Month: September 2013

Italian porn director plans movie about Berlusconi’s sex life

by

An Italian soft porn director has revealed that he is looking forward to making an erotic movie about former premier Silvio Berlusconi”s escorts.

Referring to the nickname given to Berlusconi by the girls who attended the famously bawdy parties in his villa, Tinto Brass, best known for controversial film ‘Caligula’, said that the tentative title of his film is ‘Thank you, Daddy’, News.com.au reported.

Brass is in Venice to mark the screening of ‘Intintobrass’, a documentary about his life.

NSA spied on Al Jazeera’s internal communications

by

The National Security Agency (NSA) spied on Arab news broadcaster Al Jazeera. The United States intelligence agency hacked into Al Jazeera”s internal communications system, according to documents from former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Putin calls Obama”s military intervention in Syria `nonsense`

by

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged US President Barack Obama to consider whether strikes would help end the violence in Syria, before rushing into a decision on striking the country. According to Politico, the United States revealed on Friday that the attack in a rebel-held suburb of Damascus, the Syrian capital, killed 1,429 people, including more than 400 children. The Russian leader implied the chemical attack came from among the rebels, claiming he was convinced it was a provocation carried out by those who wanted to draw in the United States, the report said.

Palin asks Obama to `let Allah sort it out` in Syria

by

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has condemned American military action in Syria, and said ”let Allah sort it out”.

According to Politico, Palin expressed that the move was about President Barack Obama saving political face because of his red line promise regarding chemical weapons. Palin criticized Obama”s plan to bomb Syria in response to chemical weapons attacks, questioning whether a US bombing would help civilians in the war-torn country, the report said.

Pakistan condemns latest U.S. drone strike

by

Pakistan had strongly condemned the U.S. drone strike that killed four people in the country”s North Waziristan tribal region on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry said. An American spy aircraft fired missiles into Mir Ali area of North Waziristan and killed at least four people, official sources in the region said.

Pak Taliban deny holding secret peace talks with Nawaz govt

by

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has denied media reports that the government was holding peace talks with the terrorist group. Private media reported on Saturday that peace talks with the Taliban have begun, while some said there had been initial contacts with the terrorists. According to the Daily Times, Shahidullah Shahid, main spokesman for the TTP, said that no contacts had been made between the group and any government official.

Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie ‘suffers heart attack’ in jail

by

The leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, has suffered a non-fatal heart attack in jail. Badie has been detained at Torah prison on the outskirts of Cairo. According to the Guardian, state broadsheet al-Ahram reported that Badie had suffered a cardiac arrest while in prison, but he has since recovered. State news agency MENA denied a report that Badie had died, while Brotherhood spokesmen did not respond to immediate requests about his health. Sherief Abuel Magd, a longtime Muslim Brotherhood member and a friend of Badie”s, said he could not confirm the report.

Obama approves military strike on Syria but only after Congress OK

by

President Barack Obama has said the United States should carry out a military strike against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons on civilians, but also turned to Congress for approval. Obama said that the Assad regime’s menace of carrying out alleged chemical attacks must be confronted with.

Pak hard-line party chief wants treason case registered against Osama doc Shakil Afridi

by

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan chief, Syed Munawar Hasan, has called upon the Pakistan government to register a treason case against Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) hunt down Osama bin Laden, and try him accordingly.

Hasan has expressed deep concern over the setting aside of Dr Afridi’s sentence. According to the Nation, in a statement, he said that the conviction of Dr Afridi had been set aside and his case had been sent to the Political Agent for retrial.

Doctors in many countries don’t wash hands properly 40pc of the time

by

The World Health Organization has revealed that that medical professionals in hospitals in five countries didn’t always wash their hands effectively, thus failing to prevent the spread of infections to patients and other staff members.

WHO’s Clean Care is Safer Care program was established to educate doctors and nurses on correct hand-hygiene practices, which can reduce the risk and spread of infections.

Money motivates employees best when it comes to losing weight

by

A new study suggests that financial incentives can be a very effective tool in encouraging employees to lose weight at companies that offer their workers those types of programs.

Joshua Price, a University of Texas, Arlington assistant professor of economics, teamed with Cornell University Professor John Cawley to perform a case study on an employer-sponsored program that offered financial incentives for weight loss.

The purpose of the study was to examine a real-world intervention for weight loss, Price said.

