Lucknow, April 02: In an administrative reshuffle, the Uttar Pradesh government tonight transfered three senior IAS officers.
Secretary to Chief Minister and Secretariat Administration Kamran Rizvi has been transferred to Technical Education Department, while Special Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashok Dixit has been made Additional Commissioner Rural Development, an official release issued here said.
Hyderabad, April 02: Problems threatened to snowball for Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik with the family of a girl he is said to have wedded here threatening to file an FIR with the police if he went ahead with the marriage to Sania Mirza without divorcing their daughter.
Ayesha, who claims to have married Shoaib in 2002, today circulated purported copies of ‘nikahnama’ to Pakistani and Indian television channels and poured her heart out on the break-up.
London, April 02: Football star David Beckham turned to cooking after rupturing his Achilles tendon as he has “plenty of time to focus on his new hobby”.
Beckham will not play in this year’s world cup tournament due to injury.
“Beckham has really got into cooking recently. He learned a lot while he was in Italy and he had plenty of time to focus on his new hobby. He has been showing the boys how to make simple pasta dishes and they’ve all had a great time together in the kitchen,” thesun.co.uk quoted a source as saying.
–IANS
New Delhi, April 02: Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” won the Grand Prix of Peace award and a cash prize at the Okinawa International Film Festival.
The audience voted for the winner in the festival that took place in Okinanwa, Japan March 20-28.
Released worldwide Dec 12, 2008, “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” was directed by Aditya Chopra and featured newcomer Anushka Sharma and Shah Rukh in the lead. The film revolved around a simple man who disguises himself as another person to win the love of his wife.
–IANS
Kolkata, April 02: Days after twitting to his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players that they stop giving excuses and instead deliver, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan says he is neither involved in cricketing matters of his team nor the management part of it, but is only there to “entertain.”
“I don’t involve myself in the cricketing part. Because I feel if I tell them how to play, they will tell me how to act,” the KKR owner said.
“I don’t tell them (the players) much. I can only love them. Business decisions are taken by (co-owners) Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta. I come to entertain.”
Hyderabad, April 02: In the latest twist in the Sania Mirza- Shoaib Malik wedding saga, Ayesha Siddiqui, alleged first wife of Malik, has sent her Nikahnama (wedding certificate) through an email to a Pakistani news channel to prove her point.
The latest email to a Pakistan news channel also purportedly claimed that she was married to Shoaib Malik for a Meher of Rs 500.
Jalgaon (Maharashtra), April 02: Senior Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhir Mungantivar was elected state party chief here Friday, a party official said.
The 48-year old Mungantivar, a four-time legislator, will replace Nitin Gadkari, who was elected national BJP president last December.
Holding a post-graduate degree in commerce, a degree in law, and diplomas in business management and journalism, Mungantivar plunged into politics during his college days when he became Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP’s youth wing, Chandrapur town secretary.
Islamabad, April 02: Differences seem to have emerged in the Pakistani government over a constitutional amendment to drastically curtail the powers of the president, with a key minister staying away when the bill was tabled in parliament Friday.
Law Minister Babar Awan did not attend the National Assembly session apparently because he was indisposed. However, the appointment of Raza Rabbani as advisor to the prime minister is said to be the real reason behind the absence, Online news agency reported.
Hyderabad, April 02: After peaceful conduct of Friday prayers in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, in both curfew-bound and other areas, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner A.K.Khan said the curfew may be relaxed from Saturday. However, he said the relaxation would be for more number of hours.
Hyderabad, April 02: Friday prayers passed off peacefully in riot-hit areas of Hyderabad as the curfew continued for the fourth day without any relaxation.
Police had made massive security arrangements in view of the Friday prayers. Though the curfew was not relaxed thus preventing huge congregations at major mosques, Muslims offered prayers either in neighbourhood mosques or in their homes.
Police allowed over 200 people including some leaders to offer prayers at the historic Mecca Masjid, where thousands gather every Friday.
New Delhi, April 02: A fire broke out Friday afternoon in the lawns of Lok Janshakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan’s residence, next to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s house in Delhi. There was no report of any causality, an official said.
“There were dry leafs in his lawns that caught fire around 3.20 p.m. We rushed six fire fighting tenders to douse the fire,” said a fire official.
“Two cars have been damaged due to the fire, no one has been injured,” the official added.
Paswan lives in 12 Janpath bungalow. Last year too, a fire broke out in his house, gutting furniture.
Jalgaon (Maha), April 02: Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar was today named the party’s Maharashtra unit president.
The 48-year-old legislator from Ballarpur constituency in Vidarbha was formally named BJP state chief at the party’s state convention which began here today.
Mungantiwar replaces Nitin Gadkari who is now the national president of the party.
Among those in the reckoning for the post of state BJP chief were Mungantiwar, another Vidarbha MLA Devendra Fadnavis and MLC Vinod Tawde.
New Delhi, April 02: An agitated Yuvraj Singh today hit back at speculation that he was deliberately underperforming in the Indian Premier League after being stripped of Kings XI Punjab’s captaincy, saying he was disgusted and horrified by the reports.
