A S Kashyap

PM to spend Diwali with flood-hit people of Kashmir

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In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kashmir on Diwali and spend time with flood-hit people there.

He made the announcement himself on his Twitter account.

“Will be in Srinagar on Diwali, 23rd October & will spend the day with our sisters & brothers affected by the unfortunate flood,” Modi tweeted.

Kashmir was hit by unprecedented floods last month, which caused widespread damage.

Modi has already announced Rs. 1,000 crore for rehabilitation of the State and promised to do whatever else the Government can.

PTI

Modi rules in a cracker of a Diwali in Bihar

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Modi rocket, Modi chakri, Modi bomb, Modi phuljhari (sparklers) – firecrackers named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi are selling like hot cakes in Bihar ahead of Diwali as their demand is more than the ones named after former chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar.

“Modi’s name is not only dominating politics, it has become top selling brand for firecrackers ahead of Diwali,” said Ramesh Kumar, a shopkeeper at the wholesale market in old Patna.

Like Ramesh, Guddu Ansari, another firecracker seller, said, “Modi magic” is ruling the market.

BJP creates history in Haryana; to form first-ever government

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The BJP Sunday created political history, all set to form the government in Haryana – for the first time on its own.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), upsetting past trends, won 47 seats in the 90-member assembly. The party got 33.2 percent vote share in the state.

The BJP Parliamentary Party Board met in New Delhi Sunday evening to discuss probables for the post of the party’s first chief minister in the state.

I’m happy making small films: ‘Arunoday’ director

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Filmmaker Partho Sen-Gupta’s Marathi film “Arunoday”, which was recently screened at the ongoing 16th edition of Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), has received a positive response from the audience and the director says he is happy making small films as they give him a lot of control.

“I strongly believe we are making some great regional films. I am a Bengali, but I am from Mumbai and I am more close to the Marathi culture, so we decided to make the film in Marathi,” Sen-Gupta told IANS.

Chandigarh lifts women’s T20 title

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Chandigarh defeated Madhya Pradesh by nine wickets in the final to lift the Chaman Bhai Patel trophy for the Twenty20 All India Women’s Cricket Tournament here Sunday.

Madhya Pradesh, batting first, scored 102 runs which Chandigarh chased down in 16.2 overs. Chandigarh’s Sunaina was declared Player of the Match for scoring an unbeaten knock of 53.

Madhya Pradesh’s Tarmia got the best bowler award while Sonia received the best batsman award. The best fielder award went to Chandigarh’s T. Priyanka.

Congress says NCP offering support to BJP is ‘dirty politics

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The Congress on Sunday said the NCP’s decision to offer outside support to the BJP to form government in Maharashtra was ‘dirty politics’.

“This must be the beginning of some deal between Praful Patel and the BJP, dirty politics has started,” said Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit .

Amid speculation about a possible reconciliation with the Shiv Sena, the NCP today offered outside support to the BJP.

“Maharashtra needs a stable government with a link to the Centre… We have decided to support the BJP from outside,” said senior NCP leader Praful Patel.

Maha govt will be led by us, says BJP

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BJP on Sunday virtually rejected the possibility of giving Chief Minister’s post to Shiv Sena for forming a coalition government in Maharashtra, saying “people have given us the responsibility and the government will be led by us”.

“People have given us the responsibility and we will do whatever is needed to fulfil that responsibility. The government will be led by us,” BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said during a press conference.

NCP offers outside support to BJP

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In a surprise development, the NCP today offered outside support to BJP to form a government in Maharashtra “in the interest of stability and development” of the state.

“The people of Maharashtra have not given mandate to any single party. No party is in a position to form a stable government on its own. Keeping in mind the interest of Maharashtra people, we feel we should support the party which can form the government. Maharashtra needs a stable government.

BJP hits century in Maha, first party to do so since 1990

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Riding on the Narendra Modi wave, BJP has crossed the century mark in the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, a feat last time achieved by Congress in 1990.

