A S Kashyap

A key figure in South Africa’s football World Cup bid, Tokyo Sexwale, has gone against the government by suggesting that there might be some truth to the claims of a bribe being given to FIFA for securing the hosting rights for the 2010 edition of the tournament.

According to BBC, he said the allegations made by the US were worrisome.

The government says that it had paid USD 10 million to the accounts controlled by the then FIFA vice-president Jack Warner to support football development in the Caribbean.

Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that poor people, students and businessmen would benefit a lot from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)’s recent free roaming service.

“BSNL has taken a landslide decision for the benefit of its customers. Starting from today, if you use BSNL, you can travel anywhere in the world without being charged for incoming calls. Poor people, students and businessmen will benefit a lot from this initiative,” Prasad told ANI here.

China’s Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhang Dejiang called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday.

Zhang had earlier in the day paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat.

Zhang, who arrived in New Delhi late on Sunday night, had earlier met Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao and stressed upon strengthening cooperation between the Parliaments and provincial legislatures of India and China. (ANI)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia has reportedly lashed out at the recent connectivity deals signed between New Delhi and Dhaka, saying that allowing heavy vehicles on the country’s roads free of cost cannot be friendship.

Zia noted that friendship can only be good when it is founded on equality, where no one has to make any sacrifices or else it becomes akin to ‘slaver,’ reported The Daily Star.

Bangladesh Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya may face 13-year-long jail term as the Supreme Court turned down the High Court’s verdict that cleared him of graft charges.

The court has also ordered a rehearing the appeal filed by Maya with the High Court against the verdict of a lower court, which sentenced him for illegally accumulating about 6.29 crore taka and hiding assets worth 5.90 crore taka, reported The Daily Star.

Former Sri Lankan captain and current head coach, Marvan Atapattu, has suggested that his side will hold a psychological advantage over Pakistan in the upcoming series due to the absence of ace spinner Saeed Ajmal.

Describing Ajmal as Pakistan’s main bowling weapon, Atapattu said that the spinner’s absence is a psychological advantage for Sri Lanka as he had given his opponents a lot of ‘sleepless nights’ at his peak, the Dawn reported.

The Bangladesh Police has reportedly nabbed a war crimes suspect hours after the International Crimes Tribunal-1 issued an arrest warrant against him.

Suliman Mollah, who was an alleged organiser of two anti-liberation organisations – Shariatpur Peace Committee and Razakar Bahini – during the 1971 Liberation War, was detained at his home in Shariatpur town, Superintendent of Police Saifullah Al Mamun said, reported The Daily Star. (ANI)

Prince Harry seems to be getting serious in love with ‘ Doctor Who’ actress Jenna Coleman as he recently invited her on a three-month visit to Namibia and Botswana where he will be working with the Nature Conservancy.

A source close to the couple said that inviting the 29-year-old actress to Africa was a big step, but this would surely seal the deal on the duo’s relationship and might move it to the next level, Stuff.co.nz has reported.

The source added that Prince Henry of Wales told actress that he has watched her famous flick multiple times.

The Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the West Bengal Assembly on Monday.
According to reports, the move of the Congress MLAs came after West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee refused to admit an adjournment motion moved by CLP leader Mohammad Sohrab on the closed jute mills of the state.

The Congress MLAs later raised slogans against the Assembly Speaker and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (ANI)

Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) leader Somnath Bharti’s wife Lipika Mitra on Monday said that her husband had asked her if she was working for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), adding that he started calling her everyday after she filed a complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).

An electrical short circuit in a building near Lahore’s Liberty Market in Pakistan has turned into a blaze.

According to the Dawn, people in nearby shops were evacuated after the fire occurred.

At least six people including four rescuers have suffered minor injuries while no loss of life was reported.

The fire started when a short-circuit occurred on the first floor and spread to the second, third and fourth floors of the four-storey building.

There are at least 15 firefighting vehicles on location, but firefighters are struggling to put out the fire. (ANI)

Channing Tatum Brings His Twerk A-Game to LA Gay Pride Parade with ‘Magic Mike XXL’ co-stars.

Accompanied by police on motorcycles, Magic Mike XXL stars Tatum, Matt Bomer and Adam Rodriguez and a group of shirtless, hot men dressed as strippers showcased sexy dance moves on a movie-themed float, E! Online reported.

Simple clothes; which, because 35-year-old was not actually stripping, stayed on, of a white T-shirt and grey cargo shorts made up the actor’s outfit. He accessorized it with a black baseball cap, rainbow wristband, and a rainbow scarf around the neck.

