New Delhi, June 03: The government said on Thursday it will hold another round of talks with yoga guru Baba Ramdev Friday to dissuade him from going on an indefinite fast against corruption, as the top leadership of the Congress, led by party president Sonia Gandhi, fully backed the move.
Port of Spain, June 03: Batting legend Viv Richards has not seen Sir Donald Bradman but of all those he has seen, including compatriot Brian Lara, none has been better than iconic Indian Sachin Tendulkar.
“I didn’t see Don but to me, in all my years associated with the game, I haven’t seen a better batsman than Sachin Tendulkar,” said Richards in a eulogy to the “little man”, who openly professes to have idolised him while growing up.
“If there is a better batsman than Sachin then he hasn’t arrived yet.”
Melbourne, June 03: A Sikh boy was forced to a shave off his beard by a school in the Australian State of Victoria, sparking an outrage among the Indian community which accused the institute of religious discrimination, a media report said on Thursday.
The boy studying in Class XI at a school in Melbourne was forced to shave off his beard, Harkirat Singh of the Sikh Federation of Australia was quoted as saying by ABC Radio.
Early this week, Mr. Singh said he was contacted by the parents of the student who was forced to shave off his beard.
Manama, June 03: The head of Foreign Relations Office of Bahrain Center for Human Rights says people in Bahrain will continue their protests after the regime ended the emergency rule.
In an interview with Media, Maryam al-Khawaja said it is very clear that Bahraini protesters will go out into the streets to press their demands for reforms in the Persian Gulf island nation, and persevere until the fulfillment of their demands.
On Wednesday, Bahrain lifted the state of emergency it imposed during anti-regime protests in the Middle Eastern country in mid-March.
Ahmedabad, June 03: A 14-year-old girl and resident of Surat was allegedly raped by her stepfather who after the heinous act made video clips of the same. If that wasn’t enough he then left her at the mercy of 16 more men who went on to rape her further.
The incident took place some six months ago, however, it was on Thursday that an FIR in this connection was lodged with Mangrol police in Surat rural.
Often people object to the term ‘feminism’ as being a western one. One maulana when invited to speak in a workshop of this title refused to come as he considered feminism un-Islamic. Is the use of this term objectionable from an Islamic viewpoint? Not at all.
London, June 03: BLAKE Lively’s “hacker” has hit back at claims from her rep that the raunchy nude photos of her are fake – by releasing more.
The Gossip Girl star hit headlines the world over this week after becoming embroiled in a nude photo scandal.
And now, the American actress – who vehemently denies appearing in the explicit pictures circulating the internet – features in 17 new snaps, according to celebrity website TMZ.
Lively’s hacker has hit back at the actress’s claims and insists the new images will prove that the star took the photos herself.
Ialamabad, June 03: Amid reports in both the U.S. and local media of a possible operation in North Waziristan against terrorist havens, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday night said the government was ready to hold dialogue with “militants” provided they decommissioned and surrendered their weapons before the political agents of the tribal agencies adjoining Afghanistan.
Hyderabad, June 03: A Cyberabad police vehicle injured three persons and damaged a couple of vehicles at Hyderguda on Thursday afternoon after the driver lost control of it.
A Tata Sumo driven by Home Guard, Vijay Kumar, was proceeding from Mehdipatnam to Motor Transport Office (MTO) in Amberpet. According to the Narayanaguda police, when the vehicle reached AP Tourism Development Corporation office at Hyderguda, Vijay lost control of the vehicle.
Tripoli, June 03: A Libyan woman who claimed she was gang-raped by Muammar Gaddafi’s troops was deported from Qatar where she sought refuge, and is now in Benghazi, said a UN official on Thursday.
Her sudden expulsion cast light again on one of the most widely covered incidents of alleged abuses by Gaddafi’s forces, as NATO continued its relentless nightly bombing raids on Libyan military and security bases, backing rebels who are trying to unseat Gaddafi after a four-decade dictatorship.
Chennai, June 03: A European cult that mixes yoga with sex and pornography has been found to be operating out of Chennai.
Training nearly 100 youngsters in yoga and ‘tantric love’ at a rented house in Chokalingam Nagar, Teynampet, for more than two years now, the Movement for Spiritual Integration in Absolute (Misa) is trying to spread across the country, investigations by TOI have revealed.
Peshawar, June 03: At least 72 people have been killed in two days of intense fighting between Pakistani security forces and hundreds of militants who crossed from Afghanistan into northwest Pakistan, officials said.
Local officials and residents in Upper Dir, a remote valley that borders the Afghan province of Konar, said Pakistani troops regained control of the area after 36 hours of fierce clashes with heavily armed militants who attacked a police checkpoint Wednesday.
New Delhi, June 03: In yet another case of medical negligence in a government hospital in Delhi, a 17-year old boy – Pappu – died after doctors did not take proper care of him post-operation, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has now directed the Delhi government to pay a relief of Rs. 1 lakh to his family.
