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Showing posts from September, 2009

Indonesian island of Sumatra toll more than thousands

Rescue teams are racing to reach thousands of people trapped under collapsed buildings after an earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra . Officials say up to 200 are dead but Siti Fadillah Supari, the Indonesian health minister, said on Thursday that given the widespread damage the number of victims "could be more ... than thousands". The 7.6 magnitude undersea quake hit on Wednesday afternoon, about 50km from the coastal city of Padang with a population of 900,000, which bore the brunt of the temblor. A second quake, with a 6.8 magnitude, struck Sumatra on Thursday morning, about 225km southeast of Padang, according to the US Geological Survey. There have not yet been any reports of deaths or damage from the second quake, but the Indonesian geophysics and meteorology agency said the quake struck near several heavily populated towns. Raphael Abreu, a geophysicist at the national earthquake information centre of the US Geological Survey in Colorado, told Al Jaz

Kerala boat tragedy: Thirty five bodies have been fished out of the water

THEKKADY / KOCHI: A thick veil of grief descended on the famed tourist spot of Thekkady on Wednesday when Kerala witnessed its worst ever boat tragedy in the Mullaperiyar waters as the KTDC’s Jalakanyaka, carrying about 76 passengers, sank. Thirty five bodies have been fished out of the water. Any hope of finding more tourists alive faded with the daylight even as rescue personnel continued their desperate search. The two-deck boat, commissioned just a month back, was returning to the boat landing after an hour-long sight-seeing trip when tragedy struck. All the passengers on the upper deck apparently rushed to one side of the boat to take photos of a lone bison spotted on the shore. At the same time many from the lower deck flocked to the top leaving the lower almost empty. This movement and the uneven distribution of weight caused the boat to overbalance and turn turtle. Those remaining on the lower deck were trapped inside while about 20 on the upper deck were rescued by other boa

US encourages Pak to look into Mumbai attacks

Washington, Oct 1 (PTI) The US has said it continues to "encourage" Pakistan to investigate the Mumbai terrorist attacks and expects that Islamabad would bring the perpetrators to justice. "We certainly have encouraged and continue to encourage Pakistan to fully investigate the Mumbai attacks, and even more importantly, bring those responsible before their judicial system," the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P J Crowley, said. When asked about last week?s meeting between the Indian Minister of External Affairs, S M Krishna, and his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Qureshi, Crowley said: "I think we certainly encourage a dialogue between India and Pakistan, two very important countries to the United States." Crowley said the Obama Administration understands clearly the importance of Afghanistan, the importance of Pakistan, the importance of India, and the interaction among those countries. "We have a strategic relationship that is eme

UEFA Champions - League round-up

Arsenal beat Olympiakos as Liverpool and Rangers suffer defeats Liverpool lost to Fiorentina and Rangers were thumped by Sevilla, but Arsenal overcame Olympiakos on a dramatic night in the UEFA Champions League. Elsewhere there were wins for Barcelona, Lyon, while Inter Milan, Stuttgart and AZ Alkmaar were held to draws. Liverpool was in irresistible form against Hull City in the Premier League at the weekend but their defensive shortcomings were exposed in a 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina at Artemio Franchi. Stevan Jovetic latched onto a fine pass from Cristiano Zanetti to slot home Viola's opener after 28 minutes and the Montenegro international grabbed his second of the evening with a clever flick nine minutes later. The Reds improved after the break but Fiorentina withstood long periods of pressure to join them on three points in Group E, three points behind leaders Lyon. Hungarian champions Debrecen showed they were capable of competing with Europe's elite when they narrowly

Jon Cryer and Lisa Joyner adopt baby girl

Two and a Half Men’ star thanked daughter in recent Emmy acceptance Jon Cryer and his wife, Lisa Joyner , adopted a baby girl, the "Two and a Half Men" Emmy winner's rep confirms to PEOPLE. The infant, named Daisy, was born Aug. 11 and is the first child for Cryer, 44, and Joyner, 42, who married in June 2007. On Sept. 20, while picking up his Emmy as outstanding supporting actor on a comedy series for his CBS show, Cryer mentioned his " baby girl " in his acceptance speech. The actor also has a son, Charlie, 9, from a previous marriage .

