News

Only two spots open in World Cup squad: Scolari

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Brazil’s chief coach Luiz Felipe Scolari revealed that just two spots remain undecided in his World Cup squad.

The 65-year-old will name his 23-man squad May 7 and he reiterated a pledge to keep faith in the players that helped Brazil win last year’s Confederations Cup, reports Xinhua.

“Today there are 21 players confirmed and two that remain undecided,” Scolari said. “We are still looking at our options.”

Scolari also spoke about a possible repeat of the protests that swept the country’s major cities during the Confederations Cup.

Juventus move to within touching distance of Serie A title

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Juventus came back from behind to beat Sassuolo 3-1 and moved to within one win of their straight third Italian Serie A football title.

With three games to go this season, Antonio Conte’s side extended their lead over Roma to eight points thanks to goals from Carlos Tevez, Claudio Marchisio and Fernando Llorente Monday, reports Xinhua.

The Turin giants could win their third Scudetto in a row if they beat Atalanta at home in seven days’ time, or if Roma fail to win at Catania 24 hours earlier.

Can Spain once again reign in Brazil?

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The Spanish national team that flies to the World Cup finals in Brazil this June will do so as the reigning world champions and as one of the tournament favourites. But perhaps the 2014 World Cup will be a tournament too far for Spain.

The Spanish national side has enjoyed an incredible six years since finally casting off its habitual inferiority complex by winning the 2008 European Championship, reports Xinhua.

EU imposes sanctions on 15 Russian officials

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The European Union (EU) said Tuesday it has imposed travel bans and assets freeze on 15 Russian officials.

The new list includes Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Nikolayevich Kozak, Minister for Crimean Affairs Oleg Genrikhovich Savelyev and Deputy Chairman of State Duma Ludmila Ivanovna Shvetsova, Xinhua reported.

The new list has brought the total number of Russian officials under the EU sanctions to 48.

The White House announced fresh sanctions Monday against Russia, targeting seven government officials and 17 companies.

Mamata made Sudipta Sen deny painting purchase: CPI-M

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The CPI-M Tuesday alleged that Saradha scam kingpin Sudipta Sen was made to deny that he purchased any artwork of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and demanded to know how she was funding her party.

Addressing a rally at Moyna in East Midnapore district, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Surjya Kanta Mishra accused the state government of hindering the investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the scam.

Israeli PM associates Holocaust to Iran’s ambitious nuclear deals

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Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked the Holocaust to suspected ambitious nuclear deals of Iran. The comments from Netanyahu came as he inaugurated the country’s annual Memorial Day for the 6 million Jews killed in Holocaust and has issued warning to the world to prevent another Holocaust. In his speech, Netanyahu linked the Nazi genocide to Iran’s suspected nuclear deals attempts and its repeated attempts to disregard the Holocaust.

Sonia, Rajnath to battle it out Wednesday

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The next round of the Lok Sabha battle in Uttar Pradesh April 30 will involve 14 constituencies including those of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her BJP counterpart Rajnath Singh.

The political future of three union ministers – Sriprakash Jaiswal, Pradip Jain Aditya and Jitin Prasad – will also be decided by the voters that day.

Also in contention is veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who, having been eased out of Varanasi by prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, will face the electorate in Kanpur.

Rahul shares our father’s development vision: Priyanka

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The Congress party’s star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Tuesday said her brother Rahul, seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha from here, has the same vision of development as their father Rajiv Gandhi had.

“My father used to be the MP from here. He developed Amethi and always thought about long-term, holistic growth. Rahul, who is now your MP and my brother, also has the same vision and thinks of long-term development,” Priyanka said at an election meeting here.

Farooq Abdullah faces tough challenge in Srinagar

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Retaining Srinagar is a tough call for the 78-year old National Conference patron and thrice Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah. He has never lost an election so far, but winning the elections this time is not a foregone conclusion for him.

Abdullah is seeking re-election from this Lok Sabha seat that is spread over three districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Badgam with 1.23 million voters. The Abdullahs, who belong to Srinagar district, have held sway over the people in Kashmir for over 50 years. Srinagar has been a strong bastion of the NC and the Abdullahs.

Arvind Kejriwal slams both Congress and BJP

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Raking up the snoopgate scandal and Robert Vadra controversy, Arvind Kejriwal today accused both the Congress and BJP of having a tacit pre-poll understanding and not taking any action against each other on the two issues.

He also asked why Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had not campaigned in each other’s constituencies.

Targeting the Gujarat Chief Minister, Kejriwal said, “Narendra Modi should clarify his stand on Vadra issue. If BJP is really serious on this issue, why BJP-led Rajasthan government doesn’t register an FIR against him.

Russia assures US it won’t invade Ukraine: Pentagon

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Russia has assured America that it will not invade Ukraine, with the US warning that continued aggression would isolate the country further and result in more “diplomatic and economic pressure”.

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who made a call to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu yesterday, also “emphasised that any diplomatic engagement must include the government of Ukraine”.

Secunderabad: Cong MP in straight fight with BJP veteran

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Growing public anger over poor civic amenities will reflect on the outcome of the Lok Sabha election in Secunderabad constituency where sitting MP M Anjan Kumar Yadav of Congress is locked in a straight fight with former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya of the BJP.

Secunderabad, with 18.93 lakh voters, is one of the two parliamentary constituencies in Telangana region where a highest of 30 candidates are in the fray and where the statehood “sentiment” does not work.

Google celebrates Ustad Alla Rakha’s 95th birthday

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Internet search engine Google commemorated the 95th birthday of tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha Tuesday by honouring him with a colourful doodle.

