Month: September 2013

Gadkari seeks all-party support on Vidarbha statehood issue

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Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari has appealed to all political parties to lend support to the issue of carving out a separate Vidarbha state out of Maharashtra.

“If all parties come together, no one can stop Vidarbha from becoming a separate state,” Gadkari said while speaking at an all-party meeting organised by Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) Council last night.

The BJP would support the motion for Vidarbha statehood, if it was tabled in Parliament, he said.

Comparisons are inevitable: Shraddha Kapoor

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After the success of her movie “Aashiqui 2”, actress Shraddha Kapoor seems charged to secure a position in Bollywood. She is well aware that comparisons with her contemporaries are bound to happen and is up for it.

The 24-year-old wants to focus on her work and improve herself rather than focusing on the rat race in the film industry.

Zenit stay top of Russian Premier League

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Russian Premier League leaders Zenit St. Petersburg extended their lead at the top of the table after a 4-2 home win over second-placed Spartak Moscow.

Hosts, Zenit, opened the scoring in the 20th minute Saturday courtesy of Alexander Kerzhakov, but Spartak found an equaliser on the half-hour mark through Kim Kallstrom, reports Xinhua.

A 69th-minute Hulk strike took Zenit 2-1 in front, but an immediate reply from Yura Movsisyan brought the two teams back on level terms.

A dhow capsizes off Oman, Indian sailors rescued

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Nine Indian sailors on board of a dhow which capsized in the sea between the UAE and Oman were rescued and taken to Salalah port in Oman, a media report said Sunday.

The sailors, from the Indian state of Gujarat, reached the port safely Friday, reported the Times of Oman.

The dhow, Tajudin Baba, was on its way to the port of Bossaso in northeast Somalia carrying business consignment for Somalia’s Puntland traders when it capsized Sep 21.

The sailors, who floated about in the sea waters on planks, for almost six days were later rescued by another dhow, Al Sultana Madina.

Pro-Telangana leaders seek Sushma’s help for early statehood

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The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) leaders today urged Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj to help in early formation of separate Telangana.

“BJP has played its role in separate Telangana being realised. We requested her (Sushma Swaraj) that BJP show some initiative in implementation (of Congress’ announcement) as well. She responded positively. She agreed that Telangana state should be formed as early as possible. She said she would help in this regard,” JAC chairman M Kodandaram told reporters here.

Pak Taliban says Nawaz has no authority to hold peace talks

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The Pakistani Taliban has said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has no rights to hold peace talks. The group slammed Sharif for changing his mind and giving them preconditions to lay down weapons for the APC-backed peace talks. The comments appeared to have been sparked by an interview Sharif made with the Wall Street Journal during a trip to New York, in which he said militants must lay down their arms and follow the constitution.

Rahul should apologise for his remarks on ordinance: Chouhan

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Continuing his attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said the former should apologise to countrymen for “insulting” Prime Minister’s Office over the ordinance that seeks to protect convicted lawmakers.

“The comments made by Rahul Gandhi about the ordinance is against the dignity of the PMO and amounts to an insult to the country’s self-respect. Therefore he should apologise to the people of the nation,” Chouhan told reporters at Narsinghpur town before embarking on his ‘Janashirwad Yatra’.

Srinivasan elected unopposed, gets men of choice in BCCI

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Brushing aside intense criticism and questions of probity, N Srinivasan was elected unopposed as BCCI President for a third year during the Board’s AGM here today even though he will not take charge till further orders from the Supreme Court.

Srinivasan was the lone Presidential candidate put forward by the South Zone, from where he got the proposer and the seconder.

The AGM asserted Srinivasan’s supremacy in India’s richest sporting body with not even a single voice of dissent being heard during the proceedings of the day.

Sharif says dialogue best way to tackle terrorism in Pakistan

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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said dialogue will be the top priority of his government in curbing terrorism and improving law and order in Pakistan. The comments from Sharif came while he was addressing a large gathering of Pakistani-Americans at a reception hosted in his honour by the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York.

Manmohan Singh says Pakistan should stop being ‘epicenter of terrorism’ ahead of talks with Sharif

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Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said Pakistan must stop being ‘the epicentre of terrorism’. The comments from Singh came ahead of talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the General Assembly meet. Singh also stressed that he shared Sharif”s hopes for better relations between the two Asian rivals. Ahead of their meeting in New York, Sharif called for a new beginning with Delhi. According to the BBC, bilateral ties between the two countries have been strained over continuing deadly clashes in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Modi cites South Korea, China to extol soft power

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BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday said both South Korea and China had utilised the hosting of the Olympic Games to “brand” themselves and project their “soft power” while India lost the chance by bungling in the organisation of the Commonwealth Games and making it a major scandal.

He said projection of soft power to brand a country has become much more important today than projecting military or economic strength.

Modi mocks at Sheila Dikshit

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BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday made fun of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, saying the Congress leader was an expert in “cutting ribbons” and passing the buck.

“The job of the Delhi chief minister is very easy. The chief minister has no responsibilities. They just cut ribbons from morning to evening,” Modi told a mammoth Bharatiya Janata Party rally here.

Without naming Dikshit, Modi said the chief minister of Delhi did not have to look after critical areas like agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries — unlike other chief ministers.

Heart disease kills 17.3 million each year: Report

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Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including heart disease and stroke, cause 17.3 million deaths each year worldwide, and by 2030 it is expected that 23 million people will die from CVDs annually, a report released Sunday said.

