Ahmedabad, June 30: After a pause, chief minister Narendra Modi has taken to blogging again. What’s more, the CM will be taking up questions from the readers and replying to them in coming days. To start with, he replied to question regarding his fitness during one of his recent entries.
Baghdad, June 30: Iraqi forces assumed formal control of Baghdad and other cities Tuesday after American troops handed over security in urban areas in a defining step toward ending the US combat role in the country.
A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for US combat troops to finish their pullback to bases outside cities.
Colombo, June 30: Sri Lanka’s veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya turns 40 on Tuesday, with a vow to carry on until the 2011 World Cup despite his being the oldest cricketer still playing at the top level.
‘Age is not a problem, it is how you stay mentally and physically fit to remain on top of the game, to try out new variations in the bat and ball,’ Jayasuriya told.
The dashing batsman, who also bowls left-arm spin, made his international debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1989 and won praise as an all-rounder during Sri Lanka’s victorious World Cup campaign in 1996.
Tehran, June 30: Iranian police were out in force across the capital Teheran on Monday as the authorities upheld the official results of this month’s fiercely-disputed presidential election over opposition protests.
As Iranian authorities continued to hold four locally recruited British embassy staff, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi warned that the Group of Eight major powers would consider sanctions against Teheran at a summit next week.
Kandahar, June 30: President Hamid Karzai accused Afghan guards working for US coalition forces of killing a provincial police chief and at least four other security officers during a gunbattle outside a government office.
In a harshly worded statement, Karzai demanded that coalition forces hand over the private security guards involved in the violence Monday. But the governor of Kandahar later said 41 guards connected to the incident had been disarmed and arrested by Afghan authorities.
New Delhi, June 30: Seeking to get edge over private telecom operators, the public sector telecommunication company of India – BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has come up with new service plans for the customers of its CDMA platform-based data services.
Under the new offers, using BSNL NIC Cards or BSNL EVDO Cards, the subscribers can get wireless internet surfing speeds of up to 144 Kbps, and up to 2.4 Mbps respectively. What is more, BSNL is providing roaming facility on these cards.
New Delhi, June 30: Seventeen years after it was set up, the Liberhan Commission probing the 1992 demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya today submitted its report to prime minister Manmohan Singh. The Commission, which had got 48 extensions, submitted the report to the prime minister by Retd Justice MS Liberhan in presence of home minister P Chidambaram. The contents of the report were not immediately known.
Sydney, June 30: A pregnant woman of Indian descent drowned after falling into water in Tweed Heads. The woman’s body was found on Monday, close to the luxury cruiser she disappeared from.
“Police divers found the body of Prashila Wilson close to the 30-metre luxury cruiser she disappeared from on the weekend,” the Herald Sun reported on Monday. Her husband Michael Seery had reported her missing.
Mumbai, June 30: Recently Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor were seen passionate on the Filmfare cover and now they are starring in Karan Johar’s next ‘I Don’t Believe in Love Stories’.
The movie will be directed by Punit Malhotra, nephew of designer Manish Malhotra. He has assisted Karan in ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’. Ironically, contrary to what the name suggests, the film is a love story and with this kind of a title, with Imran and Sonam, a new director, it will definitely be a film to watch out for.
Hyderabad, June 30: There may not be suppression of people’s voice using lathis and guns in Andhra Pradesh hereafter.
Setting a precedent in doing away “uncivilised way of dealing with public movements”, the Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday issued strict instructions to all the district superintendents of police against opening fire in the name of controlling mobs at public agitations. They should instead find innovative means to control mobs.
Mumbai, June 30: After last year’s bad experience, Katrina Kaif has decided to celebrate her birthday with her family in London. The actress is looking forward to meeting her family, but didn’t reveal whether beau Salman Khan will be with her or not.
Surat, June 30: The Pandesara police have arrested the south Gujarat president of Shiv Sena and a BJP leader on gambling charges. The police have seized Rs 15,000 cash and 10 cellphones from their possession.
Acting on a tip-off, the police raided house no. 106 of Avirbhav Society-2 in Pandesara on Sunday evening and found several people involved in gambling.
Yakhni (Meat stock) is a North Indian recipe and tastes best when served with plain vegetable raita.
Ingredients:
Basmati Rice – 2 cups
For the Stock (Yakhni):
Water – 2 litres
Large bones from the leg of Lamb – 4-5pcs
Bay leaves (Tej Patta) – 3 pcs
Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi) – 6
Fennel (Saunf Seeds) – 1 ½ tbsp
Cinnamon (Dalchini sticks) – 3
Salt to Taste
For Rice:
Onions – 3 medium sized (Finely Sliced)
Black Cumin Seeds ( Shah Jeera) – ½ tbsp
Green Cardamom (Choti Elaichi) – 4
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Lamb/ Vegetables – Optional
Procedure:
Mumbai, June 30: As the iconic Bandra-Worli Sea Link waits to get inaugurated at the hands of Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, the Bhartiya Janata Party has stake its claim over the first-of-its-kind bridge in the country.
