Month: March 2014

Modi an average candidate, says Mistry

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Criticising Narendra Modi for his “communal and separatist mentality”, his Congress rival from Vadodara Lok Sabha constituency Madhusudan Mistry today said here that BJP’s prime ministerial nominee is just an “average candidate”.

“I do not see any challenge fighting against him, this is like any general election and I am going to take on an average candidate,” Mistry told reporters.

Mistry, who has done his post graduate from Vadodara’s Maharaj Sayajirao University, targetted Modi over his “Pak agents” and “shahzada” remarks.

Pakistan to vaccinate 7,50,000 children in northwest tomorrow

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An anti-polio drive will be launched by health workers tomorrow to vaccinate nearly 7,50,000 children in Pakistan’s restive northwest under heavy security to guard against any attack by militants who regard the practice anti-Islamic.

The ninth phase of the drive will be limited to Peshwar district and areas in its outskirts.

Due to frequent attacks by militants against polio drives, the campaign is being held under a programme named ‘Sehat Ka Insaf’.

Indian-origin women, girl hit by car, hurt

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Four people of Indian-origin sustained injuries after being hit by a rashly-driven car in Australia Saturday.

The three women and a young girl were near a temple in Sydney’s Mayhill suburb, The Telegraph reported.

Elay Nadeswaran, community director of Sydney’s Murugan Temple, said the three women, aged 27, 30 and 50, and the nine-year-old girl were leaving the with temple along with hundreds of other worshippers when they were struck by a car while crossing Great Western Highway through a crosswalk.

The police chased the vehicle. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Nervous Gauhar Khan walk the ramp for Mandira Wirk

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Model-actress Gauhar Khan today turned showstopper for designer Mandira Wirk on the day four of the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW) Autumn/ Winter 2014.

Gauhar, who recently won the celebrity reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ and also finished shooting her next TV project “Khatron Ke Khiladi’, looked stunning in a black dress with thigh-high slit.

“I have been in the modelling industry for six years but I still get jitters when I walk the ramp. But the outfit which Mandira had created for me is simply awesome,” Gauhar told PTI.

Force India’s Hulkenberg to start 7th

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Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg will start from the fourth row in the Malaysian Grand Prix Sunday after the qualifying seventh at the Sepang International Circuit here Saturday.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton took his consecutive pole in the Mercedes from defending World Champion Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull. Australian Grand Prix winner and Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg will start in third position.

Hulkenberg did well to, first, enter Q3 and then clocked 2:01.712 to finish seventh while teammate Sergio Perez will start 14th as could not get out of Q2.
(IANS)

Poll panel studying poll code violation report against Mamata

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The Election Commission Saturday said it has received a report from the Nadia district magistrate following complaints lodged by opposition parties against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her alleged provocative speeches against the BJP and CPI-M at a rally there.

The commission will be forwarding the report to the Election Commission in New Delhi, according to Amit Roy Chaudhury, officer on special duty and ex-officio joint secretary.

“We are scrutinising the report and we will forward it to Delhi,” he told reporters here.

I-League: Mumbai FC face Shillong Lajong in must-win game

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Mumbai FC will hope for a change in fortunes when they face Shillong Lajong FC in a must-win I-League Round 23 encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here Sunday.

The game will be crucial for both sides for separate reasons. For sixth placed Lajong (29 points), a win will help them move up into the third place while full points will help eleventh-placed Mumbai FC (21 pts) steer clear from the relegation zone.

Confident IPL 2014 will be successful: Gavaskar

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Newly appointed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) interim president Sunil Gavaskar is confident that the 2014 Indian Premier League (IPL) will be successful.

Gavaskar’s statement comes a day after the Supreme Court virtually split the BCCI and named the legendary batsman and senior board vice president Shivlal Yadav as interim heads in place of the tainted incumbent president N. Srinivasan.

It is not Congress’s tradition to abuse opposition: Rahul

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Following the controversy over Congress candidate from Saharanpur Imran Masood’s threatening remark against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said it is the tradition of the Congress to respond to the opposition in a respectful manner even if they abuse them.

BJP misleading people, will be rejected by voters: Rahul

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Comparing the BJP’s election campaign to a series of films which kept failing, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Saturday said voters will reject the party, which plays dirty tricks to mislead the people, in these general elections like in the past.

On the controversy over the arrest of the party’s Saharanpur nominee, Imran Masood, for a hate speech against Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he said it was a six-month-old address in a small gathering.

UN says no humanitarian improvement for millions of Syrians

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The United Nations (UN) has reportedly said Syria hasn’t witnessed any humanitarian improvement for millions of its citizens since a resolution was passed last month by the Security Council to increase aid deliveries.

Blaming President Bashar al-Assad’s government for the present scenario, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos accused his regime of an arbitrary and unjustified refusal to grant aid convoys access to remoter areas.

The UN says that about 3.5 million people are estimated to need aid in hard-to-reach areas of Syria, according to the BBC.

Capt. Amarinder feels Amritsar will be ‘one way affair’ in favour of Congress

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Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday said that the elections in Punjab will be a ‘one war affair’ in favour of the Congress.

Speaking at a press conference here today, he warned Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia against arm-twisting and victimization of Congress workers. “Enough is enough”, he warned Bikram Singh Majithia.

