News

Modi rejects charges of favouring Adanis, Tatas

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Rejecting Congress charges of favouring big business as “another canard”, Narendra Modi today said that the incentives given by his government were policy-driven rather than discretion-based.

“I do believe in the importance of Corporate India and how it can help in wealth creation for the nation. I believe that in the last 60 years, the Congress party has indulged in rent seeking behaviour by encouraging red tape,” the Gujarat Chief Minister told PTI.

Ramdev’s programmes banned in Lucknow, Cong demands arrest

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Yoga guru Ramdev today faced more heat over his controversial “honeymoon” remark against Rahul Gandhi, with authorities banning all his programmes in Lucknow till the elections are over and Congress demanding that he be arrested.

It came a day after FIRs were filed against Ramdev in Lucknow and Sonbhadra over his remarks that had sparked massive outrage with Congress, BSP and others terming them “anti-dalit” though Ramdev later expressed regret to the community.

Mumbai Indians manage 125/6 against Delhi Daredevils

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The Mumbai Indians put up a total of 125/6 in 20 overs in their Indian Premier League clash against the Delhi Daredevils at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium here Sunday.

West Indian Kieron Pollard was the top scorer for the Mumbai Indians with his unbeaten knock of 33. Daredevils’ pacer Jaydev Unadkat clinched two wickets.
(IANS)

Iraq’s general elections scheduled for April 30

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Iraq is all set to go to polls April 30 amid threats from Al Qaeda linked militants to disrupt the elections, a media report said Sunday.

The members of the Iraqi security forces will cast their votes Monday in order to be free to guard polling stations on the election day, Press TV reported.

The last general elections were held March 7, 2010, which resulted in the partial victory of the Iraqi National Movement, led by former Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. It won a total of 91 seats, making it the largest alliance in the council.

Road safety is of little concern in this election (Election Special)

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In a country that records the highest number of deaths from road accidents, road safety surprisingly figures nowhere on the agenda of political parties fighting this election.

Apart from the Congress, which has promised a “strong-willed political commitment” to reduce road fatalities by 50 percent in the next five years, no other major party has even touched on the issue. A BJP official however said that the party would deal with the problem if it came to power.

Jaitley rubbishes Third Front option

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BJP leader Arun Jaitley Sunday dismissed the probability of a Third Front government after the Lok Sabha election, calling its constituents “merchants of instability”.

“Those who toy with the idea of a Third Front with Congress support are only reviving an idea which has repeatedly failed. Such non-ideological combinations formed purely for convenience can never deliver governance,” Jaitley said in his blog.

Pune host Dempo in their last I-League clash

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Pune FC will be eager to end their campaign on a high when they host Dempo SC in an I-League Round 26 encounter at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex here Monday.

The season’s final game will be crucial for seventh-placed Pune (29 points) as a win against sixth-placed Dempo (32) will see them move up a place and maintain the club’s history of finishing in the top half of the standings.

Having dominated head-to-head against the five-time champions, Pune will look to maintain the prevailing record of six wins, two losses and three draws.

‘Indiana Pacers need to build consistency’

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NBA All-Star forward Paul George had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Indiana Pacers in their victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

“I’m tired. But at this point whatever the coach needs me to do, I’ll do,” said George, who played all 24 minutes in the second half Saturday, reports Xinhua.

The Pacers were 2-2 even with the eighth-seeded Hawks in the playoffs first round after they beat the Hawks 91-88.

“This game could have gotten away from us and we’d be down 1-3. It’s going to be a long series. This team is not going away. We just have to build some consistency,” said George.
(IANS)

John XXIII and John Paul II declared saints

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Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were canonised by Pope Francis Sunday in Vatican City, the country’s official news network News.VA said.

A huge crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square and surrounding vantage points to see a historic ceremony.

Pope Francis read the formal proclamation at a canonisation mass which was also attended by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Francis’ predecessor.

Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were canonised by Pope Francis Sunday in the Vatican City, the country’s official news network News.VA said.

Bravo, Maddinson, Coulter-Nile to miss rest of IPL

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Dwayne Bravo, Nic Maddinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile will no longer be able to participate in the ongoing seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as all three are nursing injuries.

The IPL Technical Committee Sunday approved the replacement of these three players. Chennai Super Kings’s Bravo is out with a shoulder problem, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Maddinson is injured while Delhi Daredevils’ Coulter-Nile is suffering from a hamstring problem.

Nepal president helps clean up Bagmati river

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Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav was among the thousands who Sunday took part in an event here to mark 50 weeks of cleaning the Bagmati river that joins the Ganges in India.

More than 1,000 people, including those from the Nepal Army and police, took part in the programme in front of the Guheshwari temple as well as at other spots including near the Pashupatinath Temple.

President Yadav offered prayers and performed religious rites, said a statement from the Haridwar-based Gayatri Parivar group.

Indian delegates leave for ITTF Congress

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A four-member delegation of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) led by its president Prabhat C. Chaturvedi will attend the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Congress to be held at Tokyo during the World Championships between April 28 and May 5.

The other members of the delegation include TTFI secretary general Dhanraj Choudhary, vice-presidents Chiranjib Choudhary and Arun Kumar Banerjee. The delegates left for Tokyo in the early hours of Sunday.

