New Delhi, August 20: Nobody would have imagined that Rahul Gandhi would capture the nation’s imagination as he has today.
Like his father, he stayed away from politics for long, and has now spent considerable time himself in reaching out to public, empathizing and interacting directly with them. His connect with the grassroot people is something India has rarely seen in a politician. People feel he conjures up the picture of his father Rajiv Gandhi.
Jaipur, August 20: Ruling Congress nominee Kamal Bakoliya was today elected Mayor in the Ajmer Municipal Corporation defeating his nearest BJP rival P Handa in a keen contest.
The ruling party is also set to attain comfortable majority in the 55-member Corporation, where the saffron party is in power in the dissolved House.
Besides, 125 other civic bodies had also gone to the polls on Wednesday, where counting of votes is still in progress.
–UNI
Jerusalem, August 20: Writing on the social network Facebook, Eden Abergil defended publishing the controversial photos, saying, “In war there are no rules,” Haaretz qouted her as saying on Thursday.
Jaipur, August 20: A girl, studying in first standard, has lost vision in one of her eyes allegedly due to beating by her teacher in a private school in Jhunjhunu district.
Pia Chaudhary (7), student of a private school in Seetsar, was allegedly beaten by her teacher for not completing her Mathematics homework on July 3.
The slapping/beating allegedly caused injury in her left eye leading to loss of vision, child’s mother Omvati Chaudhary said here yesterday.
–UNI
Jerusalem, August 20: Three of five soldiers allegedly took their photographs alongside bound and blindfolded Palestinian detainees using their cell phones, with the other two suspected of being involved in drug use, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Thursday.
The arrest came after a former Israeli officer, Eden Abergil, sparked international outrage earlier this week for posting photos on Facebook of herself in uniform smiling beside cuffed and blindfolded Palestinian prisoners.
New Delhi, August 20: The Union Cabinet on Friday cleared the Nuclear Liability Bill after few amendments were made.
The bill was passed after the controversial word ‘and’ was removed from its text.
The general secretary of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Prakash Karat on Thursday had asserted that the standing committee on the bill had made changes from the earlier version.
The left parties had also claimed that the civil nuclear liability bill was directed towards protecting the nuclear reactor suppliers from the United States and less about the affected people.
Islamabad, August 20: Pakistani health officials fear that the more than 85,000 babies expected to be born in the country’s flood-affected areas over the next six months will be malnourished because of scarce food supply.
There is also a serious threat of polio and measles outbreak amongst newborns and officials are trying to put in place preventive measures, health sources told IANS.
Washington, August 20: The White House on Thursday insisted that United States President Barack Obama is a Christian and his faith is not a topic of conversation, a day after a poll showed that nearly 18 per cent of Americans think he is a Muslim.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said most Americans care more about the economy and the country’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and ‘they are not reading a lot of news about what religion the president is.’
New Delhi, August 20: Her bikini scene in ‘Help’ did little to see the movie through but actress Mugdha Godse says she is not perturbed by the poor response to the film as she believes in “moving ahead.”
“I felt critics were quite unfair while reviewing the movie. It was dubbed a flop, although I was appreciated for the role I played. But I am not the type to get cowed down by disappointments. Experience has taught me to take things in my stride and to move ahead,” said the 25-year-old -turned-actress.
Mumbai, August 20: Trisha is really upset these days as she is not happy with the reviews of Khatta Meeta. However one thing is good, that her performance got rave reviews from audience.
Apparently there was a buzz that the actress has signed a film opposite Salman Khan in lead role. But Trisha denied and said that she has not been approached by Salman Khan and once she gets it she will definitely confirm it.
After the debacle of Khatta Meeta, Trisha will be extra cautious to choose any project.
——-Agencies
Jerusalem, August 20: The first direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for more than 18 months were in prospect last night after successful diplomatic efforts to find a formula designed to allow the talks to start.
The international Quartet of the US, EU, UN and Russia is expected to issue a statement today paving the way for the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to open political negotiations with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mumbai, August 20: Kajol has just celebrated her birthday and her husband Ajay Devgn has just had a big success in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, and the actress says she can take some credit for her husband’s success.
“Don’t you think I’ve trained him very well?” her voice sparkles with mischief, pride and pleasure when told that she has a hand in Devgn’s makeover.
Mumbai, August 20: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex today fell by over 76 points in early trade as funds and retail investors sold stocks to book profits after two-session strong rally.
The 30-share index fell by 76.18 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 18.378.76 points in the first five minutes of trade.