“I am disgusted and horrified that a news reporter can scoop down to such a level. I, in all my career, haven’t seen such a disgusting piece of news,” the flamboyant batsman said on his Twitter page, reacting to reports that his poor run in the IPL was deliberate as he was upset at being replaced as captain of the side by Kumar Sangakkara.
Islamabad, April 02: Shabir Nori has been included at the expense of Aftab Alam in Afghanistan’s squad for the Twenty20 cricket World Cup starting April 30 in the Caribbean.
Aftab was overlooked after competing in the qualifying tournament in February in the United Arab Emirates.
Sayed Nasrat joins Shabir Nori as the new faces in the squad for the T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan is making its debut in a full competition involving cricket’s elite nations and was drawn into Group C along with South Africa and India.
New Delhi, April 02: President Pratibha Patil Friday asked the corporate world to contribute to the welfare of the deprived and disadvantaged sections of society.
Inaugurating the Action Cancer Hospital set up by the Manav Sevarth Trust here, the president said: “All of us use national resources. Therefore, we also have certain responsibilities towards the nation and society. It is also necessary for the corporate world to adopt the philosophy of social responsibility,” she said.
Washington, April 02: Family members of those killed in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks have urged US President Barack Obama to live up to earlier promises and try terror suspects in civilian court.
The September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a group of more than 200 family members of 9/11 victims, said they prefer the suspects currently held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to stand trial in US federal criminal courts rather than before military commissions.
Washington, April 02: The United States will implement new airline security measures this month to replace mandatory screening of air travelers from 14 countries, a step that had angered some allies when it was imposed after a failed bombing on Christmas Day.
The new measures, to be announced on Friday, are expected to significantly reduce the number of passengers pulled aside for additional screening and will not be based on nationality or passport, but on characteristics pulled together by intelligence agencies, a senior administration official said.
Los Angeles, April 02: Pop star Jessica Simpson has revealed that women don’t need a man to feel good about themselves and they must learn to love themselves before they can find the right relationship.
“It’s important for women not to find their confidence in a man. I think you really have to know who you are before you can truly fall in love and give your all, and I don’t think a man can define you. You have to own that.
New Delhi, April 02: A major fire broke out at a shop in a busy market here Friday afternoon. No one was injured, officials said.
The fire broke out in a sari shop on Ajmal Khan Road in Karol Bagh around 2 p.m. “We rushed eight fire fighting tenders to douse the flames,” said an official of the Delhi Fire Services.
According to police, the reason behind the fire was an electrical short circuit.
“There is no report of casualty so far. We are assessing the damage caused to the shop,” said a police officer.
–IANS
New Delhi, April 02: With India giving children the right to elementary education, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has decided to be at the forefront of affairs and contribute in whatever which way she can in making the act a success.
“Education is now a fundamental right! The PM (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) has enforced the Right of Children to free and compulsory Education Act…It’s a landmark move,” Priyanka posted on her Twitter account.
Mumbai, April 02: Vidya Balan speaks on the Globalization of Mainstream Indian Cinema at the14th Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF)
Vidya Balan who has never failed to deliver a brilliant performance one film at a time was recently invited to the prestigious Wharton School in Pennsylvania to be part of the 14th Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) to speak on the subject of Globalization of Mainstream Indian Cinema.
Vidya Balan spoke on moving beyond parallel and cross-over films, and how mainstream Indian films are now making their mark on international audiences.
Islamabad, April 02: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Friday successfully validated its concept of fighter operations from motorways and highways when its two fighter aircraft landed on a motorway.
The historic landmark was achieved as part of the ongoing High Mark-2010 exercise.
After landing, the aircraft were refuelled, rearmed and re-launched, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
While the point where the two aircraft touched down was not specified, it was believed to be somewhere on the Islamabad-Lahore motorway or that linking the capital with Peshawar.
London, April 02: Thought you knew all about the negative side effects of smoking? A new study reveals cigarettes may contain traces of pig’s blood which could be “very offensive” to Muslims and other religious groups, Australia’s The Australian reported on Tuesday.
University of Sydney Professor Simon Chapman referred to a “recent Dutch research which identified 185 different industrial uses of a pig – including the use of its haemoglobin in cigarette filters,” The Australian said.
Karachi, April 02: Pakistan Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has asked the senior players in the side to inspire their young teammates at the World Twenty20 in the West Indies starting April 30.
Pakistan will be looking to defend the title in the Caribbean and the senior allrounder believes that their hopes rests on the senior players.
He said experienced players like allrounder Abdul Razzaq, middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and glovesman Kamran Akmal will have to deliver if Pakistan is to retain the title it won in England last June.
Sistani, April 02: The tribal elders gathered in the desert outside Marjah, the frontline of the U.S.-led battle in southern Afghanistan to provide services and security after years of Taliban control.
Around 20 sat in a circle, waiting for Lt. Col. Brian Christmas, U.S. Marine commander in northern Marjah who has — so far — kept American troops out of the small village of Sistani to the northwest.