Month: March 2013

Syria to decide its people’s future: Iran

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Iran has said no country other than Syria would be allowed to decide for the Syrians.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi made these remarks at a joint press conference with his visiting Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem in Tehran, Xinhua reported Saturday.

No country from outside has the right to make decisions for Syria, Salehi said, adding that nobody can inflict its will on the Syrians using force and arms.

There is no military solution to the Syrian issue, and the first and foremost demand of the Islamic republic is to end the violence in the Arab state, he added.

Portugal Foreign Minister to arrive in India today

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Portugal Foreign Affairs Minister, Paulo de Sacadura Cabral Portas will arrive here on a five-day official visit today.

He will be accompanied by Minister of State for Culture of Portugal, Jorge Barreto Xavier and a business delegation.

During his stay in New Delhi, he will hold talks with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

Both sides will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The Portugal Foreign Affairs Minister with his delegation will also visit Mumbai and Goa.

This time Republican woman politician says ‘rape rarely leads to pregnancy’

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Now, another Republican has sparked a row saying pregnancies by rape are rare because a woman”s body is traumatized by the violence.

Celeste Greig, president of the California Republican Assembly, made the remarks to the San Jose Mercury News ahead of this weekend”s state GOP convention in Sacramento.

Greig was responding to a question about former Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, who gave an outrageous definition of ‘legitimate rape’, saying women”s bodies have the power to prevent pregnancy.

Syria, Iran say US aid to rebels will extend war

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Syria and Iran said on Saturday that Washington’s decision to provide aid to rebels will only prolong the fighting aimed at toppling President Bashar Assad whose troops scored a major strategic victory in the country’s heavily contested north.

Syrian troops regained control of several villages along a key highway near the embattled northern city of Aleppo, restoring stability to the city’s international airport, the Army’s General Command said in a statement.

Apple iWatch ‘at least three years away’, says supplier

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London, March 03:: Apple’s much-awaited gadget, iWatch, which would be a wearable version of the iPhone, is at least three years away, one of the suppliers of the tech giant has said.

The makers of Willow glass, a flexible material expected to be used in the Apple iWatch, said that their product is not ready for use in such a complex design.

Flyover collapses in Kolkata, three injured

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A flyover in Kolkata collapsed on Sunday morning crushing a truck underneath and injuring three people.

The incident took place at 4:30 a.m. on the Ultadanga flyover, which connects VIP Road and the airport with E M Bypass and the eastern and southern suburbs.

An entire section of the bridge, which was about 200 metres in length, came down crashing into a canal below.

Local rescued the injured persons and were rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment.

Suryanelli rape case: Court rejects girl’s plea against Kurien

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In a relief to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, a local court on Saturday rejected a plea by the victim in the Suryanelli gang-rape case for a re-probe into the alleged involvement of the Congress leader, holding there was no new ground for a fresh investigation.

The victim had filed a petition for a fresh probe into Kurien’s alleged involvement in the light of the recent claim by Dharmarajan, one of the accused in the 1996 gang-rape case and the only person to be convicted.

Flyover collapses in Kolkata, three injured

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A flyover in Kolkata collapsed on Sunday morning crushing a truck underneath and injuring three people.

The incident took place at 4:30 a.m. on the Ultadanga flyover, which connects VIP Road and the airport with E M Bypass and the eastern and southern suburbs.

An entire section of the bridge, which was about 200 metres in length, came down crashing into a canal below.

Local rescued the injured persons and were rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment.

‘Men, by default, are very selfish

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In an industry where women above the age of 33/34 are considered almost passé, Chitrangda Singh is changing the rules of the game. She is 36 years old, the mother of a child and she is – as every single person would accept at the drop of a hat – extraordinarily hot. Maintaining a figure, which is the envy of many women and the desire of even more men, is a formidable task but not one that can leave Chitrangda hassled.

Pranab Mukherjee leaves for Bangladesh on a three-day official visit

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Seeking to convey India”s commitment to sort out unresolved issues with its eastern neighbour, President Pranab Mukherjee left on a three-day state visit to Bangladesh today.

President Mukherjee will have talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Md Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia among others during his visit.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had earlier said Indian government is committed to take bilateral relations to a higher level and sort out unresolved issues with Bangladesh.

Indian-origin doctors claim ‘inequality’ in GP exams in UK

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A group of Indian-origin physicians has launched a legal action against the regulatory body for doctors in the UK, alleging that the exam, which confirms a doctor has satisfactorily completed speciality training and is
competent to enter independent practice, is flawed and discriminates against international trainees.

The British Association of Physicians of Indian-Origin (BAPIO) claims there is a “significant difference in pass rates” between UK and international graduates, including those of Indian origin.

Narendra Modi to address BJP conclave today

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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will address the ongoing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Council meeting today.

Modi and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan also likely to be inducted into the Parliamentary Board.

BJP President Rajnath Singh on Saturday lauded Modi for achieving a third consecutive victory in his state and enabling the main opposition party to create a new record in the Indian democratic history.

Indian students to visit tsunami-hit Fukushima

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A group of 138 students from the country are visiting Japan on Sunday during which they would visit the ‘Fukushima prefecture’ to witness the current situation in the region following the tsunami-induced disaster.

They will also receive lectures about the lessons learnt from the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 and also observe the recovery process of the areas, said a statement.

The students, who are learning Japanese, would be in the country till March 13 under the Kizuna Project youth exchange programme introduced by Japanese government.