Pak beats Zim by 108 runs in final ODI to wrap up series

by

Pakistan has beaten Zimbabwe by 108 runs in the final one-day international to seal a 2-1 series victory in Harare. According to The Express Tribune, as Zimbabwe geared up to chase a formidable target of 261, their openers failed to establish the kind of platform their team needed for a successful chase. Mohammad Hafeez, Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal bagged two wickets each whereas Afridi claimed one while three of Zimbabwe”s batsmen ran themselves out, the report said.

Homegrown smartphones selling more than Apple in China

by

Many consumers in China are choosing cheaper home grown smartphones over an iPhone, when they upgrade from feature phones, which is why Apple”s share of China”s smartphone market was halved in the second quarter. According to China Daily, these phones are more geared to local needs and Apple is in talks with Chinese carriers to come up with a cheaper model of iPhone.

Soon, pill to prevent strokes and heart attacks

by

Researchers have uncovered a key platelet protein that may offer a new angle for developing drugs to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

Lead study author Stephen Holly, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said that I think we’re at the start of an exciting journey of drug discovery for a new class of antithrombotic therapies.

More journalists resign from Al Jazeera for pro-Muslim `biased Egyptian coverage`

by

Four journalists of the Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera News and its affiliate in Egypt have resigned from their posts in protest against the channel”s policies.

According to Gulf News, other Egyptian senior employees in the Doha-based headquarters are preparing to leave the channel for the same reasons. The report said that the reason has been attributed to biased coverage by the channel that journalists consider out of sync with real events in Egypt.

BJP pulls up Digvijay Singh, says remarks on Sushma to seek ‘publicity’

by

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday hit out at Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh over his remarks about BJP leader Sushma Swaraj in connection with Asaram Bapu case, and said that it is a publicity stunt. “He (Digvijay Singh) is attacking Sushma Swaraj to seek publicity because Congress can”t fight on the ground. They want to battle it out on Twitter as well. Our stand is clear. Rajasthan police had to take action. They have taken action. They are investigating and law will take its own course,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

US has evidence of sarin gas use in Syria attack: John Kerry

by

Blood and hair samples collected from the chemical attack site in Syria have “tested positive for signatures of sarin gas”, US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said as he pushed for a military strike against the Assad regime over its alleged use of the deadly weapon.

Doing rounds of Sunday talk shows on multiple news channels, Kerry said these samples were collected independently thorough an “appropriate chain of custody”.

Lovers commit suicide in Gurgaon hotel

by

A young man and a teenaged girl committed suicide in a state government-run hotel here by consuming a poisonous substance, police said Sunday.

Ashok Kumar, 20, and Jyoti, 18, were found dead at the tourist complex in Sohna, 26 km from Gurgaon city.

Ashok hailed from Gudana village near Pataudi while Jyoti was from Kheri Khumar village in Jhajjar district. Both were unmarried.

The duo had arrived at the hotel around 8.30 p.m. Saturday and booked a room for the night.

Want to contest Lok Sabha poll again: Tharoor

by

Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said he wants to contest the Lok Sabha election again.

“Having put in more than four years as an MP, I think I have been able to bring a difference and hence, if given a chance, I will contest again,” Tharoor told reporters here.

In 2009, the former UN under secretary general contested from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency and trounced Communist Party of India candidate Ramachandran Nair.

Allegation against Asaram part of attack on Hindu culture: VHP

by

Allegations of sexual assault against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu is part of attack on “Hindu culture” which started with the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya in 2004, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal claimed here on Sunday.

“The latest instance of insult that has come up is one involving Asaram Bapu. He is 80-year-old. You arrest him on charges of raping a girl? This is not about his arrest. This is telling the Hindu community that we will finish your feelings of respect towards a religious leader,” he said at a press conference here.

Sonia to fly to the US for medical check-up

by

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is travelling to the US for a medical check-up, a senior party leader said on Sunday.

“Her going to the US for medical check-up is due,” he said but declined to give any details when asked about reports that she may by flying out tomorrow evening.

This is her second trip for the purpose after a gap of six months.

Gandhi, who had undergone a surgery in the US for an undisclosed ailment in August, 2011, had flown there on September 2 last year for a check-up. She had again been to the US in February this year.

Over 1,500 kg drugs seized in Delhi, two arrested

by

Two people were arrested for transporting illegal drugs and 1,575 kg of cannabis (ganja), costing Rs.6 crore in the international market, seized, police said Sunday.

“Bhaskar Rao and his associate T. Kumar were arrested Saturday from Ghazipur area in east Delhi, along with their truck containing ganja weighing 1575 kilograms,” said Additional Commissioner of Police Ravindra Yadav.

The arrests were made after a tip-off. It was also learn that the consignment of drugs was to be kept in a warehouse in the area, said Yadav.