Month: March 2013

UAE centre to translate varsity works into Arabic

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The UAE has launched a centre to translate academic programmes of world-renowned universities into Arabic for the interest of Arab students and teachers.

“Our Arabic Sun” centre will translate works of universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale University into Arabic.

Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, advisor to the UAE president and supreme chairman of the Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation, signed a cooperation agreement with MIT professor Hector Fernandez.

Kareena Kapoor brings down the curtain at LFW

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The grand finale at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013 was a surprising affair as Kareena Kapoor walked the ramp for Delhi based designer Namrata Joshipura tonight.

Wearing a peach pink coat shirt with loose high waisted pallazo pants, Kareena looked ravishing in the avatar.

The finale set was elaborately decorated with glass flooring.

Kareena was the show stopper for the Grand Finale which was presented by designer Namrata Joshipura. For her this was her debut at LFW Grand finale. The finale by Namrata was inspired by Lakme Absolute’s latest collection – Pop Tints.

Russian politician cleared over Nazi comments

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A court in Russia has overturned an earlier ruling that forced a former Russian lawmaker to pay compensation to Nazi concentration camp survivors over controversial comments he made last year.

Andrei Yershov, formerly of the ruling United Russia party, said at a City Council meeting in west Russia’s Smolensk in November 2012 that he did not see why the authorities should supply concentration camp survivors with free transportation passes.

“Why is it that we owe them anything? Why? For the simple reason that they were not finished off?” Yershov said.

Russia to put 68 spacecraft into orbit by 2015

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Russia plans to put 68 spacecraft into orbit by 2015 and to almost double the number of its communications satellites to 44 by 2020, an official said.

“Under Russia’s federal space programme, we will launch 68 spacecraft between 2013 and 2015,” said Anatoly Malchenko, deputy head of the Central Research Institute of Machine Building.

Malchenko said all these spacecraft are now being manufactured or developed.

He added that the number of spacecraft could reach 113 by 2020 if a key space programme document is approved.

Finally, Kim finds pregnancy amazing

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Socialite Kim Kardashian is happy with her pregnancy and says she is coping well with the changes in her body.

Kim, 32, is expecting her first child with boyfriend rapper Kanye West.

“I’m not going to lie and be like, ‘Oh, it’s been amazing and I’ve adjusted great,” thesun.co.uk quoted Kim as saying.

“At the beginning it was tough for me when your body changes so much. I don’t think anyone will really prepare you for what the changes are, but once you kind of grasp that and embrace it, it’s amazing,” she added.

Six bomb disposal squad members injured by detonator explosion in Srinagar

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A detonator explosion has injured six personnel of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) in Srinagar. The explosion took place inside Srinagar’s Parimpora Police Station late on Tuesday evening. The injured have been admitted to the Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) for treatment. Some of them were operated upon for grave injuries. Deputy Inspector General of Police of Kashmir’s Central Range Afatul Mujtub said: “Six police personnel have been injured. They were removing the detonator of a grenade to deprime it.

Bieber’s second movie to start soon

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Singer Justin Bieber is reportedly geared up to make his second concert film with a budget of 15 million pounds.

His maiden concert movie “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” was released in 2011 and turned out to be the highest-grossing music film of all time by raking in 65 million pounds.

In the movie, he plans to include some parts of his London gig where he turned up hours late and faced a lot of criticism for it, reports dailystar.co.uk.

Party is undefeatable, says Imran

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Pakistan cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan believes that his Tehrik-e-Insaaf party will be undefeatable during the general elections in May this year, given the mammoth public response to his rallies across the country. General elections in Pakistan are scheduled for May 11.

“Let me tell my opponents that we have prepared a very dangerous party that they will never be able to compete with. You saw what happened on March 23. It was not rain, but a downpour. I could hardly speak in the downpour, but all the people, all the public, just stood there.

Russian senator quits over Israeli citizenship allegations

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A Russian senator handed in his resignation following allegations that he has Israeli citizenship and undeclared foreign real estate, a parliamentary official said.

Vitaly Malkin, one of the richest Russian state officials and a Federation Council member, asked to be relieved of his post, Federation Council regulations committee chairman Vadim Tyulpanov said.

“Senator Malkin has submitted his resignation; it’s sad but true,” Tyulpanov told the committee, which is expected to make its decision on the resignation Wednesday.

Two km of rail track stolen in Moscow

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Unidentified criminals have stolen over two km of railroad track in the Moscow region, transport prosecutors said.

The theft has caused damage worth over 1.6 million rubles ($52,000), they said.

The tracks were taken from between the stations of Sazonovo and Pilevo east of Moscow.

The railroad there was formerly used to transport cargos of peat, but has been abandoned for the past several years.

A criminal case has been opened on theft charges. The perpetrators face up to 10 years in prison if found and convicted.

–IANS

$11 mn theft prevented in Russian tech firm

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Police have prevented the embezzlement of over 350 million rubles’ ($11 million) worth of assets at state-run hi-tech corporation Russian Technologies (Rostech), the interior ministry said.

Police suspect retired police general Alexander Kalinin of using a premeditated bankruptcy scheme to seize assets belonging to a Rostech enterprise, the ministry said.

Vial of deadly virus goes missing from US lab

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A small vial containing a rare but potentially deadly virus called “Guanarito” that could be used in a bio-terror attack has gone missing from a maximum-security University of Texas research laboratory.