Making deep inroads into Congress and NCP bastions, BJP is set to get over 120 seats this time in the 288-member House, a development that could jolt the Shiv Sena, which was its ‘elder brother’ in the saffron alliance that collapsed before the polls.

In the 1990 Assembly polls, Congress had secured as many as 141 seats. Since then, no national or regional party had come anywhere near the 100 mark.

Jena Malone in ‘Batman v Superman’?

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Actress Jena Malone will reportedly play Carrie Kelly – “female” Robin – in the upcoming film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”.

WILX-10 News station reporter Kirk Montgomery spoke with a source at Michigan State University, where a scene involving Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) was being recently filmed.

“I’ve learned that the character of Robin is now female,” he said, reports variety.com.

Warner Bros. (WB) declined to comment.

Malone, who appeared in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” has been seen on the WB set.

Katie Price buys new mansion in Britain

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Former model Katie Price has bought a lavish mansion which belonged to Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude.

Price put her old house up for sale after husband Kieran Hayler admitted to cheating on her at the property in west Sussex. She has since moved into the mansion which used to be the house of Maude, according to The Sun newspaper, reports mirror.co.uk.

She’s bought the house, reportedly worth 700,000 pounds, next door to her old one just 30 metres away.

The three-storey property includes a two-bedroom annexe and also boasts stables, a tennis court and 12 acres of land.

Golfer Chowrasia finishes tied 5th in Hong Kong

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Indian golfer S.S.P. Chowrasia finished joint fifth while Rahil Gangjee and Jyoti Randhawa ended joint 15th in the Hong Kong Open, which was won by Australian Scott Hend in a sudden death play-off here Sunday.

Chowrasia fired four-under 67 to score 271 while Gangjee and Randhawa carded 66 and 72 in the final round to end with score of 274 at the Hong Kong Golf Club which saw a new champion in Hend, who beat Philippines’ Angelo Que in a play-off after they were tied at an aggregate score of 267.

Prithviraj Chavan takes responsibility for ‘disappointing’ performance in Maharashtra

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Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday took responsibility for the poor performance of the Congress in the state assembly elections.

Chavan said the performance by the Congress in the elections has been disappointing.

“I had taken the initiative in these elections and thus I am responsible for the poor showing in the polls,” Chavan told the media here.

“There has been some improvement in the result since the Lok Sabha elections but it was not as much as was expected,” he added.

Iran summons Pakistan envoy over border guards’ deaths

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Iran has summoned the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran over a series of terrorist incidents that killed several Iranian guards along the Pakistani border, media reported.

On Saturday night, Rasoul Eslami, foreign ministry director general for West Asian affairs, protested against the fact that Pakistani territory is being used by terrorist groups and bandits to attack Iranian border guards, and called on Islamabad to take serious measures to prevent similar incidents, Fars news agency reported Sunday.

Leaders desert Congress headquarters, workers bat for Priyanka

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The Congress headquarters in the national capital Sunday wore a deserted look after the drubbing the party received in the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. Only a group of workers was around, demanding a bigger role for Prianka Gandhi in the party.

No leaders were available at the party headquarters to comment on the poll debacle. Party spokesman Ajay Maken came in the morning, but as it became clear that the Congress was headed to the defeat in both states, which it held so far, he too left the office.

Churni’s ‘Nirbashito’ set for world premiere at MFF

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Well-known Bengali actress Churni Ganguly’s first directorial venture “Nirbashito” will have its world premiere Monday at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival (MFF).

Inspired by exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin and her cat, the film seeks to convey the message of tolerance.

Churni, who also plays the author in the film, shot it in Kolkata and in Sweden. She says she had showed the script to Taslima who had given her approval.

Maharashtra faces a hung assembly

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The politically stable Maharashtra faced a hung assembly as the results of the 13th elections to the house trickled out Sunday afternoon.

