Month: November 2012

A Syrian rights group today released videos of pro-regime fighters apparently killing prisoners and cutting ears from bodies, after a video showing rebels executing soldiers raised international concerns.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog, said it had received the videos after the images of rebels appearing to beat and kill captured troops sparked an international uproar.

These videos were provided by activists following the broadcast the day before yesterday of a video showing

The Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in New Zealand today announced additional scholarships for students of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal enabling them to pursue advanced studies while engaging in sporting events.

The scholarship, named after famed cricketer John Wright,who is the the brand ambassador of SIT is targetted at
students with outstanding sporting and academic records.

It ranges from Rs 60,000 to Rs 7.5 lakh.

“The scholarships give successful candidates an opportunity to pursue their sporting and academic dreams.

City police today claimed to have busted a credit card cloning racket and arrested four persons including a sales executive working with State Bank of India and a businessman.

The accused Varun Sadh, who runs several garments shops in the city, and sales executive Nani Babu, along with two others allegedly indulged in “stealing” credit card data of customers using a skimmer machine and swapped the same at Varun’s shops without purchasing any material, police said.

Ingredients:

50gms French beans
3-4 carrots
1 small cabbage
100gms Broccoli (cut into florets)
1 Capsicum
salt to taste
1 Tomato (cut into thin rings)
2 green chilies(slit vertically)
Finely Chopped coriander leaves
1 lemon juice
Black pepper powder to taste

Preparation:
Cut and Steam the vegetables.
Add tomatoes, green chilies salt, pepper powder and lemon juice, and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

With economy showing signs of revival in the second quarter of this fiscal, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Saturday said that the deceleration in GDP growth has bottomed out.

“In the first quarter of this financial year, GDP growth was 5.5 percent, while in last quarter of last financial year it was 5.3 percent, so it can be said that deceleration in growth has bottomed out,” Ahluwalia said on the sidelines of a CII-Invest North conference here.

Gold fell to over two-month low of Rs 30,950 per 10 grams in the bullion market here Saturday driven by a sharp fall in prices overseas, while silver nosedived by Rs 1,500 per kg on poor offtake.

While gold lost Rs 270 to Rs 30,950 per 10 grams, while silver shed Rs 1,500 to Rs 58,000 per kg.

Traders said sentiment weakened on global trend where precious metal’s tumbled the most in more than four months to below USD 1,700 an ounce as US payrolls in October rose more than forecast, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to expand monetary stimulus.

Indian doctor Rajan Daniel’s throat was slit inside a hospital in Abu Dhabi by a Pakistani man who blamed him for his relative’s death, a media report said Saturday.

The Pakistani was armed with a big knife when he stormed the private hospital Thursday. He grabbed the Indian urologist and fatally stabbed him after the death of his relative, reported web site Emirates 24/7.

Daniel, who hails from Kerala, had been working in the hospital since 2007. He is survived by his wife Geeta George, who lived with him in the United Arab Emirates, and daughter Junu.

Coinciding with the Himachal Pradesh election, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi will address a mega rally here Sunday.

Tens of thousands of party workers are expected to throng the Ramlila ground in the heart of the capital in what is expected to be a clear show of strength at a time when the Congress is under all round attack.

The rally will be attended by all Congress chief ministers, state unit chiefs, heads of block and district units, MPs, legislators and leaders of the party’s frontal organisations.

The BJP Saturday demanded a probe into the Congress party providing an interest-free loan to Associated Journals Ltd and said that the ruling party should answer questions on major issues of corruption.

BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also criticized the Oct 28 ministry reshuffle saying the Congress party had only brought back corrupt ministers.

Suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist and an accused in Delhi and Bangalore blasts Fasih Mohammad, who has been handed over to Bangalore police by a Delhi court, was brought here.

Fasih, brought here last evening, was remanded to police custody till November 16, a top police official said.

“Fasih Mohammad was brought by our team last evening itself. He was produced before the first Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Venkatesh Hulagi and remanded to police custody till November 16”, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) B Dayanand told a news agency.

Concerned over increasing stress among its jawans, the Border Security Force (BSF) is planning to modernise its outposts, equipping them with facilities to keep the soldiers de-stressed.

“These Border Out Posts (BOPs) will be equipped with several facilities which will not only protect jawans from the rigours of harsh weather but also protect them from any possible attack. But most importantly these facilities will help soldiers de-stress,” DIG (BSF) RK Thapa said today.

The CPI on Saturday said it would support any resolution in Parliament to oppose the government’s decision on FDI in retail, maintaining that a majority of MPs were against the measure.

“The CPI will support all moves to disapprove the economic measures announced by the government recently, particularly to allow FDI in retail, insurance and pensions, in the coming session of Parliament,” party General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters after a meeting of the CPI national executive here.