BJP questions Gandhi family on Vadra’s land deals

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In its sharpest attack yet on the Gandhi family, the Bharatiya Janata Party Sunday accused Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra of making “unscrupulous” land deals.

“Vadra’s land deals have the blessings of Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, the Congress vice president,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a press conference here.

“Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should explain Vadra’s land deals which generated huge profits for him,” he added.

Ponting joins Mumbai Indians as advisor

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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has joined Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Mumbai Indians in an advisory role.

One of the best batsmen of the modern era, Ponting was part of the victorious Mumbai Indians side that lifted the IPL Trophy and led the team in the first few outings last season before handing over the reins to current captain Rohit Sharma.

The Tasmanian will be with the team for the last two matches of the UAE-leg.

Congress bound to protect life and wealth of Muslims

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Former state minister Mr. D Nagendar said that Narendra Modi is anti human. Congress party is bound to fulfil its promises to protect life and wealth of Muslims.

Congress candidate for Khairiatabad assembly constituency Mr. D Nagendar told that he has done large scale measures for the development of Khairiatabad. He has legalized unauthorised houses of Maqta. He claimed that he enjoys full support of public. BJP is trying to damage cosmopolitan culture of the city to make anti-human Modi the prime minister of India.

Siasat news

Candidate who buys your vote would also sell you

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Public are of the opinion that vote should be cast in favour of such candidate who has service spirit, who prefers national interests to personal interest. There is no dearth of people who are spending money to buy votes by distributing cash or kind. Candidates are trying to bribe voters on large scale but the voters should think well before casting vote. They should consider the educational qualification of the candidate, keep the candidates past in view, review the record of his public services, would the candidate reach when you call him at the time of need etc.

Free vocational training by central government

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The central government through its scheme SDIS is running various vocational courses, which includes computer fundamental, MS office, internet, computer hardware, web designing, architectural drafting, autocad, tally etc. After the completion of course certificates will be given by the central government. Guidance for employment will also be provided after the completion of course.

Nampally needs great change

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Mr. Mohammed Feroz Khan TDP candidate for Nampally assembly constituency carried out door to door campaign at Muradnagar division. People warmly welcomed the leader and garlanded him.

People explained to him basic problems. They told that they were so much impressed by Feroz Khan’s practical attitude. They claimed that Feroz Khan was the first person who understood basic problems and was sympathetic towards them otherwise the other leaders come once in 5 years. They said that today there is a need for persons like Feroz Khan.

Siasat news

Egyptian court sentences Morsi supporters up to 88 yrs in jail

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An Egyptian court has sentenced 11 supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to prison terms ranging from five to 88 years for rioting.

The defendants were arrested during a wave of protests that lead the ousting of Morsi in 2013.

According to the BBC, five of the 11 people sentenced on Saturday were tried in absentia.

The charges against all of the defendants were linked to demonstrations in the town of Samallout triggered by the violent crackdown on pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo, the report said.

Re-polling in 12 booths in Karnataka Tuesday

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Re-polling will be held Tuesday in a dozen polling booths spread across nine Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka due to glitches in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and fault of polling personnel in one booth, a senior official said Saturday.

“We have ordered re-polling in 11 booths of nine parliamentary seats after technicians found the EVMs used in them faulty and due to mishandling of the machine in one booth,” state chief electoral officer Anil Kumar Jha told reporters here.

MIM pocket borough since 1984

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This city of Charminar may be plagued by bad roads and erratic supply of drinking water but the Owaisi family-led Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party, which does not even have a manifesto, has been winning this Lok Sabha seat since 1984 banking on Muslim votes.

Muslims’ problems can not be solved through emotional speeches

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President Majlis Bachao Tahreek Dr. Qayam Khan told that the so called Muslim leadership always win elections through bogus voting but this time they will fail in their plans. This time political tactics would not do.

Dr. Qayam Khan was addressing an election meeting yesterday evening at G M Chawni. He said that power is dear to the so called leadership while Majlis Bachao Tahreek prefers community interest.

Siasat news

Tech honcho in Andhra poll fray for Telangana cause

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Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, a tech honcho, admits his personality doesn’t suit politics, but he is determined to try to narrow the gap between the two different worlds that Andhra Pradesh’s Chevella parliamentary constituency represents.

Reddy, an engineer who headed companies like Wipro Healthcare and GE Medical Information Technology, aims to use his professional skills to better the lives of people.

Afghan presidential election heading for Abdullah-Ghani run-off

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The Afghan presidential election will go to a second round run-off, after no candidate reached the 50 percent needed for an outright win, preliminary results show.

The second run-off will be between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani.

According to the BBC, Abdullah won most votes with 44.9 percent and Ghani came second with 31.5 percent.

They are now expected to face a run-off vote on 28 May.

Final official results are due to be announced on 14 May after a period for adjudication of complaints, the report added. (ANI)

India successfully test fires exo-atmospheric missile interceptor

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India Sunday successfully test-fired an exo-atmospheric missile interceptor for the first time at a defence base in Odisha as part of its efforts to create a shield against incoming enemy missiles, a senior defence official said.

The indigenous Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile was fired from Wheeler Island off the coast near Dhamra port in Bhadrak district, about 170 km from here.