O’Brien jokes: stunt injury into laughs

Tells studio audience he hit his head hard enough to understand ‘Lost’ LOS ANGELES - Conan O'Brien turned his "Tonight Show" stunt injury into laughs at his expense by showing footage of the cringe-worthy backward fall on a hard studio floor. "As many of you may know, on this past Friday's show I was doing a stunt and I hit my head and suffered a slight concussion. And I promise, if you're a good audience, I'll do it again tonight," O'Brien said during Monday's taping. In a transcript released by NBC, he joked that he struck his head so hard "that for five seconds I actually understood the plot of `Lost.'" O'Brien and guest Teri Hatcher were in a footrace when he slipped while trying to slide past the finish line, forcing Friday's show to be halted. He played a clip of the fall and the studio audience gasped. "I knew you'd hit your head. It looked like it was serious but then you called for a slo-mo," or s

A Terrorist scheme Targeting New York City

24-year-old denies charges he plotted to use weapons of mass destruction NEW YORK - Authorities know the identities of three people believed to be in on a terrorist scheme targeting New York City , a law enforcement official has confirmed, as an Afghan immigrant accused of plotting with them to try to turn common chemicals into explosives is due in federal court Tuesday morning. Najibullah Zazi is to be arraigned in a Brooklyn courtroom on charges he conspired to use weapons of mass destruction. The 24-year-old airport van driver and former coffee cart vendor has denied any wrongdoing. A letter filed by Brooklyn prosecutors last week argued that that Zazi should be jailed indefinitely because, as an Afghan immigrant with ties to Pakistan, he could flee, and because he "poses a significant danger" to the community. Evidence gathered — including bomb-making i0nstructions found on his laptop computer — shows "Zazi remained committed to detonating an explosive device"

In Nassau - Jett Travolta testify on day son Jett died

NASSAU, Bahamas (CNN) -- John Travolta spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday about his desperate efforts to save his teenage son's life after he suffered a seizure at the family's vacation home in the Bahamas in January. Travolta testified in the criminal trial of a paramedic and former Bahamian senator, who are charged with a plot allegedly designed to extort $25 million from the actor. Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, have remained secluded for most of this year. Friends have described their deep grief over the death of 16-year-old Jett Travolta . Jett was found unresponsive by a nanny at the home on the island of Grand Bahamas, where the family was spending a New Year's holiday, he said. A family friend with a medical background helped in urgent efforts to revive Jett, Travolta said. "We continued CPR and my wife was holding his head," said Travolta. His wife sat in the Nassau courtroom, sometimes crying as she watched the testimony. Travolta

Michael Jackson Make Feel album photo

Hugo Chavez says: military helped Zelaya return to Honduras

NEW YORK — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says the ousted Honduran president sneaked back to his country with the help of Honduran military personnel. Chavez says ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya traveled by plane, in the trunk of a car and in tractors from Nicaragua to Honduras in a secret operation aided by supporters in the military. He says that Zelaya told him in a telephone conversation that he would return to Honduras even if it cost him his life. Chavez made the comments Wednesday at the Lincoln Center before the premier of Oliver Stone's documentary titled "South of the border." The 75-minute documentary features interviews with Chavez as well as other South American leaders who Stone says represent "sweeping changes" in the region in recent years.

Iran to ask - for nuclear fuel at talks next week

Iran's president says his country will ask the six world powers at nuclear talks next week for imports of highly enriched uranium — material that the U.S. fears Tehran wants to use to arm nuclear warheads. Iran vehemently denies having nuclear weapons aspirations and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his country was seeking to buy uranium that is highly enriched — or near that level — to fuel a small research reactor. He also made clear that Iran is seeking uranium that is enriched only to 20 percent — the threshold for the high-enrichment level but substantially below the 90 percent-plus grade needed for nuclear warheads. "We are interested in purchasing it, and we'd like to offer that as an issue to expand discussions on the table for the next meeting," he told the AP on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. That request could put the U.S. and its five negotiating partners in a bind at the Oct. 1 talks in Geneva. Until now

