BJP doing divisive politics: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today accused the BJP of doing divisive politics and said such a party could not bring development.

“I don’t think that the party which indulges in politics that divides the country can bring development to the country,” Singh told an election meeting here in Sibsagar district.

“India is a country with different cultures, religions and languages where the BJP is indulging in divisive politics,” Singh said.

Manmohan hits campaign trail — for last time as PM

In his first campaign rally for this general election, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who steps down at the end of his 10-year tenure in May, Saturday criticised the BJP saying it has always played “a destructive role”.

Manmohan Singh, 81, an economist who once headed the country’s Reserve Bank and rose to be the prime minister, while addressing a rally for Congress’ candidate from Khumtai in Assam, described the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a divided house without any direction.

KPTCL all set to take into service women as ‘linemen’

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) is all set to take into service women as assistant ‘linemen’, months after it agreed to comply with an order of the High Court in this regard.

However, it, said female candidates would be considered only if they climbed the electricity poles the way men could.
The energy department will shortly appoint linemen to maintain its power supply lines. In November, 2013, the KPTCL had told the High Court that it would abide by its order to hire women as ‘linemen’.

Syria: UN official seeks unhindered access for aid workers

The UN emergency relief coordinator has warned the Security Council that as the Syrian civil war grinds on and millions of desperate people remain cut off from aid, the humanitarian situation will remain bleak.

Valerie Amos, who is also the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that “the humanitarian situation remains bleak, and will continue to be bleak, unless we are granted full and unhindered access, through the most efficient and direct means”.

Congress MLAs, leaders to join Trinamool in Tripura

Several legislators and top leaders of the Congress will join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) after the Lok Sabha poll, a top TMC leader said here Saturday.

“Several MLAs along with top leaders from the Congress would join the Trinamool Congress after the Lok Sabha election,” TMC Tripura state committee chairman Ratan Chakraborty told reporters but refused to divulge the details.

Gaga wears sheer outfit for b’day bash

Singer Lady Gaga grabbed eyeballs when she turned up in a nude coloured bodysuit for her 28th birthday party here.

She arrived at Roseland Ballroom Theater here Friday wearing a nude coloured sheer bodysuit, reports entertainmentwise.com.

The outfit was completely see-through, but red roses were strategically placed to cover her private parts.

Her face was covered with a red veil and she made sure to wave out to her fans.
She teamed up the outfit with pink platform shoes.

US talking with India, China to isolate Russia

The US has been talking with India and China among other countries as part of diplomatic efforts to isolate Russia but it has not yet asked them to impose any sanctions, an American official said today.

“We have been talking with other countries diplomatically, though, if you remember the Security Council vote last weekend. It was significant that China, for example, abstained and did not vote with Russia,” State department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters.

Cruise in conflict with drones in ‘Top Gun 2’?

“Top Gun 2” is still happening, says producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and the plot of the sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise starrer is modern.

“We’ve been trying to get that movie made for 30 years, and I think we’re getting closer and closer,” huffingtonpost.com quoted Bruckheimer as saying.

“Don (Simpson co-producer of ‘Top Gun’) and I tried to develop something, we didn’t succeed. (Tom) Cruise took over, and he tried to develop something, and he didn’t succeed. Now, we’re back at it,” he added.

Gold, silver decline on stockists selling, weak global cues

Gold prices declined by Rs 5 to Rs 29,350 per ten gram in the national capital today following stockists selling coupled with weak global trend.

Silver also eased by Rs 39 to Rs 43,500 per kg on lack of buying support from industrial units and coin makers.

Traders said stockists selling along with lower global trend and strengthening rupee against the dollar mainly influenced the trading sentiment.

Gold in New York, which normally set the price trend on the domestic front, fell by less than 0.1 per cent to USD 1,294.30 an ounce.

Katrina clueless about ‘Raees’ (Movie Snippets)

Katrina Kaif says she has had no discussion about joining in Rahul Dholakia’s “Raees”, starring superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

“I don’t know where this news has come from. There is no discussion as such,” Katrina said here.

Last seen on the big screen in “Dhoom 3”, Katrina’s forthcoming movie projects include the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer “Jagga Jasoos”.

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‘Kukku Mathur Ki…’ to release May 30

Comedy film “Kukku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayee” will hit theatres May 30, its co-producer Bejoy Nambiar said Saturday.

Beware! Anti-aging hormones may have opposite effect

Do you take anti-aging pills or injections in a quest to replenish youthful hormones to immortalise yourself? Get alarmed as these injections of growth hormone may have the opposite effect as intended.

A study reveals that taking growth hormones as an anti-aging strategy may undermine the body’s natural defenses against the diseases of old age.

The primary hormones administered are human growth hormone (HGH) which prompts the body to make another hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a precursor of estrogen and testosterone.

‘Gandhi, My Father’ maker to direct ‘massy’ entertainer

Filmmaker Feroz Abbas Khan, who earlier directed the critically acclaimed film “Gandhi, My Father”, is currently busy promoting his new film “Dekh Tamasha Dekh”, which has a socio-political flavour to it. But he assures that he will make a mass-appealing movie sometime soon.

