Gali Nagaraja

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter admitted that they did not act fast enough to prepare Iraqi forces for the threat posed by the Islamic State militant group.

“We … determined that our equipping of the Iraqi security forces had proceeded too slowly,” Carter said in a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday

In addition, the defence chief said that Iraq is having problems recruiting new members of the Iraqi security forces, who are being trained and strengthening the country’s ability to fight the IS.

President Barack Obama’s administration said on Tuesday that it is “deeply troubled” by the death sentence handed down against deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, contending that it was politically motivated.

At his daily press conference, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the result of Morsi’s trial is another example of a “politically motivated” sentence, and he expressed his unease over the judicial practices of the new Egyptian government.

The Hurriyat Conference (G), Hurriyat Conference (M) and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) have jointly called for a complete shutdown across Kashmir on Wednesday, over the killings of civilians at Sopore in Baramulla district.

All shops, business establishments, schools, colleges are closed and public transport is off from the roads.

Two coaches of Bengaluru- Chennai express train derailed around 5a.m. on Wednesday, near Basin Bridge.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

G.P. Birla Educational Foundation is providing the Scholarship in order to advance the education, to expand individual resources and to give power to the youth of the country. G.P. Birla Scholarship is given to the commendable candidates by funding to help them in practising their further educational studies
G.P. Birla Educational Foundation has been created to bring into notice the exquisite dream of Late Shri. G.P. Birla who was the Industrialist and Philanthropist
Eligibility for G.P. Birla Educational Scholarship:​

Secretary of the Department of Minorities Welfare, Mr. Syed Omer Jaleel, IAS and Special Officer of Hajj Committee, Prof. S.A. Shukoor convened a meeting of the higher officials of GMR Airport. The management of GMR agreed to make Hajj terminal fully air-conditioned and to provide conveyor belt for shifting of the luggage of the Hajj pilgrims. Water proof Shahmiyanas would be erected for the first time. Separate prayer places for men and women would be arranged. Chairs would be arranged for the visitors. The road surrounding Hajj terminal would be provided with concrete construction.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments today continued to stick to their stand on Section 8 of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, raising political temperatures in the two Telugu states.

Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma, meanwhile, met Governor E S L Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad, which would remain as a common capital for the two states for a period not exceeding ten years; thereafter it would become a part and parcel of Telangana.

In the wake of the dramatic activities, Chief Justice of Hyderabad High Court, Dilip Baba Sahid Bhosle called on the Governor of A.P. and TS at Raj Bhavan yesterday. This meeting gain importance in political circles. Note-for-Vote and Telephone tapping issues were in the headlines of the news papers yesterday. Both the CMs discussed various issues with the police officials. The official of both the States called on the Governor and briefed about their positions. The negotiations which took place between the Governor and the Chief Justice could not be known.

GHMC Commissioner and Special Officer Somesh Kumar has said that all Mentors, Patrons and Swachh teams would be visiting the field of their respective allotted segments and will review the progress with Nodal Officers with regard to Swachh Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Somesh Kumar has directed all the concerned officials, Nodal Officers to be present at their respective allotted segments tomorrow. (INN)

Expelled Lok Sabha MP of RJD, Pappu Yadav allegedly behaved rudely with an airhostess when he was travelling by Jet Airways from Patna to Delhi.

The Airhostess complaint that Pappu Yadav threatened her to beat with his “Chappal”. The Airhostess gave a written complaint which was certified by the Captain of the plane. The Captain lamented that it is shameful for the Lawmakers to behave indecently with Aircraft crew and to get away free of any charge.

The BJP-led coalition government in Goa on Tuesday withdrew a circular issued to schools earlier this month seeking the presence of students for public yoga and Suryanamaskar performances at an indoor stadium near here.

The move came in the light of the organisers of the yoga event, NGO Arogya Bharti, scrapping it due to “unavoidable circumstances”.

Reiterating its commitment towards the establishment of AIIMS in Jammu, BJP today termed the three-day bandh call from June 19 as an attempt by some “vested elements” to mislead the public and disturb the situation ahead of the upcoming Amarnath yatra in the state.

BSP president Mayawati today said her party will contest the coming assembly elections in Bihar with “full preparation” and “strength”.

“BSP movement has its roots in Bihar and the party has been winning MLAs’ seats there…BSP is a movement besides being a political party and for enhancing the party base as well as giving the movement a momentum, the next Assembly elections will be contested with full preparation and strength,” she told party leaders from Bihar.

Mayawati, however, did not specify as to how many seats the party will contest in Bihar this time.