UN General Assembly Address - Obama, Gadhafi , Ahmadinejad

World leaders addressing the U.N. General Assembl y underscored issues of domestic and international concern as the annual debate got underway Wednesday in New York. President Barack Obama laid out his vision for U.S. foreign policy in a wide-ranging address. He called for a "new era of engagement" among nations, saying the United States cannot solve the world's problems alone and urged other nations to share in the responsibility. "But make no mistake. This cannot be solely America's endeavor. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. We have sought in word and deed a new era of engagement with the world. And now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges," he said. He said the United States would withdraw all its troops from Iraq by the end of 2011; continue to support Afghanistan and Pakista

Hu Jintao put forward call for building a harmonious world

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao put forward a four-point proposal on building a harmonious world on Wednesday, calling on the international community to work together for world peace and development. During his speech at the general debate of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly, Hu said the trend towards peace, development and cooperation has grown stronger than ever in the world. Meanwhile, he noted that the instability and uncertainties in the international landscape pose "severe challenges" to world peace and development. In the face of unprecedented opportunities and challenges, members of the international community should continue the joint endeavor "to build a harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity and contribute to the noble cause of peace and development of mankind," he said. The Chinese president put forward his four-point view with regard to world peace and development. First, the

Bagan may go to Fifa: Bhutia joins EB practice

Bhaichung Bhutia is yet to get the release order from Mohun Bagan, but on Wednesday, the Indian captain donned the East Bengal shirt and joined team practice at the club ground. According to East Bengal club’s football secretary, Santosh Bhattacharya, Bhutia has been granted permission by the AIFF-appointed arbitrator Amarendra Sharan to practise with them. “The arbitrator has given him the go-ahead to practise with any club of his choice to keep himself fit till his row with Mohun Bagan is resolved,” Bhattacharya said. Bagan, however, have decided to move Fifa if the arbitrator decides in favour of Bhutia. “If we are aggrieved at the decision taken by the arbitrator, we will approach Fifa. We have been maintaining that this is not an arbitration matter, but the AIFF is giving Bhutia special favour,” Mitra told The Indian Express. Asked about Bhutia’s practice session with East Bengal, he said: “We won’t comment on that but we have been keeping a close watch on every development. Play

Champions T20: meet set for Stage

Mumbai: The glamour quotient in cricket went up a notch with A.R. Rahman composing the theme for the Champions League T20 , the first edition of which is to be held from October 8 to 23. The $6 million prize money event, including a winners’ purse of $2.5 million, featuring 12 teams from 7 countries, would kick-off on October 7 in Bangalore and be telecast in 160 countries. The runners-up are to receive $1.3 million while the losing semi-finalists would be richer by $500,000 each. Teams ending between fifth and eighth would receive $200,000 each with those finishing in the bottom four pocketing $100,000 apiece, it was announced.

Michael Hussey is confident Australia can spark up for the Champions Trophy

Michael Hussey is confident Australia can spark up for the Champions Trophy despite the short turnaround following their long tour of England. The Australians finished their one-day series against England in Durham on Sunday, losing the game but winning 6-1, and they resume training on Thursday ahead of their first match of the Champions Trophy. Australia take on a weakened West Indies outfit at the Wanderers on Saturday and while the match shouldn't pose too many problems, Ricky Ponting has already aired his opinion that the England series was too long. But Hussey said a change of scenery would help to refresh the players. "I guess it's new and exciting and all the best players around the world are here, so you spruce up a little bit no question," Hussey told AAP. "The one-dayers (against England) were good. I still think we've got a few areas we need to improve in if we're going to be right up there at the business end of this tournament. We've got

Yuvraj Singh out of Champions Trophy “Blow for India as injury rules”

India have been dealt a blow after it was confirmed that their vice-captain Yuvraj Singh has had to withdraw from the Champions Trophy after breaking a finger during fielding practice on Wednesday. He will be out for six weeks because of the injury to his right hand, and will be replaced in the squad by Virat Kohli. Yuvraj is the third Indian players to have sustained an injury in the run-up to India's participation in the Champions Trophy – which begins against Pakistan on Saturday – following the withdrawal of Virender Sehwag [shoulder] and fellow opener Gautam Gambhir [groin]. Gambhir did not play in the practice match against New Zealand, while Sehwag did not make the trip to South Africa.

