Tag Archives: country

Meet Prince Charles and Camilla, the ‘wedding planners’!

London, Sept 20 (ANI): Prince Charles and wife Camilla are turning wedding planners and “loaning out” their country retreat of Highgrove House to wannabe brides and grooms. And included in the package will be the royal couple’s shared “expertise”. Like Charles and Camilla did at their Windsor wedding four years ago, couples will be encouraged [...]

Stop blaming Pakistan for ‘home grown’ terror plots, Qureshi tells UK

London, Sep.19 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has asked Britain to stop blaming Islamabad for the ‘home grown’ terror plots against the UK. Referring to Britain’s lashing out at Pakistan on the liquid bomb plot issue, Qureshi said it was unfair to criticize Pakistan for every terror plot hatched in Britain. “It is [...]

Musharraf ‘shedding crocodile tears’, says ex- Pak SCBA chief

Islamabad, Sep.19 (ANI): Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association’s former President Aitzaz Ahsan has said that former President General Pervez Musharraf is ‘shedding crocodile tears’ while admitting that removing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from office in 2007 was a mistake. Referring to Musharraf’s speech at Trinity University in Saint Antonio, Texas, where the former general [...]

Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto Express flagged off

Kolkata, Sep 19 (ANI): Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto express, the country’s first point-to-point non-stop train in Kolkata. The Duronto express will cover the 1447-km distance between Sealdah and New Delhi in 16 hours and 20 minutes. “After 30 years there is a train called Duronto. It will go faster than [...]

Pak inks 220-million-dollar satellite deal with China

Islamabad, Sep. 19 (ANI): Pakistan has signed an agreement with China to provide a 220-million-dollar financial grant to help the Islamic country launch a communication satellite. The operational life of Pakistan’s existing satellite PAKSAT-1 will be over in November 2011. Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui and Pakistan’s Economic Affairs Secretary Farrukh Qayyum signed the [...]

Gilani rejects inking safe passage deal for Musharraf

Islamabad, Sep.19 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has denied inking any ‘safe exit’ deal to facilitate former President General Pervez Musharraf’s safe passage from the country after he stepped down from the Presidency. In an interview to a private television channel, Gilani said: “If there had been such a deal, it would have [...]

Miss Fresh Face of North East contest a major draw for youth

Guwahati, Sep.18 (ANI): With the growing number of fashion conscious youngsters present in the northeast region of the country, the fashion and beauty industry is gaining popularity here. This was recently noticed when Miss Fresh Face of North East 2009 contest was held in Guwahati and it received an enthusiastic response from people of the [...]

Gandhians in Ahmedabad laud government’s austerity drive

Ahmedabad, Sep 18(ANI): In contrast to leaders of some political parties, who are criticising the austerity measures mooted by the government as mere ‘tokenism’, Gandhians associated with the Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad have lauded the initiative. The Gandhains, who themselves live a life of extreme simplicity, following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, said that if [...]

Army hosts yacht training camp for school children

Nainital, Sep 18 (ANI): With an aim to revive yacht sailing in the country, a 15-day camp is being organised in Nainital district of Uttarakhand where in school children are being trained in yacht sailing. Over 40 school students from the various parts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are taking part in the camp, which [...]

Some Americans think opposition to Obama’s policies is based on racism

Washington, Sep. 18 (ANI): Some Americans, including former President Jimmy Carter, believe that those who are opposing US President Barrack Obama’s policies have a racial element against him instead of simple disagreement. According to a recent Fox News poll, 65 percent Americans think that opposition to Obama’s policies is based on honest disagreements, while 20 [...]

Iranian regime accused of using torture, murder and rape to suppress opposition

Tehran, Sep. 18 (ANI): The father of an Iranian student, who died in jail after being arrested for protesting against President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election, has claimed that his son was beaten, got his bones broken and toenails pulled out while in prison. Amir Javadifar, 24, was so badly beaten that he had to treated in [...]

Durga puja celebrations on a modest scale in Siliguri

Siliguri, Sept 18 (ANI): The festival of Durga Puja is just round the corner. However, this time around, the festival may not be full of pomp and show as compared with previous years in Siliguri. The festival is known for massive makeshift tents or pandals which are put up by various festival organising committees. Organising [...]

Negative public opinion about foreign countries an early warning signal for terrorism

Washington, September 18 (ANI): People’s negative views toward the leadership and policies of other countries may be an indication that a terrorist act may be carried out, say researchers. Alan Krueger, a Princeton University economist, and Jitka Maleckova, of Charles University in the Czech Republic, came to this conclusion after analysing public opinion polls and [...]

Farmers protest against Hydro Power Project in Himachal

Rampur (HP), Sept 18 (ANI): Hundreds of residents and farmers here protested against the construction of run-of-river hydropower plant project on the river Satluj. The campaigners called for Save Satluj drive and complained that the hydropower plant would disturb the ecological balance of the region. “Our protest is to save our environment and our natural [...]

Now, unwed Malaysian couple to be whipped for trying to have car sex

Shah Alam (Malaysia), Sep. 18 (ANI): Following the whipping episode of the Malaysian model who was sentenced for drinking beer, an unmarried couple is now being subjected to the controversial canning sentence under the country’s Sharia law for trying to have sex. Mohammad Shahrin Abd Majid, 29, and his lover Nadiah Najat Hussin, 24, pleaded [...]

Sharad Pawar says end of season rains will help winter crops

New Delhi, Sep 18 (ANI): Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said that late end-season rains will help India’s winter crops. Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Pawar said, “It’s true that because paddy area transplantation has been dropped, but the late rains are very helpful particularly for Punjab, Haryana, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.” “There would not [...]

Malaysia gives RM1 million grant for Malay Indian tuition centre

Kuala Lumpur, Sep 18 (ANI): The Malaysian Government has allocated RM1 million to the Sri Murugan Centre to help poor and deserving Indian students excel in their education. The centre’s director and founder, M. Thambirajah, informed about the grant after receiving the cheque from Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya on Wednesday. The centre [...]

Qaeda-backed LeT set for series of terror attacks in India, warns Israel’s NSC

Tel Aviv, Sep.18 (ANI): Israel’s National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau has issued a terror warning for India, saying a Pakistani terror group, having close links with Al-Qaeda, is planning to carry out series of strikes across the country. “A Pakistani terror organization affiliated with al-Qaida and responsible for the attacks in Mumbai last year is [...]

Mayawati slams Congress party’s austerity drive

Lucknow, Sep 18 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has ridiculed Congress party’s austerity drive, terming it as a ploy to steer attention away from the steep price rise. Addressing a mass rally here on Thursday, Mayawati hit out at the Congress party, calling its austerity drive “a drama.” “Because of the wrong doings by [...]

MIC chief to apologise to Dr Mahathir over ‘slipper garland’ insult

Kuala Lumpur, Sep 18 (ANI): Malaysian Indian Congress president S. Samy Vellu has said that he will personally apologise to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the ‘slipper garland’ insult by a MIC member during the recent party congress. He said he would seek an appointment with Dr Mahathir to tender his apology over [...]