The judiciary in association with the lawyers’ body should step in to find a mechanism for eradication of corruption in society, said eminent lawyers.

“The judiciary has a limited role to play in preventing corruption in society but Public Interest Litigations (PIL) provide some hope to deal with corruption,” said advocate and Constitutional expert PP Rao.

Suggesting that PIL should not be abused of misused, the lawyer said that due to intervention by the judiciary some politicians had to resign from their posts following allegations of corruption against them.

(IANS/EFE) Two days after announcing the annual New York Marathon would take place Sunday as scheduled, Mayor Michael Bloomberg reversed course and cancelled the event.

“While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division,” he said late Friday in a statement.

The race typically features tens of thousands of runners and attracts some 2 million spectators.

Chinese democracy is not really what people expect it to be, a state-run daily said Saturday, days ahead of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

An article “China’s path to democracy” in People’s Daily said democracy was not only a system of government but a way of life which meets people’s needs.

“Admittedly, as public awareness of the right to know and participate as well as the rule of law increases, democracy in China has not reached the level many people expect. However, the country is making steady progress in improving its democracy,” it said.

With cell phone service knocked out and no electricity in many parts of New York City in the wake of superstorm Sandy, people are waiting in lines to use a relic from the past – the pay phone.

“I didn’t even know they were working,” New York City resident Leslie Koch said about the public pay phones in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

A former General in the Nigerian Army, who played a major role in the civil war of the 1960s, was shot dead by gunmen suspected to be members of radical Islamic sect Boko Haram.

Major General Mamman Shuwa, a prominent former soldier of Nigeria was gunned down at his house in restive northern city of Maiduguri on Friday.

The country’s defence headquarters announced that Shuwa was killed while he was receiving a guest at his house and was about to leave for Friday prayers.

Members of a Japanese government team assigned to set reactor safety measures received funding from utility companies or atomic industry manufacturers, raising questions about the experts’ neutrality in the wake of last year’s tsunami-triggered nuclear disaster.

This time, Belgium’s royal family came out swinging. Crown Prince Philippe, 52, had been depicted in a book as less of a man than is needed to become the next king of Belgium.

So, in an exceptional move, the royal palace struck back this week with an official complaint to a media ethics body against a journalist who published “Royal Questions,” a new book that includes damaging allegations about the crown prince’s character and marriage.

Officials say a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan has killed a district police chief, as the insurgents increasingly target Afghan security forces amid the drawdown foreign troops.

Ahmadulah Nazik, who is the administrator of Dand district in Kandahar province, said Rahmatullah Khan died today while trying to reach a police outpost under Taliban attack.

The killing comes a day after four policemen were shot dead in southern Helmand province by their own colleagues. Taliban spokesman Qari Jusuf Ahmedi said the killers fled and joined the guerrillas.

An anti-Taliban Awami National Party leader was among six people killed when a motorcycle-borne suicide bomber blew himself up near his car in Buner district of Pakistan’s restive northwest on Saturday.

Apart from ANP leader Fateh Khan, the blast, for which Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility, left three of his bodyguards and two passersby dead in Dagar area of Buner district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, about 100 km from Islamabad, police said.

Bangladesh Supreme Court is set to hear a government petition challenging the acquittal of several suspects in the 1975 assassination of four key independence leaders, as the country mourned their loss on the 37th anniversary of the carnage on Saturday.

“The case is now set for hearing before the Appellate Division (of the Supreme Court) as our (state side’s) concise statement was submitted two days ago as sought by the apex court,” Attorney General Mahbube Alam told reporters.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday said that Sachin Tendulkar getting some runs under his belt in the Ranji Trophy match before the upcoming four-Test series against England is a good sign.

Gavaskar was one of those who had said the 39-year-old`s mode of dismissals in recent matches was concerning.

“He is one the most hardworking studious guys you come across. I think Sachin would have got enough time to think about how he got out. If he has got the runs now, obviously he has worked hard for it.

Portugal and Goa. The two words go almost hand in hand as the tiny Indian state is a mini-Portugal owing to its history. Former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter midfielder Luis Figo would have felt right at home when he arrived in Goa for the finale of the Youth Champions League (YCL).

The visit of some of the footballing greats to India has always yielded the golden question on how they felt football in India can be improved, despite very little of it being implemented. Figo was not spared of this and the former Portugal captain was only too happy to offer his view on the situation.

Asteroids may have brought life to Earth as scientists claim their collisions with planets can boost the birth and evolution of complex life.

A new study proposes that asteroids may have delivered water and organic compounds to the early Earth, NASA said in a statement.

Researchers suggest that the size and location of an asteroid belt, shaped by the evolution of the Sun’s protoplanetary disk and by the gravitational influence of a nearby giant Jupiter-like planet, may determine whether complex life will evolve on an Earth-like planet.