Rihanna seems to be confirming her dating rumors with footballer Karim Benzema day-by-day as she was again recently spotted on a dinner date with the player in Santa Monica, California.

The ‘FourFiveSeconds’ singer and the Real Madrid player stepped in together at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi, but were later joined by other friends, People Magazine has reported.

Rihanna and Benzema were previously spotted together at a performance by Fetty Wap at the h.wood Group’s venue Henry’s. (ANI)

Congress leader Ajit Jogi had a narrow escape after his car skidded off the road and turned turtle en route to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district on Monday.

Jogi said that the incident took place when his driver avoided a collision with a drunk cyclist on the road.

Air India flight number 821, operating on the Delhi- Srinagar route, had a tyre burst while landing at the airport here on Monday.

All the 149 passengers on-board are said to be safe.

According to reports, all the outgoing flights from Srinagar airport have been delayed and all flights arriving at Srinagar have been diverted to Chandigarh. (ANI)

American soccer player Hope Solo seems to be sharing good repo with Nike as despite of various off-field allegations Nike has decided to stick with the goalkeeper.

Nike said that their relationship with the two-time Olympic gold medalist hasn’t changed and they will stick by her and the USA Women’s soccer team, TMZ.com has reported.

The 33-year-old US goalkeeper was questioned when she called a cop a “bitch” and additionally said that she would kick his ass, during her arrest for fourth-degree domestic violence assault. (ANI)

Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashutosh on Monday alleged that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is currently embroiled in deep controversy surrounding the support given by her to former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, has fallen victim to an enemy from within the Bharatiya Janata Party, further claiming that the party was currently witnessing a ‘gang-war’.

Adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that Pakistan will not hold any dialogue with India without the water and the Kashmir issues as topics for discussion.

According to Dawn News, Aziz said that Pakistan wants to maintain tension-free relations with India even if cordial terms are not possible.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s stand with regards to the Korba coal mines, stating that the mining of the area will leave the tribals, who are dependent on the land, helpless.

“[Prime Minister] Narendra Modi talks of development, makes tall promises. But what will happen to the tribes and their kids? If a mine comes up here, they will lose their jungle. Is this development?”

Gandhi said while addressing the farmers and tribals affected by coal mining in Madanpur village in Korba district.

Queen rocker Brian May is helping scientists raise 160 million pounds to save the world from Earth-killing asteroid attacks

May is among a band of scientists and astronomers who are highlighting the threat to humanity by asteroids, and have named June 30 as “Asteroid Day” to help raise funds for building orbiting space observatory Sentinel, the Mirror has reported.

The vice chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Balvinder Kumar, will inaugurate a joint wetlands restoration and development project of the Ambedkar University and the DDA on June 19.

He will also lay the commemoration stone. The event will take place at 8 a.m. at the wetlands site in Dheerpur, a university press release said.

Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) has recently entered into a management agreement with DDA to restore an area of 25.38 hectares as urban wetlands adjacent to its upcoming campus at Dheerpur.

In a new study, scientist have found that a bad night’s sleep could trigger health risks equivalent to that of smoking.

The research shows that people who sleep for less than seven hours were up to four times more likely to suffer a stroke and doubled their risk of a heart attack, reported the Daily Express.

Professor Valery Gafarov, of the World Health Organisation, said at a conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia that poor sleep should be taken as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease along with smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Almost 600 Bangladeshi citizens have been missing ever since they embarked on perilous sea voyages between October 31, 2013 and April 15 this year to illegally migrate to Malaysia, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has said.

While submitting a list of these human trafficking victims to the National Human Rights Commission ( NHRC) of Bangladesh, the Coordination of Action Research on Aids and Mobility (CARAM), a Malaysia-based NGO, expressed concern over the rising number of trafficking victims in the country, reported The Daily Star.

The Malaysian police have reportedly busted a human trafficking network, which was involved smuggling in of Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingyas across Malaysian-Thai border.

A Malaysian police team from the Kuala Lumpur headquarters identified three businessmen as being the kingpins of the network after arresting more than 70 of their runners. They closely monitored the suspects, who are based in Penang, Perlis and Kedah, for months and also went through their bank transactions, reported The Daily Star.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been talking very loudly about maximum governance and accountability, must break his silence on the ongoing controversy regarding External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj helping former IPL chairman Lalit Modi in securing the travel documents.