Hyderabad M.P. of MIM Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi slammed Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, CM of A.P. for his demand to implement Section 8 of A.P. Reorganization Act which empowers the Governor to take charge of Law and Order Situation in Hyderabad which is the common capital for both the States.

Mr. Owaisi on his tweet asked Mr Naidu if he would permit the Governor to take Law and Order under his control in AP State. He opined that this suggestion would not be acceptable to MIM. However, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu didn’t respond to his tweet.

IPL’s controversial former chief Lalit Modi on Tuesday said he has been “over criticised” and “taken to task” by former UPA government.

“At the end I have done nothing wrong. I’ve gone by book… I have been over-criticised, have been taken to task by the (UPA) government for no reason for all,” he said in an interview to India Today TV.

A 65-year-old Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) patient passed away on June 6 at a hospital in the German state of Lower Saxony, hospital network Niels-Stensen-Kliniken said on Tuesday.

The man from North Rhine-Westphalia state had overcome the actual MERS infection in Niels-Stensen-Kliniken Marienhospital Osnabrueck, but died of a secondary disease, Xinhua quoted the hospital network as saying.

The patient was infected in February with the MERS virus during a trip to the Arabian Peninsula.

Countering Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray’s comment that great cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar have retired but Mumbai Cricket Association president Sharad Pawar “is still with pads on and his score is still zero”, Pawar on Tuesday said his score is the best in history of MCA.

Pawar is all set to contest the biennial MCA elections and bid to retain his post against outgoing vice president Vijay Patil here on Wednesday.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo, backed by Bal Mahaddalkar group, and Patil are the only two contestants for the top post.

The Ukrainian army stands ready to return its heavy weapons to the frontline in eastern regions if pro-independence rebels launch an offensive, government military spokesperson Andriy Lysenko said here on Tuesday.

“Our artillerymen are always on the alert, they are ready for a defensive fire,” Lysenko told reporters during a media briefing, Xinhua reported.

The Ukrainian side has pulled all of its heavy weapons away from the contact line with rebels under the Minsk ceasefire agreement, the spokesperson said, accusing insurgent forces of continuing to use artillery in their attacks.

A delegation from the Houthi rebel movement arrived this morning in Geneva to participate in the peace talks with the Yemeni government representatives, currently in exile, UN spokesman in Geneva Ahmad Fawzi confirmed.

The rebel representatives had a preliminary meeting in their hotel with the UN special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who will act as mediator in the negotiations.

The pre-meeting addressed the problematic composition of the Houthi negotiating delegation, which should be limited to 10 people, while the rebels desired more.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed concern over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he would add more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to Russia’s arsenal this year, media reported on Wednesday.

“It does concern me,” Kerry told reporters via teleconference, adding that the US and Russia, with their arms control treaty, “are trying to move in the opposite direction”, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US Senate has passed an amendment banning torture with interrogation techniques like rectal feeding and waterboarding, media reported on Wednesday.

The bilateral vote was 78-21.

“We must continue to insist that the methods we employ in this fight for peace and freedom must always, always, be as right and honourable as the goals and ideals we fight for,” Republican Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and author of the amendment, said.

“Our enemies act without conscience. We must not,” McCain said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will upgrade its nuclear arsenal in 2015 with more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

According to BBC, Putin said that the nuclear arsenal will be able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defence systems.

The Russian President’s comments came at an arms fair following the US’ proposal to increase its military presence in Nato states in Eastern Europe.

Western countries and Nato have been accusing Russia of sending havey weapons and soldiers to separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met representatives from a girl empowerment movement, that included “Slumdog Millionaire” fame actress Freida Pinto, and said the campaign in India should focus on female foeticide.

Representatives of “Girl Rising”, a global action campaign to educate and empower girls, called on the prime minister on Tuesday, an official statement said.

The delegation included Freida Pinto, who is the ambassador of Girl Rising India, and Samantha Wright, vice president of global programmes for Girl Rising.

Apollo Sugar of the Apollo Hospital group on Tuesday offered free consultation on controlling diabetes to Muslims fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

“As extreme fasting may cause complications in diabetic patients, our doctors checked and treated Muslims ahead of the Ramadan fasting month,” Apollo Sugar Clinics consultant Raja Selvarajan told reporters here.

Complications such as impaired vision, kidney and heart diseases and aggravated blood pressure could occur in diabetic patients for fasting long.

Former Bihar chief minister and chief of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) Jitan Ram Manjhi will contest the upcoming state assembly polls, his party announced on Tuesday.

“Manjhi will contest upcoming assembly polls. The party will decide about his seat,” HAM’s state president Shakuni Choudhary announced here.

Choudhary said HAM’s core committee in its meet decided that Manjhi should contest the upcoming assembly polls.