NASA's Three separate Missions found Water on the moon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three separate missions examining the moon have found clear evidence of water there, apparently concentrated at the poles and possibly formed by the solar wind. The reports, to be published in the journal Science on Friday, show the water may be actively moving around, forming and reforming as particles mixed up in the dust on the surface of the moon. Carle Pieters of Brown University in Rhode Island and colleagues reviewed data from India's Chandrayaan-1 mission -- India's first mission to the moon -- and found spectrographic evidence of water. The water seems thicker closer to the poles, they reported. "When we say 'water on the moon,' we are not talking about lakes, oceans or even puddles. Water on the moon means molecules of water and hydroxyl (hydrogen and oxygen) that interact with molecules of rock and dust specifically in the top millimeters of the moon's surface," Pieters said in a statement. Jessica Sunshine of the Universi

Greenland and western Antarctic Ice 'in Runaway Melt Mode'

WASHINGTON — New satellite information shows that ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica continue to shrink faster than scientists thought and in some places are already in runaway melt mode. British scientists for the first time calculated changes in the height of the vulnerable but massive ice sheets and found them especially worse at their edges. That is where warmer water eats away from below. In some parts of Antarctica, ice sheets have been losing 30 feet a year in thickness since 2003, according to a paper published online Thursday in the journal Nature. Some of those areas are about a mile thick, so they still have plenty of ice to burn through. But the drop in thickness is speeding up. In parts of Antarctica, the yearly rate of thinning from 2003 to 2007 is 50 percent higher than it was from 1995 to 2003. These new measurements, based on 50 million laser readings from a NASA satellite , confirm what some of the more pessimistic scientists thought: The melting along th

Indo-Pak ties with Bill: Zardari discusses

Seeking resumption of the composite dialogue process with India, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said such a move is in the best interest of the region. Zardari, who arrived in New York on Sunday for the annual UN General Assembly session, made the remarks during a meeting with former US President Bill Clinton on Monday night. India has suspended the composite dialogue in the wake of the audacious Mumbai terror attacks, blamed on Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit. Briefing newsmen on the Clinton-Zardari meeting that lasted for over 40 minutes, Pakistan President's spokesman Farahtullah Babar said the two leaders discussed issues like militancy, Pakistan-US relations, Indo-Pak ties and the situation in the region. In the context of Indo-Pak relations, Zardari said he believed that resumption of the composite dialogue was in the best interest of the region, the spokesman was quoted as saying by Pakistan's official news agency. Pakistan, he said, was determin

USA & China meet: made few commitments

The USA has failed to get a firm commitment on climate change from China. Both USA President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao offered each other diplomatic assurances but made few commitments. The Chinese premier outlined some steps but provided no specific numerical targets for reducing greenhouse gas though the two leaders vigorously shook hands at the summit. The USA has slapped punitive tariffs on all Chinese-made tyre imports. The move had upset China at a time when Obama wants Beijing's help on climate change and nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea. Obama said he was looking forward to visiting China in November, a trip that has long been expected as part of Obama's trip to Asia to attend a forum of Asia-Pacific leaders in Singapore.