Moreover, BJP has asked the Congress, which works for “aam admi”, to forego the toll charges since there has been a delay of 10 years in completion of the project.
Mumbai, June 30: Guess which movie has been the most difficult for Priyanka Chopra? It’s her upcoming film What’s Your Rashee?. “It is definitely my most difficult film!” she writes on her Twitter account after joining the burgeoning Twitter family.
Piggy Chops said she was feeling warm and fuzzy while driving to the second last day’s shoot of What’s Your Rashee?. We hope it doesn’t have anything to do with the film’s director, Ashutosh Gowarikar, who believes Priyanka didn’t deserve an IIFA award for Fashion.
Mumbai, June 30: It’s hard to believe the top female celeb of the country, Katrina Kaif, has never been to college. But life itself is a better teacher for the actress whose film New York released on Friday.
In the film, she plays Maya, a college-going girl with a bohemian attitude. She loves her college like any teenager.
Kat, who started earning at the young age of 14, never got the chance to study further because of her modelling assignments and going to college remained a distant dream.
But, after acting in New York, she has become familiar with college life.
Mumbai, June 30: Popular Manipuri actress Urikhinbam Devita was arrested by police on charges of terror links after she was caught from a hotel room in New Delhi with a top separatist leader, police said here Tuesday.
A police spokesperson said the award winning 24-year-old film star was arrested from Imphal airport Monday evening upon her return from New Delhi.
‘Devita was arrested and is being interrogated,’ the official said without elaborating on the nature of her crime.
Mumbai, June 30: There was lots of buzz about Kareena Kapoor’s 10 kisses with Akshay Kumar in Kambakkht Ishq. But now it seems her beau Saif Ali Khan has gone a step further and touched Deepika Padukone’s butt in the movie Love Aaj Kal.
The film’s promos have revealed the sizzling chemistry between Saif and Deepika and have gained tremendous popularity.
Deepika is cool about the scene and says gone are the days when two flowers nodding on screen depicted a kiss. She said playing a couple on-screen two actors have to touch and kiss each other.
Paris, June 30: Complete with new gray hairs and two fake bodyguards, a wax version of President Barack Obama took a trip on Monday to the Eiffel Tower.
After visiting France’s most famous monument, the statue traveled to Paris’ Musee Grevin wax museum, where it will stand alongside the likenesses of Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin.
Mumbai, June 30: Salman Khan has got tired of his cold war with Shahrukh and wants to patch up with King Khan. In a recent interview the Bollywood hunk said that he doesn’t mind working with Shahrukh Khan in films.
The two Bollywood stars have been in logger heads since Katrina Kaif’s birthday about a year ago when they picked up a fight. The incident not only led to a lot of mud slinging between the two stars it also meant Bollywood became divided into two camps.
Mumbai, June 30: A good family background and series of unfinished projects are the basis sought by actor Shiney Ahuja for seeking an immediate bail. Even though the DNA report of the actor has confirmed that he sexually assaulted his 18-yr-old maid, Shiney seems to be unfazed.
Despite the strong evidence against him, the actor feels that he deserves to be given bail as there is huge moolah ridding on his flicks.
Mumbai, June 30: Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, who was admitted to Lilavati Hospital with suspected malaria infection on Sunday morning, was said to be recovering on the second day of hospitalisation on Monday. The doctors, however, said that they now suspect a dual malaria-dengue infection.
At the time of hospitalisation, Kumar was suffering from high fever and respiratory distress. “His fever is under control now. Platelet counts and white blood cells have gradually increased.
Lucknow, June 30: For the second time, Chief Minister Mayawati has decided to virtually clip the wings of Rakesh Dhar Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Minister, by taking away his power to grant no-objection certificates for opening new degree colleges in the state as well for introducing new subjects in the colleges.
It may be remembered that in September 2008, Mayawati had taken a similar decision and formed a committee headed by Anil Kumar Mishra, cousin of Satish Chandra Mishra, to give NOCs.
Mumbai, June 30: Whenever Hrithik Roshan goes to watch a film in a theatre he makes sure that he books the entire row to ensure privacy. However, he was recently disappointed when he went to watch the latest Hollywood release, The Hangover, at a suburban multiplex on Sunday night.
And no, it wasn’t because Hrithik didn’t like the film. He was upset as he could only get three tickets. A far cry from an entire row he is used to.
Mumbai, June 30: The Rs 1,600 crore, 5.6-km long Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), India’s first open eight-lane, cable-supported sea bridge that will reduce traffic congestion in this metro, will be thrown open to public by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday.
An official said that the BWSL inauguration will be held at the northern end of the sea bridge which joins Worli in south Mumbai with Bandra in north Mumbai.