Month: December 2013

100,000 Ethiopians sent back from Saudi Arabia: Addis Ababa

by

Ethiopia has repatriated over 100,000 citizens from Saudi Arabia, Addis Ababa’s foreign ministry said today, following a violent crackdown against illegal immigrants in the oil-rich kingdom.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said that up to 50,000 more citizens are still expected to come home.

“Last night arrivals from Saudi reached 100,620,” Tedros said in a statement, adding that “all citizens that were detained in Riyadh deportation camps are back”.

Are Madaonna and boytoy Brahim Zaibat heading for split?

by

Madonna and her French boyfriend Brahim Zaibat are reportedly heading for a split.

The 55-year-old American singer-songwriter’s boy toy of three years was spotted getting cozy with a hot blonde while she has been spending a lot of time with her former husband Sean Penn, Radar Online reported.

The 53-year-old American actor and the ‘Girl Gone Wild’ singer had reconnected at a charity event in September, where they posed happily together for the cameras.

Institute for Indian studies set up in S. Korea

by

An Institute for Indian Studies Korea (IISK) was inaugurated here Wednesday to help South Koreans understand India better as the country becomes a major magnet for Korean businesses.

The event was inaugurated by Sangbong Oh, president, International Institute of Trade of the Korea International Trade Association. In his address, Sangbong Oh said the Indian market would become the biggest in the world by 2030 followed by China and the US. By 2025, the Indian middle class was expected to cross 580 million.

Corn and Spinach Paratha

by

The traditional paratha gets an interesting twist.

Ingredients

For the dough
1 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
3 tsp melted butter or oil(for cooking)

For the spinach corn stuffing
3 cups finely chopped spinach (palak)
1 cup cooked corn (makai)
2 onions, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp oil
salt to taste

Instructions

For the dough, mix all the ingredients and add enough water to make a soft dough.
Divide the dough into 10 portions and roll out each portion into very thin 150 mm. diameter rounds.

Mamata government interfering in education: Rebel MLA

by

Rebel Trinamool Congress legislator Shikha Mitra Tuesday criticised the West Bengal government for its “brutal political inference” in the running of the state’s educational institutions.

“There is complete anarchy in the education sector. There is brutal political interference by the state government,” Mitra told the media a day after she was removed from the posts of chairperson of governing bodies of three city colleges.

Mitra, a legislative assembly member from Chowringhee constituency, said there were no corruption accusations against her.

Indian teachers in Oman to be honoured

by

The Best Teacher Awards for the year 2013-14, which recognise the contribution of Indian school teachers in Oman, would be presented here Thursday.

India’s Ambassador to Oman J.S. Mukul will attend the function to be held at the Indian School Ghubra in Muscat, the Times of Oman reported Wednesday.

Thuwayba bint Ahmed Issa Barwani, professor at the Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, will deliver the keynote address.

I’m not politically correct, I’m private: Priyanka

by

Priyanka Chopra rarely comments on her love life. She says it has nothing to do with being “politically correct”.

At the Agenda Aaj Tak Conclave here Thursday, Bollywood’s eligible bachelorette was asked why she has never stood up and spoken out against dating rumours.

“It’s not because I am being politically correct. It’s just that I’m a private person,” said the 31-year-old.

“I believe that I am putting 90 percent of myself and my family life out in front of the public, I have every right to keep 10 percent of it for myself,” she added.

Gurgaon raped child’s father goes on fast unto death

by

The 34-year-old father of a five-year-old girl who was brutally raped and abandoned near a Metro station in Gurgaon, Haryana, June 15, Thursday began a fast unto death to demand a CBI inquiry into the crime against his child.

The man, accompanied by his wife, mother-in-law, and two minor sons, protested outside the mini-secretariat, demanding that the probe be taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Gurgaon police investigations have failed to nab the criminal and provide the victim and her family justice.

Delhi registered record voting in Wednesday’s polls

by

Delhi shattered previous records as it registered 65.86 percent voting in Wednesday’s assembly elections, an Election Commission official said Thursday.

“Delhi recorded 65.86 polling percent. Voting continued till 8 p.m. Wednesday,” the official told IANS.

Officially voting ends at 5 p.m., but seeing the surging enthusiastic crowds at many polling stations, the state election commission extended the voting time.

The Matia Mahal polling station in the walled city was the last to close at 8 p.m.

Indian doctor in Bahrain cleared of molestation charge

by

A 59-year-old Indian doctor, charged with molesting a woman while examining her, was let off on account of lack of evidence in Bahrain, a media report said Thursday.

A 25-year-old Moroccan woman accused the Indian doctor of sexually touching her while examining her. The woman said she suffered from stomach pain, and visited the doctor’s private clinic in Riffa, the second-largest city of Bahrain, Gulf Daily News reported.

The defendant was acquitted Wednesday by the High Criminal Court of Bahrain, for want of evidence.

Kerala’s ancient drama, dance and rhythm in Dubai

by

The staging of an unabridged Malayalam classic in the colours and drama of Kathakali; the rich repertoire of Koodiyattam, a 2,000-year-old Sanskrit theatre; graceful Mohiniattam; music in the Sopanam style and a percussion ensemble high on energy – this UAE capital saw a five-day-long celebration of ancient Kerala art forms.

‘Myanmar has much to learn from India’: Myanmar leader to Prez

by

Myanmar has much to learn from India as it returns to a multi-party democratic system of governance, Speaker of the country’s Upper House told President Pranab Mukherjee as he met him here.

Mukherjee, during the visit of the 23-member parliamentary delegation led by U Khin Aung Myint, Speaker of Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), said India is committed to supporting it’s eastern neighbour in “whichever way it can.”