Pachauri says - Obama not doing enough: Climate summit

The UN's top expert on climate change has taken on the US president for not saying and doing enough on climate change. Indian-born Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told NDTV that President Barack Obama missed an opportunity to outline bold initiatives and show more leadership in the run-up to the Copenhagen summit on climate change. "To be honest I expected much more from him. I thought he would make certain commitments and certain pledges to take some action and I do realise that there is separation of powers in the US government and unless you get legislation through the senate, it is not going to come into effect. But there is a lot the president could do using his executive authority," said Pachauri. When asked if a major shift could be expected in US's climate change policies during Obama's reign, Pachauri said , "I am very hopeful that there will be an agreement in Copenhagen. I expect that by then the US wou

India promises enough security -2010 Games

Whether Delhi will be ready for the Commonwealth Games next year has India and the International Organizing Committee worried. But participating countries also want reassurance that Delhi will be safe for their delegates. So at a 2-day conference that began on Wednesday, various Indian officials are doing just that. This is the second such meeting of its kind, the first was held 3 weeks ago, at which several countries had expressed their nervousness about security. Speaking at the conference, Ajay Maken, the Minister of State for Home, said, "We want to allay fears of the world about the security concern, this is a meeting of the security commanders to assure them of security preparations". Suresh Kalmadi, who is the head of the Organizing Committee, promised that "members of the participating countries will also be taken for site visits tomorrow". At the last meeting on security, Kalmadi and his men said that there would be helicopter checks at venues. They als

Ford Figo: is small car

Ford unveils its small car for India; goes head on with Hyundai and Maruti Years of speculation, names and even the possibility of the entry being an international model, Ford have finally revealed their 'for India' designed small car at the hands of Alan Mullaly, Ford's Global head, here in New Delhi today. Called the Figo, the new small car gets its name from the Italian word for "cool". Featuring Kinetic design elements, the car has a small front grille and a large air-dam, seen also on the current generation Fiesta hatchback sold in Europe. The large swept back headlamps, recessed fog lamps and the cleverly integrateed indicators are all hallmarks of a typical Kinetic design new generation Ford. The eye-catcher that runs from the indicator to the tail is angular, rather than a straight line, to reduce any visual heaviness that the car might have otherwise created. The tail lamps may look pinched from the Fusion, yet the tail gate is all-new. The large wheel a

US remember: Martial Law

SAN FRANCISCO, California — Filipinos all over the US on Monday commemorated the anniversary of the 1972 declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines during the Marcos regime. Filipinos on four US cities joined hands in this remembrance through series of events. Gabriela USA led the events in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York City. A discussion about “Remembering the Victims, Honoring the Martyrs" with Rex Fernandez, human rights lawyer and legal consultant for Melissa Roxas, was held at the San Francisco State University Burk Hall in San Francisco, while a film showing of award-winning Filipino film “Dekada 70" was held at the Manila Terrace Community Hall in Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles. Filipinos in Seattle, Washington held a symposium with a theme “Alala: To Remember" to learn more about the Philippines during a time of declared Martial Law, “over 20 years of a repressive regime and its lasting effects on a nation." Gabriela USA in New Y

On USA: EU Antitrust fine Intel over $1.5 billion

US bases system builders are scratching their heads over the outcome of the EU Commission’s decision to fine Intel over $1.5 billion for what they consider “illegal” competitive practices that harm customers in the European Union. Among the reasons for the large fine is that it is alleged that there were illegal practices to exclude cvompetitore from the x86 based processor market which included partially hidden or wholly, rebates to computer manufacturers who agreed to source virtually all x86 processors from Intel. However, US bases system builders have stated they have seen no such activity that could be considered illegal, and that rebates, even aggressive rebates are quite normal in practice.

ICC ODI ranking: Dhoni continues to top

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni maintained his numero uno status while his deputy Yuvraj Singh continued to hold on to the second spot in the latest ICC ODI Players Rankings for ODI batsmen. Apart from Dhoni and Yuvraj, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar (7th spot) and Delhi dasher Virender Sehwag (9th) are the other two Indians to feature in the top 10 ODI batsmen chart. However, no Indian features among top 10 ODI bowlers with left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan languishing at the 17th spot in the list which is being headed by Sri Lankan Nuwan Kulasekara, followed New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori and Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. Yuvraj also occupies the second place in the all-rounders chart with 362 rating points behind Shakib (427), while South African Jacques Kallis is third with 332 points. Meanwhile, Australia’s loss in the last match against England turned out to be a gain for India as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men rose back to the second spot in the ODI team rankings . Australi