The prime contender for power, the Bharatiya Janata Party, hovering at leads/victories in around 120 seats, was emerging as the single-largest party but falling far short of the crucial figure of 145 in the 288-member house.

Its former ally, the Shiv Sena, was smug with around 58 victories/lead and top party leaders dismissed outright any suggestions of a “Modi wave”.

Haryana Congress Chief accepts defeat in Assembly elections

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Haryana Congress chief Shakeel Ahmad accepted the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections on Sunday and said that the people of Haryana have voted for a change.

“We are disappointed. Our performance in Haryana has not been good. We accept to decision of the people.” Ahmad told ANI.

“The people of Haryana have voted for a change. The Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government was the first government to have ruled Haryana continuously for two terms. We will assess the reasons and causes for our defeat soon,” Ahmad added.

Dead battery gets charged in two minutes!

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Imagine a dead smartphone battery getting charged up to 70 percent in flat two minutes?

By using a common ingredient found in sunscreen, researchers from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a smart battery that uses a gel-based material to speed up the charging process.

To do so, researchers replaced graphite in the battery’s anode with a gel made from titanium dioxide – a cheap ingredient found in sunscreen.

The substance speeds up the chemical reactions in the battery, the Huffington Post reported.

Australia’s Watson eyes coaching future

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Revealing his passion for coaching, ace Australian all-rounder Shane Watson Sunday said that contrasting experiences under two national coaches – Mickey Arthur and Darren Lehmann – will hold him in good stead for the role in the future.

Watson, who is currently recovering from ankle and calf problems in a bid to return to the national side for the Australian summer, hit his lowest point during the reign of former national coach Arthur after he was suspended from a Test match during the infamous ‘homework-gate’ controversy in March 2013 in India.

Cilic to play for UAE franchisee in IPTL

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Reigning US Open champion and World No.9 Marin Cilic will play for Dubai-based frachisee, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Royals in the inaugural edition of International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).

The team comprising World No.1 Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic, World No.6 Eugenie Bouchard, former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, former player Goran Ivanisevic, doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic and the No.1 Arab player Malek Jaziri will play their home matches at the Hamdan Sports Complex here from Dec 11-13, said a statement released Sunday.

NCP to support BJP government in Maharashtra

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The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said Sunday it will offer legislative support to a BJP government in Maharashtra.

Speaking after the election results produced a hung assembly, NCP leader Praful Patel said his party was ready to offer “outside support” to a Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.

IANS

MIM stuns with three victories in Maharashtra

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The Hyderabad-based Majli-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) Sunday notched three stunning victories in the Maharashtra assembly polls and was leading in a fourth constituency.

Bagging 25,314 votes, MIM’s Warish Yusuf Pathan won from Byculla in Mumbai, trouncing BJP strongman Madhukar G. Chavan and Akhil Bharatiya Sena’s Geeta Gawli.

MIM’s Imtiyaz Jalik was elected from Aurangabad Central, defeating his nearest Shiv Sena rival Pradeep Jaiswal by 30,000 votes, said party spokerperson Danish Reyaz.

Country’s richest woman loses in Haryana polls

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Savitri Jindal, the richest woman in the country, lost from the Hisar assembly seat, officials said Sunday.

Jindal, who was elected from Hisar in 2005 and 2009 and is a minister in the outgoing Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in the state, lost to BJP candidate Kamal Gupta by 13,646 votes.

Jindal, who is the mother of billionaire industrialist-cum-politician Naveen Jindal, trailed during counting. She was the Congress candidate on the Hisar seat.

Drug-resistant bacteria to be soon taken care of

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In a major breakthrough, researchers have discovered how bacteria destroy antibiotics – a finding that will help develop drugs which can effectively tackle infections in the future.

Using a technique called quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations (QM/MM), the researchers were able to gain a molecular-level insight into how enzymes called abeta-lactamases’ react to antibiotics.

The QM/MM simulations revealed that the most important step in the whole process is when the enzyme ‘spits out’ the broken down antibiotic.