Congress trashes exit polls, BJP says Cong “demoralised”

by

The exit polls that predicted a strong showing for BJP in four states in yesterday’s crucial Assembly polls were today rubbished by Congress as one which has “no meaning” while the saffron party said it appears to be “completely demoralised”.

Various exit polls on TV channels have predicted that the BJP is poised to win three states–Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh– and will lead in Delhi.

No Modi wave in UP: Akhilesh

by

Ruling out a ‘Modi wave’ in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Akhilesh Yadav today said the Samajwadi Party was not worried about the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate as ground realities were different than those projected on television.

He also said the UP government led by him was working for the benefit of all communities and termed as “misinformation” suggestions that SP was biased towards Muslims.

UK official backs Indian stand on carbon emissions cuts

by

Stating that developing countries like India were right in asking for a differentiated treatment on cutting down of carbon footprint, a top British official today said negotiators should be more “pragmatic” and help find consensus by 2015.

“If you are the same negotiator for your country for 15 years and you repeat the same thing, you are not even listening,” British foreign secretary’s special representative for climate change David King told PTI on the sidelines of an event at the IIT Bombay.

Smuggler shot dead by Pakistani border guards

by

Border guards shot and killed an alleged Pakistani smuggler while he was trying to sneak into the country from India in Wagah sector, officials said today.

Pakistan Rangers personnel spotted two men trying to sneak into Pakistani territory two days ago and asked them to stop.

The Rangers opened fire when the men tried to escape.

One of them, identified as Pakistani national Yasir Masih, was killed instantly while the other sustained injuries.

Officials said both men were allegedly involved in smuggling liquor from India.

Jagan faces Ire of Telangana Supporters

by

YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today faced wrath of Telangana supporters when he was proceeding to his Lotus Pond residence at Jubilee Hills from Shamshabad airport.

Jagan, who arrived here from Chennai after meeting Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and DMK president M Karunanidhi, was proceeding to his Lotus Pond residence at Jubilee Hills when Telangana supporters and students of N G Ranga Agricultural University threw rotten tomatoes and eggs on the convoy of Jagan when it reached Rajenderanagar.

Azad favours 10-District Telangana?

by

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad reportedly suggested to his colleagues in the Group of Ministers to recommend to the Union cabinet to carve out only ten-district Telangana State.

According to informed sources, Ghulam Nabi Azad felt they can recommend Rayala Telangana State proposal only if all the concerned agree for it after a full scale debate on the issue in the Assembly, otherwise, it might lead to new problems.

Govt mulls starting Cauvery 5th Stage for B’loreans

by

Karnataka government is planning to start Cauvery Fifth Stage scheme to cater to the drinking and industrial water needs of new areas of Bangalore city, PWD Minister H C Mahadevappa said today.

As the Cauvery Fourth Stage Phase II is nearing completion in some years from now, the government has been looking for an alternative source of water and thus envisaged Cauvery Fifth Stage project.

Naidu slams GOM for taking Whimsical decisions

by

TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu today condemned the GoM functioning on Telangana alleging that it was taking decision as per its whims about territorial and geographical boundaries in the process of formation of Telangana State.
In his tweet, the TDP supremo said the hasty decision of Congress party on bifurcation and the GoM’s decisions are creating more confusion.

Naidu today held a meeting with party’s senior leaders and discussed on the latest political situation in the State.

Bandh total & Peaceful all over T

by

Telangana Bandh on December 5 called by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in protest against the proposal to carve out a 12-district Rayala Telangana evoked total response. Buses in all the depots in the entire Telangana region were off the road and the depots wore a deserted look.

Governments need to be efficient to trigger housing sector growth

by

Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (Credai) today said governments need to be more efficient to accelerate growth in the housing sector.

“Today, real estate sector is the largest generator of economic activity contributing 6.3 per cent to GDP and has the ability to drive the economy to a double-digit growth. But in order to accelerate growth in the housing sector, it is necessary that governments at all levels work efficiently,” Credai chairman Lalit Kumar Jain told reporters here.

SC says sportsmen, not businessmen should head sports bodies

by

The Supreme Court on Thursday said only sportsmen, not businessmen should head sports bodies.

“Politics has taken the game of hockey to abysmal low. Earlier India used to win gold medals but now we are struggling to qualify. Sports bodies should be headed by sports-persons…not by businessmen,” Supreme Court said today.

The top court’s observations were made during the hearing of two warring factions of hockey associations – Indian Hockey Federation and Hockey India.

Both associations have claimed that they represent Indian hockey.

Casa Grande eyeing to launch 1,000 villas in 2013-14

by

Real estate developer Casa Grande has lined up projects worth Rs 1,250 crore and plans to launch more than 1,000 villas during the current financial year, the company said.

“Casa Grande plans to launch 1,000 villas this fiscal and has projects worth Rs 1,250 crore in the pipeline….” the city-based company said in a statement.

The company has developed and sold 2.5 million sq ft properties so far, it said.

Meanwhile, the company announced its latest project — Aldea, a garden themed project in Thoraipakkam on the famous Old Mahabalipuram Road.

Axe Aadhar tie-up with US firm

by

The CPI-M Thursday described as “a matter of deep concern” that a US company with CIA links was providing software to manage the data base for the registration of Aadhar scheme.

“The report that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has tied up with a US company with CIA links is a matter of deep concern,” the Communist Party of India-Marxist said.

According to a published report, a US company, MongoDB, was providing the software to manage the data base for Aadhar’s registration. “One of the investors in this company is the CIA,” the CPI-M said in a statement.