The Delhi Chief Secretary should send a compliance report along with the proof of payment to the Commission. The NHRC was acting on the complaint filed by Deepak, Pappu’s brother.
New Delhi, June 03: Massive preparations are on at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan where Baba Ramdev’s highly anticipated protest fast will begin on Saturday.
While the Anna Hazare’s protest was more spontaneous, Baba Ramdev’s fast is extremely well organized with air conditioners, coolers and even medical facilities.
Around central Delhi’s Ramlila grounds, Baba Ramdev’s posters are everywhere. And unlike Anna Hazare’s Jantar Mantar fast in April, this isn’t any ordinary protest fast.
Washington, June 03: China must not be allowed to open any additional consulates in the United States till Beijing grants permission to the long-pending American demand to establish a diplomatic mission in Tibet, a top lawmaker in Washington, DC said on Thursday.
Baba Ramdev has widely publicized what he wants to accomplish by going on the hunger strike that he’s set to begin on Saturday. He is demanding that the government nationalize the money that Indian nationals have unlawfully sent abroad as well as declare that such transfers are prosecutable as treason.
Lucknow, June 03: Extending its support to yoga guru Baba Ramdev on his movement against corruption, the BJP on Thursday stressed that it had been raking up the issue of corruption and black money for a long time.
The party alleged that corruption bred from the Centre and both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were in the know of the festering malaise.
Tripoli, June 03: The Libyan government said on Thursday it will send a representative to the next OPEC meeting, replacing the senior oil official who defected saying he had lost faith in the rule of Muammar Gaddafi.
Shokri Ghanem, who oversaw Libya’s oil and gas sector, is the second most senior official to quit and rebels said the defection showed that the end is nearing for Gaddafi almost four months into a rebellion against him.
But a government spokesman in Tripoli played down the significance of Ghanem’s departure.
Washington, June 03: Standing in the pulpit at the Hamza mosque in Mission Bend, 19-year-old Hamzah Ghia made a plea to the more than 500 men and women who had gathered for the weekly khutbah, or sermon.
“Shoot some hoops with your kids. Play tennis, football or even catch if they’re into that,” said Ghia, encouraging parents to help fight childhood obesity. “This body is a trust from God; we’re not supposed to neglect it or abuse it as we please.”
Srinagar, June 03: Three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including one from Pakistan, were killed in an encounter with security forces early Friday in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
“All the three militants have been killed and the operation is over,” Srinagar-based Defence spokesman Lt Colonel J.S. Brar said, adding further details of the incident were awaited.
The encounter broke out on Thursday evening when troops of 52 Rashtriya Rifles and police launched an operation in Seer area of Sopore, 55 km from here, official sources said.
Mumbai, June 03: On a day many were bending over backwards to either dissuade yoga guru Baba Ramdev from launching an indefinite fast from Saturday or stand by him, actor Shah Rukh Khan did not mince any words.
“Koi support nahin karunga… unka agenda hai… jaise hi koi neta ho jata hai… voh yeh sab karne lagta hai (I will not support him… he’s got an agenda… as soon as one becomes a leader… one resorts to such agitations),” the actor told reporters in Indore in reply to a question.
Lahore, June 03: The Pakistan cricket Board on Thursday turned down a request from sacked one-day team captain Shahid Afridi to play for Hampshire and instead announced a disciplinary hearing on June 8.
A senior board official said that Afridi had been sent a mail directing him to appear before a three-member disciplinary committee on June 8 in Lahore.
“He will be given a full and fair opportunity to express and defend himself in these disciplinary proceedings,” chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed said.
Mumbai, June 03: Southern actress Asin Thottumkal describes Bollywood star Aamir Khan as an actor who believes in preparing for his scenes before facing the camera while she calls her “Ready” co-star Salman Khan as spontaneous.
“Salman is spontaneous. You have to be very alert while the camera is running because you don’t know what he will come up with and what you will have to do as an appropriate thing. There is not much of a discussion before the shot. So you have to be ready with whatever he throws at you during the shot,” Asin told IANS.
New Delhi, June 03: While people in India are considered mature enough to vote and drive at the age of 18, the Maharashtra government have raised the minimum drinking age in the state to 25 years for consumption of rum, whisky, vodka and country-made liquor. You can down a beer only after you turn 21. Incidentally, the minimum legal drinking age in two other Indian states of Haryana and Meghalaya is also the same.
In Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, you can buy alcohol or consume the same at a bar once you turn 21.
New Delhi, June 03: To make Baba Ramdev’s fight against corruption a success, the Baba’s ‘Cabinet’ is working round the clock at Ramlila Maidan. From Acharya Balkrishna, Ramdev’s close aide in Patanjali Yoga Peeth, to central and State in-charge — all office bearers of the yoga peeth and Bharat Swabhiman Trust are closely monitoring preparations at the grounds.
More than a dozen committees have been formed for preparations, ranging from accommodation, food, transportation and medical facilities to media coordination.