The doodle depicted a smiling Alla Rakha, wearing a white kurta with orange embroidery, playing tabla.

The Padma Shri recipient was born in Phagwal village of Jammu. He was a frequent accompanist of sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar. The duo had created many magical jugalbandis.

He was conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1982.

He died in 2000, following a heart attack.

–IANS

Plane lands safely in Australia after engine fire

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A passenger plane carrying 93 people landed safely at Perth Airport today despite an engine fire that erupted shortly after take-off, officials said.

No one was hurt during the midair scare on the Cobham Aviation jet bound from Perth for Barrow Island in Western Australia.

“Shortly after departure there was a fire in the number two engine. The pilot shut it down, the flames were extinguished and the plane returned to Perth,” a spokewoman for Air Services Australia told AFP.

“It landed safely and was able to taxi to its gate. The fire services provided an escort on the ground.”

Modi says “Ye dil maange more” at Mandi rally

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked people of Himachal Pradesh to make his party win by 300 seats, repeating the famous catchphrase also used by Kargil Martyr Vikram Batra “Ye dil maange more.”

“Today, I ask you to make the lotus win with 300 seats because “Ye dil mange more” just like

Vikram Batra’s, who gave his life for the country in the Kargil war using the same line,” said Modi, while addressing a rally in Mandi.

Watchdog: Syria targets civilians with crude bombs

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An international rights organisation says the Syrian government is indiscriminately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure with crude bombs in rebel-held districts of the northern city of Aleppo.

Human Rights Watch says its activists have documented 85 locations in Aleppo’s opposition-held districts that government aircraft shelled with barrel bombs makeshift, shrapnel-packed explosive devices rolled out of helicopters.

The New York-based group says in a report today that the attacks occurred between February 22 and April 2.

Israel okayed nearly 14,000 settler homes during talks: NGO

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Israel approved plans for nearly 14,000 new settler homes during the nine months of peace talks with the Palestinians, an Israeli settlement watchdog said today as the negotiation period formally ended.

Figures quoted by Peace Now showed that during the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government approved at least 13,851 new housing through the advancement of plans and the publication of tenders.

“This is an unprecedented number representing an average of 50 housing units per day or 1,540 per month,” it said.

‘Arab Spring’ more complicated, nuanced than commonly believed

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‘Arab Spring’, the popular term used to describe the uprisings in the Middle East in recent years, is more complicated and nuanced than commonly believed, according to a new study.

Qatar-based Northwestern University’s professor of journalism Ibrahim Abusharif explored the range of perspectives around the phrase in Parsing Arab Spring, a paper that is part of a series contributing analysis to a debate – recently published by the university.

The uprisings in the Middle East since the winter of 2010-11 was referred as the ‘Arab Spring’.

Modi’s behaviour childish: Priyanka

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Battling on Rahul Gandhi’s behalf, Priyanka Gandhi today took on Narendra Modi over his ‘shehzada’, “namuna” and other barbs at her brother, saying the BJP leader is aspiring to be Prime Minister but indulging in “childish” behaviour and that he should maintain decorum.

Campaigning for Rahul here, she said BJP leaders used to make fun of her father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi when he introduced computers in the country and they are now “mocking” her brother.

Congress retaliate Modi by linking him to hawala operator

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Congress hit back at Narendra Modi on Monday by linking him to an alleged hawala operator a day after the BJP released a video targeting Robert Vadra.

In a tit-for-tat, the Congress, at its regular media conference, released a number of photographs of a man called Afroz Fatta and the Gujarat chief minister together at social and official functions.

Israeli PM associates Holocaust to Iran’s ambitious nuclear deals

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Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked the Holocaust to suspected ambitious nuclear deals of Iran.

The comments from Netanyahu came as he inaugurated the country’s annual Memorial Day for the 6 million Jews killed in Holocaust and has issued warning to the world to prevent another Holocaust.

In his speech, Netanyahu linked the Nazi genocide to Iran’s suspected nuclear deals attempts and its repeated attempts to disregard the Holocaust.

Chidambaram says poll results will be a product of missed opportunities

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Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has said that the result of this year’s general elections will be an outcome of missed opportunities during the critical years of 2010-11.

Interacting during the launch of a book authored by Indian Express editor-in-chief Shekhar Gupta, titled-‘Anticipating India-The Best of National Interest’, Chidambaram said crucial mistakes were made in 2010 and 2011.

No betting on Rahul Gandhi: Bookies

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Since May 16 nears, top bookies in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Indore and have stopped offering bets on Rahul Gandhi as the next prime minister of India, signifying that the Congress VP does not stand much of a chance to move into 7 Race Course Road subsequent to the Lok Sabha poll results are out in mid-May.

Even a month ago, some bookies were offering odds of about Rs 6-7 for Gandhi to be the PM, whereas the rate for Arvind Kejriwal, the founder of Aam Aadmi Party, was about Rs 500-525.

South Korean president apologises for ferry disaster

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South Korean President Park Geun-hye made an official apology for the ferry sinking disaster Tuesday.

The apology came 13 days after the passenger ship Sewol capsized off the country’s southwestern coast April 16, killing over 180 people, most of them high school students who were on a field trip. More than 110 others still missing. Xinhua reported.

Park said during a cabinet meeting that she was “sorry to the people and heavy hearted that many precious lives were lost”.

Supporters of AAP and BJP from Assam are routing to Varanasi

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As the elections in the northeastern states over, volunteers of Aam Admi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party are heading for the high-profile constituencies of Amethi and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

More than 100 AAP supporters from Assam have reached the Varanasi where their party leader Arvind Kejriwal is challenging BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Hundreds of BJP supporters from Assam are also on their way to the holy city.