“I can assure you that my next film would be a massy entertainer. I do believe I want to do a film where I can connect with a large number of audience. I want to connect with the audience in a huge way, so I am excited about it,” Khan told IANS.

Teen-age raped by friend

A 15-year-old girl from west Delhi’s Nihal Vihar has alleged that she was raped by a 21-year-old friend on the pretext of marriage. The accused has been arrested.

The victim is a class 10 student in a local government school, lives with her family in Nihal Vihar. According to police, the two were in a relationship for sometime and the accused had promised to marry her.

On Tuesday, the accused Rajesh told her that he would marry her at a temple and took her to a friend’s flat nearby. Later than his friend left for some work, he allegedly raped her.

Antony is not a Pak agent:Naidu

BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu today said he does not consider Defence Minister A K Antony as ‘Pak agent and enemy of India’.

“Antony is my friend. He is not a Pak agent,” Naidu told reporters here when asked about Narendra Modi’s remark describing A K Antony and Arvind Kejriwal as “agents of Pakistan and enemy of India.”

Blaming media for ‘misinterpreting’ Modi’s speech at a public meeting in Jammu on March 26, Naidu said “Modi never said Antony is a Pak agent. Media only misinterpreted Modi’s statement,” he said, adding, “we do not have any prejudice against Antony.”

Girl of 5 years killed in Pakistan blast

A five-year-old girl was killed and 18 other people were injured when a bomb went off in Pakistan’s Quetta city Saturday, media reported.

The explosion took place in the commercial Sohrab area of Quetta, the capital city of southwestern Balochistan province, when people were shopping there, The News International reported.

Police said the blast was triggered off by a remote-controlled device and the explosive materials were fixed in a parked roadside rickshaw. The apparent target was a vehicle of local paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC), which was passing by.

Peace, women’s freedom on canvas of Pakistani artists

Pakistani artist Fizza Saleem’s paintings hint at the constant struggle between the mind and heart to “let go off the troubled past”, while Ayesha Durrani’s miniatures draw on the struggle of women in a patriarchal society. These are among expressions that have found a narrative in an exhibition here.

Five Pakistani women artists along with four contemporary Indians have come together for the six-day exhibition, organised by Empowerment, an NGO that advocates using art and culture as tools for social change.

Shuttler Varma enters Malaysia GP Gold final

Indian shuttler Sourabh Varma entered the men’s singles final of the $120,000 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold as he got a walkover from his opponent in the last-four match at the Stadium Perbandaran Pasir Gudang here Saturday.

The eighth seeded Indian did not get to start his encounter against second seeded local player Wei Feng Chong as the Malaysian withdrew from the match.

Varma, who hails from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, will take on former World No.3 Simon Santoso from Indonesia in Sunday’s final.

Sporting fraternity endorses Prasun Banerjee for LS polls

A host of sporting icons, including the likes of legendary footballer P.K. Banerjee and hockey Olympian Gurbux Singh, Saturday extended support to former Indian football captain Prasun Banerjee, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls on a Trinamool Congress ticket.

Prasun Banerjee, who became the first football player to make it to parliament when he won the Howrah Lok Sabha seat in a bypoll last year, is in the fray from the same constituency.

Arjuna Award winner P.K. Banerjee said he was supporting Prasun because he has the ability to work for the welfare of the people.

Tehran condemns anti-Iran draft resolution

Iran’s envoy to the UN in Geneva Friday condemned the “masterminds” of a recent anti-Iran draft resolution referring to them as old-fashioned people pursuing a political agenda.

A statement published by the Iranian foreign ministry Saturday said Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Mohsen Naziri-Asl, said those behind the draft resolution against Iran’s human rights record were trying to deepen a rift among countries and consequently, impose their norms upon others, IRNA reported Saturday.

Trinamool’s student wing complains to Election Commission

The Trinamool Congress’ student wing Saturday complained to the Election Commission (EC) over Presidency University allowing a referendum by students seeking removal of Sugata Bose from the chairmanship of the varsity’s Mentor Group.

Bose who has been fielded by the Trinamool from the Jadavpur constituency Friday lost the referendum with a majority of students voting against his continuance citing his political affiliation.

Sporting fraternity endorses footballer Prasun Banerjee in polls

A host of sporting icons including the likes of legendary footballer P.K. Banerjee and Hockey Olympian Gurbux Singh Saturday extended support to former Indian soccer captain Prasun Banerjee, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls on a Trinamool Congress ticket.

Prasun Banerjee, who became the first soccer player to make it to parliament when he won the Howrah Lok Sabha seat in a bypoll last year, is in the fray from the same constituency.

Arjuna Awardee P.K. Banerjee said he was supporting Prasun because he has the ability to work for the welfare of the people.

AP parties prepare for urban fight ahead of big battle

Political parties in Andhra Pradesh will face a preliminary test of their strength in the elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULB) slated for tomorrow.

Elections to 146 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations across the state are being held after a delay of three and a half years as the Congress shied away from polls when term of the civic bodies ended way back in October 2010.

It was only after the Supreme Court came down heavily that the State Government got down to conduct the polls.