CURRENT AFFAIRS: 08/12/11

Friday, August 12, 2011

BlackBerry Bold 9900 launched in India

Canada's BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) Thursday launched its touch and type smartphone -- BlackBerry Bold 9900 with BlackBerry 7 operating system -- in India.

"The smartphone is built on a new performance driven platform powered by the latest BlackBerry software and hardware," said the company in a statement.

Internet search leader Google Inc. is bringing a little more gamesmanship to its duel with Facebook.

Just like they have been doing for years on Facebook's website, Web surfers will now be able to play games with their friends and family on Google's blossoming social networking service.

US technology giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) on Thursday cut the price of its freshly-launched TouchPad tablet computers in a bid to gain traction in a market dominated by Apple's iPad.

TouchPads with 16 gigabytes of memory were offered on the HP website for $400 and models with 32 gigabytes were available for $500 in what amounted to lopping $100 off the original prices.

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London: British Prime Minister David Cameron told lawmakers on Thursday that there would be no "culture of fear" on Britain's streets, as police raided houses to round up more suspects from four days of rioting and looting in London and other English cities.

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Washington: President Barack Obama on Wednesday night hosted a traditional Ramadan break-the-fast dinner at the White House, using the occasion to recognize Muslim survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and to thank Muslims for their service to the country.

Hartford, Connecticut: The new face of a Connecticut woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee two years ago has been revealed for the first time in photos showing a startling transformation.

The pictures of Charla Nash were first shown on NBC's "Today" show and in Hearst Connecticut Newspapers on Thursday morning.

British boy hangs himself after watching movie

London: An eight-year-old British boy hanged himself after he saw "ritualistic suicide" scenes in a samurai movie, a media report said. A probe found, he had a habit of playing out scenes in films.

Lewis McGlynn was watching the Tom Cruise-starrer "The Last Samurai", after which his father discovered him hanging from his bedroom door, the Daily Mail reported.

Birmingham: England spent a relatively peaceful night after five days of rioting. Birmingham remained in focus as tensions remained high after three men were killed in a hit-and-run incident as they took to the streets to defend shops from looting.

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London: A Malaysian student attacked during London's riots offered an account of his assault Thursday, saying he was shocked as he watched the videotape of thugs rifling through his belongings while he bled on a sidewalk.

London: Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday that the government, seeking to prevent a repeat of riots and looting in London and other British cities this week, might bar suspected troublemakers from using social media and other digital communications tools.

London: Police say they have arrested 1,051 people in London over Britain's deadly riots, and 591 have been charged. More than 1,500 people have been arrested nationwide.

Courts in London, Birmingham and Manchester stayed open through a second night and into Friday to deal with alleged offenders.

Toluca, Mexico: Mexican police arrested the suspected leader of a brutal drug gang called "The Hand with Eyes" and he has confessed to helping carry out or ordering more than 600 murders, authorities said Thursday.

Kabul, Afghanistan: Just months after pulling out of a remote slice of eastern Afghanistan dubbed the "Valley of Death," U.S. troops are back reinforcing their once-abandoned bases in the area - a hotbed of the insurgency and a dangerous second front in the decade-old war.

London: Despite the crackdown by British Prime Minister David Cameron, some of the looters seem be unfazed. In an interview with UK broadcaster Sky News, a group of young men, who claim they were involved in the rioting and looting, said they felt no remorse for their actions. On the contrary, they point the finger at the British government for ignoring the plight of young people.

Karachi: A Pakistani court has sentenced to death a paramilitary soldier who shot dead an unarmed young man in the southern city of Karachi - an incident that was caught on videotape.

The court announced on Friday that six other men also accused in the June killing of Sarfraz Shah have been sentenced to life in prison.

Daddab, Kenya: Wardo Mohamud Yusuf walked for two weeks with her 1-year-old daughter on her back and her 4-year-old son at her side to flee Somalia's drought and famine. When the boy collapsed near the end of the journey, she poured some of the little water she had on his head to cool him, but he was unconscious and could not drink.

Mumbai: The Home and police departments have been alerted that performers are being trafficked to the Middle East, forced into prostitution, and subsequently used by underworld dons to carry back information to counterparts in the city.

Delhi: A 58-year-old renowned businessman of the Capital allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his licensed pistol at his residence in Greater Kailash area of southeast Delhi on Wednesday morning. The police have seized the weapon.

Satyawati College of Delhi University

Delhi: Forget about safety issues outside the premises, it appears female students face unforeseen threats inside their institutions as well. A B.Com second-year student of Satyawati College of Delhi University (DU) was allegedly held hostage and molested on August 6 by two security guards of the institute inside her classroom, after they found her in a compromising position with a male friend.

Delhi: On Independence Day, a Chinese threat seems to be hovering in the sky. Only this time, it's not the fighter planes or missiles but made-in-China kites and strings that are claiming casualties. Kite sellers in the Capital are up in arms against cheaper Chinese products flooding the markets ahead of Independence Day.

Delhi: Commuters will not be able to park their vehicles in the parking lots of Delhi Metro stations this weekend in view of security restrictions on Independence Day.

"The parking of vehicles will not be allowed in any station from 2 p.m. Aug 14 (Sunday) to 2 p.m Aug 15 (Monday)," a Metro official said.

