former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, on Tuesday named his close associate and yet another MLA of that state B Sreeramulu, of playing a role towards securing Reddy’s bail.

PM to visit Pak only if some ‘deliverable’ comes out: India

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Notwithstanding a formal invitation from Pakistan for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the visit will only take place if something “concrete” and “deliverable” will come out of such a trip.

President Asif Ali Zardari had last week formally invited Singh to visit Pakistan, saying the trip would provide an opportunity to take stock of bilateral relations.

Blood on Aarushi’s clothes was her own: Forensic expert

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In the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case, a forensic lab scientist told a special court here Tuesday that the blood stains found on the teen’s clothes and her bed’s mattress matched her blood group.

He said a whisky bottle, sent by the CBI for test, carried the finger prints of both Aarushi and Hemraj, her domestic help.

BK Mahapatra, a Central Forensic Science Laboratory scientist, appeared in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court as witness and said that the finger prints of both Aarushi and Hemraj were found on a Valentines Whisky bottle sent for inspection.

Situation in lower Assam calm, 3 deaths in Dhubri camps

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With improvement in the situation in strife-torn lower Assam areas where 56 people lost their lives, curfew was on Tuesday relaxed in Kokrajhar for two more hours, while night curfew continued in Chirang and Dhubri district.

Official sources said there was no fresh incidence of violence anywhere and curfew in Kokrajhar would be in force between 8 pm and 6 am till further orders.

No talks even with PM: Anna

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In tough posturing, Anna Hazare on Tuesday ruled out any talks with the government or even the Prime Minister to end their stir and expressed readiness to return Padma Bhushan award bestowed on him, even as government showed no signs of initiating negotiations with his team.

The statement from Hazare came on a day when his close aides Arvind Kejriwal and Gopal Rai, whose fast entered the seventh day, were advised hospitalisation by doctors but they rejected it saying they were “not cowards who will give up because of health concerns”.

Everybody fights and reunites, why criticise us: Farah

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Fights and reunions happen everywhere, then why people create a hype when a celebrity is involved, asks Farah Khan who has reunited with her favourite star Shah Rukh Khan.

Farah’s husband Shirish Kunder and Shah Rukh had a brawl during the success party of Karan Johar’s Agneepath and it became the talk of the town.

However, things have normalised between both the families and Farah, who gave two consecutive hits with SRK – “Main Hoon Na” and “Om Shanti Om” – is once again making a film with the superstar.

We all are prisoners of fame: Mahesh Bhatt

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Stardom is a kind of addiction and actors, who attain it, fear losing it, says seasoned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and adds that this is the premise of “Raaz 3”.

“Every artist is haunted by fear, which follows him. When he reaches stardom, he gets scared of losing it all. He wants to always be at that height. We are all prisoners of fame, Mahesh told IANS during the launch of the first trailer of his upcoming film Raaz 3.

According to the filmmaker, the movie portrays same fear through its storyline and “‘Raaz 3’ dares to touch this fear which entertainers live with”.

Big B feels singers play vital role in actors’ lives

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says playback singers play an important role in building an actor’s stature in Indian cinema.

“Playback singers have always been responsible for the stature that the actor in Indian cinema eventually achieves. In a country and in a society where music and its identity are observed as meticulously as the solution to a mathematical problem, it shall ever be difficult to measure this contribution,” Amitabh wrote on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.