Replying to a question about what will be the issues in the elections, Amarinder said he will focus on lawlessness, drug addiction, intimidation of people, closure of industry and consequent problems.

UN human rights committee criticizes US for NSA spying, torture

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The United Nations Human Rights Committee has reportedly come up with a report criticizing US on its surveillance program, drone use, and torture.

The report raised concerns over NSA’s PRISM and UPSTREAM program and its massive collection of telephone records, which collect internet communications directly from companies and through the fiber-optic cables used to carry internet traffic, respectively, according to the Verge.

White House cyber security chief says damage done by Snowden will take decades to repair

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White House cyber security chief has reportedly said that the damage done to the US national security due to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden would take decades to repair.

Special assistant to the president for cyber security, Michael Daniel , said that they are going to deal with the fallout from the leaks and the impact on national security would reverberate for years to come.

Pleasant Saturday in Delhi, clear Sunday expected

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Delhi experienced a pleasant Saturday with the maximum temperature recorded at 31.7 degrees Celsius. The Met office has forecast a clear Sunday.

“The skies will remain mainly clear after mist in the morning,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 33 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius respectively.

Saturday’s minimum temperature was recorded one notch above the season’s average at 19 degrees Celsius.

The humidity hovered between a high and low of 94 and 43 percent respectively.

BJP cancels Sabir Ali membership, asks members to raise issues internally

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday cancelled the membership of newly inducted Sabir Ali, whose induction into the party was opposed by some party leaders.

Announcing the decision of the BJP, party spokesmen Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “Party president Rajnath Singh has decided to cancel the membership of Sabir Ali. Now, his membership stands annulled. Singh has taken this decision after giving it a thought.”

In a clear warning to party leaders, Prasad also said that Rajnath Singh has suggested that the BJP members should raise internal issues in party forums only.

Four children burnt to death in Jharkhand

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Four children were burnt to death in Jharkhand’s Giridh district Saturday, police said.

According to the police, a fire broke out in the house of Khalif Mia situated in Brajo village of the district, about 160 km from the state capital Ranchi on Saturday.

Three children died after being engulfed by the fire while one succumbed to injuries during treatment.

Mila Kunis thanks Channing Tatum for “literally” saving her life

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‘Jupiter Ascending’ co-stars Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum couldn’t help gushing about each other as they stepped out to promote the upcoming sci-fi flick at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

According to E!Online, Kunis thanked her co-star for “literally” saving her life during unfortunate run-ins with the camera while shooting the movie.

However, Tatum quickly pointed out that he saved the 30-year-old actresses life once, while it the rest of the time it was the stunt guys who saved her.

Directed by the Wachowski siblings, ‘Jupiter Ascending’ will hit theaters on July 18. (ANI)

Race to locate MH370 black box from ‘Victoria sized’ debris zone intensifies

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Recovering the debris of the missing Malaysia Airline passenger jet from the search area the size of Victoria is reportedly getting critical as the time to locate the black box is nearing its end.

The black box, which is an aviation technology that could provide glimpse into what exactly went wrong with Flight MH370 would give out pings only for 30 days and it is feared that if the device isn’t located, the mystery behind the plane’s disappearance would never be unlocked.

Cameron allows same-sex marriage in Britain

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British Prime Minister David Cameron Saturday legalised same-sex marriages in the country.

“This weekend is an important moment for our country. For the first time, the couples getting married won’t just include men and women, but men and men and women and women. In Britain, it will no longer matter whether you are straight or gay, the state will recognise your relationship as equal,” Cameron wrote in an article for PinkNews, a homosexual news portal in Britain.

Hockey India to incorporate new FIH rules June 1

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The Hockey India (HI) Executive Board Saturday decided to incorporate the new international hockey federation (FIH) rules in its domestic circuit from June 1.

The FIH, March 20, introduced major changes to the sport by reducing the 70-minute game to 60 minutes comprising four 15-minute quarters instead of two 35-minute halves. The changes in the international calendar will come into effect Sep 1.

Saadi Gaddafi apologizes to Libya in prison video for role in ‘acts of destabilisation’

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In an interview released by prison authorities, slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saadi Gaddafi has reportedly apologized to the Libyan people for his role in acts of destabilisation against the country.

The tape was filmed by warders at the capital’s Al Hadba prison, where Saadi and several other Gaddafi regime figures are being held and was aired by state television recently.

Aamir, Ajay, Sonakshi win Golden Kela Awards

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Actors Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha were announced the worst actors of 2013 at the Golden Kela Awards held here Saturday. Even Aamir Khan won an award for his performance in “Dhoom:3”.

Now in its sixth year, the Golden Kela Awards honoured the worst in Bollywood at an event held at the India Habitat Centre here.

Ajay won the worst actor award for “Himmatwala”, which was also named the worst film and Sonakshi was cited for “R…Rajkumar”.

Rahul Gandhi rally in Delhi April 6

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is likely to hold an election rally in Delhi April 6, a party leader said Saturday.

The venue for the rally is yet to be decided, said the state’s unit chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma.

He also said that there will not be any more rallies by party chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi other than the one scheduled at Ajmal Khan Park Sunday.

“Sunday’s rally will be her first and last rally in Delhi ahead of the Lok Sabha polls,” Sharma said.
(IANS)