Sunday is being observed as World Heart Day. Every year since 2000, Sep 29 has been observed by the World Heart Federation as World Heart Day to spread awareness about the rising instance of heart disease.

Modi attacks Sharif for ‘insulting’ Indian PM

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BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for describing his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh as a “dehati aurat” (rural woman).

Calling it “a serious issue”, a visibly agitated Modi told a Bharatiya Janata Party rally here that Sharif made the remark during a meeting with Indian and Pakistani journalists in New York.

“How dare you say this?” Modi said, raising his voice. “What right you have to say this?”

No caste, region & religion based recruitment done: Army to SC

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The Army has told the Supreme Court that it does not recruit on the basis of caste, region and religion while justifying grouping of people coming from a region in a regiment for administrative convenience and operational requirements.

In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the Army refuted the allegation that unlike Air Force and Navy, there is “discriminatory classification” for recruitment on caste/religion/region basis to various regiments like Maratha Regiment, Rajasthan Rifles, Dogra Regiment, Jat Regiment, etc.

Verdict on Lalu in fodder scam case Monday

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The judgment on Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case will be delivered Monday.

The multi-million animal husbandry department scam, popularly known as the fodder scam, accuses Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra, both former chief ministers of Bihar, ministers from the department, two IAS officials and others, of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.37.70 crore from Chaibasa district treasury of Jharkhand.

Special CBI Judge P.K. Singh will pronounce the judgment in the case No. RC 20 A/96. Lalu Prasad’s lawyer completed arguments in the case Sep 17.

Private chopper crashes near Mumbai

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A private chopper with five persons on board crashed near here this morning, Air Traffic Control sources said.

The fate of the passengers is yet to be ascertained, ATC sources said.

The chopper belonging to private operator United Heli Charters had taken off from Juhu aerodrome here in the morning for Aurangabad, they said.

The accident occurred due to the chopper coming in contact with electric wires in a rural area of neighbouring Thane district, they said.

Titans beat Hyderabad by eight wickets in CLT20

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The Sunrisers Hyderabad team has lost to the Titans in a crucial match in the 2013 Champions League Twenty20 tournament, that could have increased their chances of a spot in the semi-finals. The Titans won the toss and invited Hyderabad to bat first, who despite getting a good start could post only 145/7 at the end of their 20 overs. The South African team then reached their target with more than three overs to spare, with important contributions from Jacques Rudolph and Henry Davids. Henry Davids was also adjudged the player of the match. (ANI)

Al-Qaeda group””s fatwa bans Syrian girls from attending school wearing un-Islamic clothes

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An Al-Qaeda front group in Syria has reportedly issued a fatwa, which states that girls in a village under its control will not be allowed to attend school unless they wear Islamic clothing. The news comes on the heels of the group, called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), torching statues and crosses inside churches in northern Syria. A British-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also revealed that boys in the village of Tweihineh were told to dress in what ISIL considers Islamic clothing.

Assad’s future not up for discussion: Syria FM

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Syria is “comfortable” with a UN Security Council resolution on destroying its chemical weapons and will not discuss the future of President Bashar al-Assad, the country’s foreign minister said today.

Walid Muallem told reporters the resolution voted by the 15-nation council late yesterday meant the opposition could be the target of UN sanctions.

“I am comfortable with the resolution,” Muallem said at the UN headquarters where he will give Syria’s address to the UN General Assembly on Monday.

“It calls for Chapter VII against the terrorists,” the foreign minister added.

BJP luring people to attend Modi’s rally with food, money and alcohol: JD-U

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As the stage is set for Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi”s first rally in the national capital, Janata Dal-United leader Sabir Ali on Sunday accused the opposition party workers for luring people to attend the rally with food, money and alcohol.

“BJP party workers are luring people to attend the rally with food, money and alcohol,” Ali said.

“Modi has no factor for himself; but only money factor. He has lots of money and delivers money across the state. People like him will become PM only to run country with money,” he added.

US judge tells Sikh man called `terrorist` by transport officials to remove `rag` from head

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A Sikh man residing in the United States was reportedly taunted as a ”terrorist” by transport officials, who arrested him after they found his ”kirpan” and then expelled by a judge during his court date for failing to remove ”that rag” from his head. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has reportedly written a letter to the government protesting against the shocking treatment of Jagjeet Singh at the hands of Mississippi Department of Transportation and Pike County Justice Court judge Aubrey Rimes.

Death bowling is an area of concern for CSK: Dhoni

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Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants his bowlers to improve performance in death overs even as he lauded his spinners and batsmen after qualifying for the semifinals of the Champions League.

CSK bowlers conceded 50 runs in the last three overs to let Brisbane Heat off the hook.

“Death bowling is still an area we need to improve, but it is tough for every team. We thought we would be chasing 120-odd runs, but the chase was very well done with the help of Raina, Hussey and Vijay,” Dhoni said after they beat Brisbane by eight wickets.

European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley backs McIlroy to `return to best soon`

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European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has backed former golfing world number one Rory McIlroy to bounce back from his current troubles and return to his best ”before too long”. The Northern Irish ace had endured a turbulent year both on the course and off it, where his termination of a contract with his former management company was confirmed recently.

China’s ex-banker found with 44 properties, jailed

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A former Chinese banker was Sunday sentenced to three years in prison for forging and trading official documents, and possessing 44 properties in Beijing.

Gong Aiai, mocked by Chinese netizens as “Sister House”, was found with a huge number of properties purchased under fake IDs, and was convicted at the People’s Court of Jingbian county, reported Xinhua.