The Guanarito virus is native to Venezuela and is transmitted by rodents. It causes internal bleeding and organ damage that is fatal for up to 30 percent of the people who contract it.

Officials at the lab are scrambling to explain what could have happened to it.

Mufti criticizes Omar Abdullah Government over curfew and arrests

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People’s Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has questioned the Omar Abdullah-led state government’s repeated moves to impose curfew and arrest teenagers in the Kashmir Valley. He expressed these views while addressing a public meeting near Jammu.

Body pierced Hindu devotes pay homage to Lord Murugan during Panguni Uthiram Festival

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Thousands of devout Hindus with numerous needles and spikes pierced through their bodies as mark of penance converged at temples dedicated to Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu on the occasion of Panguni Uthiram, a festival observed ahead of the full moon in spring. They gathered in huge numbers at the Vadapalani Temple in Chennai on Tuesday to dedicate themselves to Lord Murugan, who is believed to be the God of War and Victory.

Karzai a step closer to Taliban talks

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The prospect of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government moved closer on Monday after a fence-mending visit by John Kerry, the US secretary of state, to Kabul.

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, said he was prepared to embrace a talks process with the Taliban when he visits the Gulf state of Qatar for discussions with its emir on hosting the negotiations.

Seven suicide bombers attack Afghan police base: Police

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A group of seven suicide bombers attacked a police base in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad today, killing five officers, police said.

One bomber set off a large explosion at the entrance of the quick reaction police headquarters before two bombers blew themselves up inside the facility and four others died in a gun fight with police.

“The first one detonated a car bomb; two others entered the base and detonated themselves and the remaining four were shot dead,” Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, the Nangarhar province police spokesman, told AFP.

Gaddafi’s widow, family members granted asylum in Oman

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Libya’s foreign minister says the widow of the late ruler Moammar Gadhafi and other family members have been granted asylum in Oman.

Mohamed Abdelaziz told reporters in Qatar on Monday that the family members had moved from Algeria following an asylum offer by Oman.
He gave no further details, but it’s believed that Gadhafi’s widow Safiya, three of the late leader’s children as well as grandchildren left Algeria late last year.

I have never cheated in my marriages, says Playboy founder Hugh Hefner

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Playboy founder Hugh Hefner claims he might have slept with more than a thousand women, but says he has never cheated while married.

The 86-year-old, who is currently married to 26-year-old Crystal Harris, said that “he is a happy, committed, one-woman man”, reported Us magazine.

“How could I possibly know? Over a thousand, I’m sure. There were chunks of my life when I was married, and when I was married I never cheated. But I made up for it when I wasn’t married. You have to keep your hand in,” Hefner said.

Priyanka Chopra lends her voice for animated film Planes

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After making her international singing debut, actress Priyanka Chopra has lent her voice for Disney’s animated film Planes.

The actress has dubbed for an Indian plane, called Ishani, in the movie, which is a spin-off of Cars and Cars 2. The film is slated to release in India on July 26.

Film’s director Klay Hall says he became a fan of the Indian beauty after watching her in Dostana.

Iran court sentences 6 men to death for rape

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Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency says a local court in southwestern Iran has sentenced six men to death on charges of rape.

Today’s report by Fars quotes the deputy prosecutor of Khouzestan province, Abdol Hamid Amanat Behbahan, as saying the six men were sentenced to death in a town called Shoushtar.

The verdicts will be carried out if upheld by the Supreme Court. The defenders can appeal the verdicts. The official did not specify when the sentence was issued.

PTI

UN body asks Myanmar to address ethnic conflict

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Worried that the recent communal violence in central Myanmar might spread to other parts of the country a top UN official on Tuesday asked the government there to demonstrate that the rule of law will prevail and that all those living within its borders are and will be protected.

Minor girl foils school teacher’s molestation bid in MP

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A government primary school teacher allegedly tried to molest a class III student of his school on its premises near here, police said on Tuesday.

However, the bid of the accused, identified as Babulal, to molest the girl inside the classroom yesterday could not come off as she raised an alarm, they said.

According to police, Babulal, posted as a Jan Shikshak with a government primary school, located 20 km from here, allegedly lured the girl to an empty classroom when mid-day meal was served to the rest of the students.

Qatar asks for $1 bn for Palestinians in east Jerusalem

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Qatar’s emir on Tuesday urged for USD 1 billion fund to help Palestinians in Arab east Jerusalem, and offered to contribute USD 250 million towards it.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, made the proposal at the opening of an Arab League summit, saying other Arab countries must provide the remainder, and that the fund would be run by the Islamic Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

He gave no details for its implementation.

AP Assembly passes ‘vote-on-account’ budget

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The first round of the Budget Session of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly ended today after the House passed a ‘vote-on-account’ budget for a part of the 2013-14 financial year. The Rs 1.61 lakh crore budget proposals for the ensuing fiscal, presented by Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, will now be discussed by the Department- Related Standing Committees being constituted for the first time in the state Legislature.

Dalit woman raped by neighbour in Haryana

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A Dalit woman was allegedly raped by her neighbour in Sharma Nagar area of the district. According to the complaint lodged by the woman, her neighbour Sunil Kumar barged into her house yesterday and raped her, police said. Medical test on the woman has confirming the assault, police said. Kumar has been booked for sexually assaulting the woman and threatening to kill her. PTI