Bangalore may soon turn into virtual medical hub

Bangalore: With medical treatment and counselling going virtual, major hospitals in the city are fast turning to technology to treat patients sitting in any part of the world.

A study by Cable and Wireless Worldwide (a global telecom company) in the UK, India, Singapore, Germany and Spain proves that the trend is catching on in Bangalore as well. The study states that 54 per cent of Indians would prefer medical consultation through video conferencing and telecommunication.

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Pune: The death of three farmers in police firing in Pune has escalated into a major controversy in Maharashtra, finding echo in the state Assembly, as serious questions are raised about police excesses. For a third day today, the House was adjourned after the Opposition attacked the government.

Pune: A tempo driver who had parked his vehicle a kilometre from the spot where the farmer agitation and police firing occurred on Tuesday was hit by a bullet, leading to confusion over whether it was a police gun or a private firearm that was responsible for his injuries.

Off Mumbai-Pune Expressway: At the start of this week, Lata Tupe could be seen dressed like any other young married woman in the village of Sadawli in Maharashtra, a two hour drive from Mumbai. Her sari was clean but faded, her wrists wore the traditional thin bangles that confer marital status.

New Delhi: Nearly a thousand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, including several leaders, were on Thursday taken into custody during a protest march here to condemn the baton charge by police during their agitation two days ago.

New Delhi: Anna Hazare has appealed to the nation to turn off the lights for an hour on August 15, in a gesture meant to give momentum to their indefinite hunger strike from August 16.

The social activist, along with his followers, has been granted a spot adjacent to the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground stadium in the national capital to hold its protest from August 16.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna committed a faux pas in Parliament on Thursday. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Krishna got confused about a Pakistani prisoner Dr Chishti, who is in currently lodged in jail in Rajasthan.

New Delhi: President Pratibha PatIl has rejected the mercy pleas of three men convicted for the 1991 assassination of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, paving the way for their execution.

"The rejection (of the clemency petitions) happened last week after the president returned from a foreign tour," presidential spokeswoman Archana Datta.

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Ahmedabad: Is another whistleblower cop in trouble in Narendra Modi's Gujarat?

Sources have told NDTV that the state government could soon file a chargesheet against IPS officer Rahul Sharma, who was served a showcause notice in February this year. The Modi government has charged Mr Sharma with giving call record details related to the 2002 post-Godhra riots to the Nanavati Commission without informing the government.

Tirumala, Tirupathi: Hundreds of private taxi-owners and drivers protesting new traffic regulations atop Tirumala Hills were lathicharged by the police when they tried to storm the office of the Joint Executive Officer. Earlier today the taxi drivers went on a strike to oppose the ban of taxis atop Tirumala hill by the temple authorities.

New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday demanded a debate in the Lok Sabha on "degrading" Indian values due to cultural aggression from internet and other tools originating in the west.

Thiruvnanthapuram: A priceless treasure in Kerala's Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple should not be moved out of the shrine. That is what a group of astrologers have concluded after conducting a four-day ritual called' Devaprashnam to find out the "will of the deity."

Ahmedabad: Just a day after a top cop in Gujarat accused the Narendra Modi government of targeting him in connection with the Gujarat riots case, another senior IPS officer has alleged victimisation in connection with the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.

New Delhi: India is all set to have a new Air India chief soon. Rohit Nandan, joint secretary in the Civil Aviation Ministry, will replace Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India.

Sources had earlier said that there is also a proposal to create two deputy MDs for Air India and Indian Airlines.

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New Delhi: Just how Suresh Kalmadi became the man in charge of organising the Commonwealth Games in India has become India's latest whodunit. Documents with NDTV show how Suresh Kalmadi misled both the NDA and UPA governments to take control of the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. (See: Letters from Sports Ministers to Prime Minister against Kalmadi)

New Delhi: The food security bill is set to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha today amidst a major divide between the National Advisory Council (NAC) and the government over various provisions of the Bill.

New Delhi: Guess who is giving competition to Anna Hazare ahead of Independence Day? Believe it or not, it is international pop queen Lady Gaga. Though, the waiflike 25-year-old isn't set to fast for a cause, she has only just pipped Hazare to the number one spot in online searches in the country this month.

Police car hits Delhi University student

New Delhi: While deboarding a bus on Thursday, a Delhi University student, was hit by the official car of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest). The official was not in the car when the incident took place.

London: The London riots have been shocking but nothing is more shocking than the story of Chelsea Ives. An ambassador for the upcoming Olympic Games to be held in London in 2012, Ives had visited the House of Commons and even met celebrity athlete Sebastian Coe.

Gangster Santosh Shetty arrested by Mumbai police in Bangkok

Mumbai: Gangster Santosh Shetty, who had been deported by the Mumbai police, was recently arrested in Bangkok, said Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil in the state Assembly. He has been remanded to police custody till August 17.

Mumbai: The death of three farmers in police firing in Pune is now snowballing into a major controversy for the Maharashtra government. After shocking video footage of alleged police excesses during the farmers' agitation on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway came to the fore yesterday, two cops who were seen firing at fleeing farmers have been suspended.

Friday, August 12, 2011

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