Mumbai attacks: Trial in Pakistan adjourned till March 16

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The trial of seven Pakistanis charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks was today adjourned for two weeks after prosecutors informed the judge that they were awaiting an undertaking from Indian authorities regarding the visit of a Pakistani judicial commission.

President leaves on Bangladesh visit

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President Pranab Mukherjee left here Sunday morning on a three-day visit to Bangladesh.

Mukherjee, in his first trip abroad after assuming the presidency, is accompanied by Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and four MPs. His wife Suvra Mukherjee is also accompanying him.

He is to call on Bangladesh President M. Zillur Rahman and receive the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour Award.

The president is expected to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

He returns Tuesday night.

—IANS

Irom Sharmila to be flown to Delhi today to appear in a court

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Social activist Irom Sharmila, who has been on fast for about 12 years demanding the repeal of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), would be flown to Delhi on Sunday in connection with a court case, official sources said on Saturday.

“Sharmila would be flown to Delhi tomorrow (Sunday) as she has to appear before a court in connection with the fast she undertook in Delhi in the past demanding the repeal of AFSPA,” Imphal central jail superintendent IK MUivah said.

Man gets 8 years RI for abduction, rape of minor

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A man has been sentenced to eight years of rigorous imprisonment in an abduction-cum-rape case by a Delhi court, which termed the minor victim’s testimony as “consistent” and “truthful”.

The special fast track court, constituted to try cases of sexual offence against women, also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on Rakesh, a resident of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Youth gets 10 years jail for raping minor

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A youth has been sentenced to 10 years in jail by a fast track court for illegally confining and raping a minor thrice over a period of six months.

Additional Sessions Judge M C Gupta handed the jail term to Uttar Pradesh resident Jaswant Yadav, saying the offence against him has been “established by the cogent and reliable evidence”.

“During the period from December 2009 to July 2010, convict Jaswant kept her (victim) confined at Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and committed rape upon her.

Syria to decide its people’ future: Iran

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Iran has said no country other than Syria would be allowed to decide for the Syrians.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi made these remarks at a joint press conference with his visiting Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem in Tehran, Xinhua reported Saturday.

No country from outside has the right to make decisions for Syria, Salehi said, adding that nobody can inflict its will on the Syrians using force and arms.

There is no military solution to the Syrian issue, and the first and foremost demand of the Islamic republic is to end the violence in the Arab state, he added.

Anne Hathaway denies throwing a fit over Oscar dress

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‘Les Miserables’ star Anne Hathaway’s dress fiasco at the Oscars is grabbing more spotlight than her golden statuette.

The 30-year-old actress’ representative has now come forward to deny reports that she threw a fit after she discovered that her ‘Les Miserables’ co-star Amanda Seyfried was wearing a gown that was similar to her Valentino dress, prompting her to change into a pink Prada gown for the Oscars,the Ace Showbiz reported.

Congress pulls up BJP for focusing on Modi

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Congress Party on Saturday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for unnecessarily highlighting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and sidelining the other leaders.

Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said the BJP has shunned other party leaders and is only concentrating on Modi.

Sam Raimi teams up with brother for ‘Evil Dead 4’ script

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Director Sam Raimi is teaming up with his brother Ivan to pen the fourth installment of the cult horror movie franchise ‘Evil Dead’.

The director’s latest film is ‘Oz The Great and Powerful’, the Ace Showbiz reported.

“I would love to make Evil Dead 4. My brother and I plan to work on the script this summer,” the former ‘Spider-Man’ director said.

The brothers have previously collaborated on 1992’s ‘Army of Darkness’, the third installment of ‘Evil Dead’ trilogy.

They also worked on ‘Darkman’ and ‘Drag Me to Hell’.

I’m terrified of my mother: Rihanna

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‘R&B’ star Rihanna says the only person she is scared of is her mother.

The 25-year-old singer says she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her but admitted her mother can really intimidate her, reported Elle.

The ‘Diamonds’ singer says, “I’m not afraid of any person in this world but my mother. I’m terrified of her!

“She called me two days ago and reeled me in about two naked pictures Melissa (Rihanna’s best friend) put up on Instagram a sneak-peek from a photo book she’s making about me. My mom, she went crazy on me,” she added.

Rachel Weisz loved doing own stunts in ‘Oz the Great…’

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‘The Constant Gardener’ star Rachel Weisz says she relished trying difficult stunts in Sam Raimi’s new Oz prequel, ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’.

The 43-year-old actress had to work on tricky wire stunts for her role as ‘Evanora’, the wicked witch of the East, in the movie.

While she doesn’t believe she had talent for stunts, Weisz said that she enjoyed the challenge, reported Daily
Star.

I actually liked being up there. It was a little scary the first day but luckily we had experts up there showing us what to do. I’m not physically gifted in any way,” Weisz said.

Halle Berry to return as ‘Storm’ in next ‘X-Men’ film?

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‘Monster’s Ball’ star Halle Berry is confident that she will reprise her role as ‘Storm’ in the next installment of the X-Men series.

The 46-year-old actress said that she is about 90 per cent sure that she will be joining the film’s cast, but
couldn’t confirm anything else, reported Huffington Post.

Director Bryan Singer, recently said that he wasn’t sure if Berry would return.

I can’t say. I don’t know yet. And it’s not necessarily a deal making aspect at all. I want to make sure it’ll make sense. But I love working with her,” he said.