The barometer had gained over 405 points in the previous two sessions.
The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also declined by 24.70 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 5,515.50 points.
Gujrat, August 20: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is likely to induct three to five new ministers in his cabinet, highly-placed sources said here on Thursday.
According to sources close to Modi, the cabinet expansion is likely to take place on Saturday.
He is reported to have sounded the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president R. Fardu about his move in the light of the increased workload on the existing ministers of the party’s government in the state.
London, August 20: Walt Disney India announced on Thursday that it would distribute Planman Motion Pictures’ forthcoming movie “Do Dooni Chaar” starring Neetu and Rishi Kapoor in the domestic market from Oct 8.
The directorial debut of Habib Faisal, the movie is an inspiring story of a middle class family. It also marks the return of the Kapoor pair as a lead couple on the silver screen after 30 years.
Srinagar, August 20: Over two dozen people including five security men were injured in clashes between curfew-defying mobs and security forces across Kashmir on Thursday. An eight-old-boy, accidentally injured in police firing, died in hospital, taking to 60 the toll in the unrest since June 11.
Life remained paralysed with shops, other businesses, educational institutions, banks, post offices closed and public transport off the roads due to a shutdown called by the separatist Hurriyat group headed by Syed Ali Geelani.
Los Angeles, August 20: A Muslim woman is suing Disneyland, accusing the company’s California theme park of discrimination for telling her she could not serve customers if she chose to wear a headscarf.
Imane Boudal, 26, asked her employers at Disneyland’s Grand Californian Hotel several months ago whether they would permit her to wear a headcovering while working as a hostess, a spokeswoman for a worker’s union said.
New Delhi, August 20: Suresh Kalmadi, who is in the eye of a storm over alleged corruption in the Commonwealth Games, did not attend the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting on Thursday.
This was despite the fact that the meeting was convened by the Congress MP from Pune in his capacity as CPP Secretary.
Party sources said Kalmadi was asked to stay away from the meeting where Congress President Sonia Gandhi said the government will look into the allegations of malpractices and spare no one found to be involved in them after the event.
New Delhi, August 20: Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Thursday said the government had appointed 11 top bureaucrats to oversee the last phase of work for the mega event at the request of the organising committee and there was no “take over” of the Games.
Bhopal, August 20: Denying linking Bhopal gas tragedy issue with the India’s request for loan, the Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Froman on Thursday said that the United States does not seek to interfere in the process of resolving Bhopal issue.
“Resolving the Bhopal issue is for the Indian people to decide. The US does not seek to interfere in this process,” Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Froman said in statement Thursday in response to an Indian news report.
Dubai, August 20: A visually-impaired contestant finds peace through his Quran memorisation, dedicating his miracle to the heartbreaking tragedy of losing his mother a year ago.
Seventeen-year-old Rakan Ebrahim Ahmad gradually lost his sight due to heath complications he underwent at a young age.
He has a chance of regaining it but his circumstances in Iraq make it difficult to maintain even the family’s daily basic needs, he said.
Rakan is one of the participants at this year’s 14th session of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA), which began on Wednesday.
Islamabad, August 20: A day after the United States urged the Pakistan government to accept India’s aid for the flash floods, the Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced that his goverment has agreed to accept India’s offer of $five million.
The US on Thursday had asked Pakistan that politics should have no role in disaster response.
Also read: Accept India’s aid: US to Pak
Qureshi appreciated India’s gesture of offering help to help in rehabilitation of affected people in Pakistan.
Bahrain, August 20: The imam leading plans for an Islamic center near the Manhattan site of the Sept. 11 attacks arrived Thursday in the Middle East on a US-funded outreach trip.
The US State Department said Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf arrived in Bahrain for the start of a 15-day tour in which he is expected to discuss Muslim life in America and promote religious tolerance.
The trip estimated to cost about $16,000 is funded by the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs and will include visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Kuala Lumpur, August 20: The Government is committed to building a country that is better, stronger and more progressive, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.
The Prime Minister said this was why the Government had continuously made changes and introduced policies and programmes that would benefit the masses.
California, August 20: A Muslim working at a Disney restaurant has claimed she was banned from wearing a headscarf because it didn’t fit in with the company’s look.
Imane Boudlal,26, said she was told she couldn’t serve customers while wearing the traditional hijab.
She was allegedly told she could work out of sight of customers at the back of the restaurant or go home.
Moroccan born Boudlal is now suing Disney for discrimination following the incident at the Storyteller themed restaurant near Disneyland in Anaheim, California.