Month: March 2014

Indian-American cardiologist wins prestigious US award

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An Indian-American cardiologist has won the American College of Cardiology’s prestigious Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship in recognition of his contributions to its peer-reviewed medical journals.

Sumeet Chugh, associate director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and a leading expert on heart rhythm disorders such as sudden cardiac arrest and arterial fibrillation, will receive the award at the 40,000-member medical society’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session in Washington.

Baba Ramdev alleges Sonia Gandhi dislikes Hindus

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Yoga guru, Baba Ramdev, on Monday alleged that Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi, and her son Rahul Gandhi disliked Hindus.

Ramdev, who is very close to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the ideology of Gandhis was similar to Congress party candidate Imran Masood, who had threatened to chop BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

“The ideology of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi is as cruel and violent as of Imran Masood. They hate Hindus and they don’t like Hindu holy men and saints,” said Ramdev in northern town of Muzaffarnagar.

Expose corrupt journalists, says Kejriwal

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AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Monday told party activists to expose “corrupt journalists” for targeting his party but said most journalists were doing a honest job.

Addressing over 1,000 volunteers at Vaishali, Kejriwal named a couple of journalists in the electronic media who he said were biased in their reporting.

“The rest of media persons are performing their duty without prejudice,” he said.

“Go to the masses directly and expose the biased reporting and corrupt journalists.”
(IANS)

Modi wave a hoax by BJP: Omar

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today dismissed as “mere hoax” assertions by BJP that there was a Modi wave in the country.

“There is no Modi wave in the country, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir…,” he told a public rally in Kalakote belt of Rajouri district.

Taking a dig at BJP, Omar who is also Working President of National Conference, said BJP has no regard for its own elders and stalwarts and hence cannot give respect to the common man.

Russia terminates Black Sea fleet agreements with Ukraine

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The Russian parliament Monday approved a bill terminating a number of agreements with Ukraine over the Black Sea fleet.

“As a result of the treaty signed between Russia and the Republic of Crimea March 18, about Crimea’s accession to Russia, the subject of the Russia-Ukraine agreements has been nullified due to factual end of legal lease by Russia of its Black Sea Fleet’s facilities in Ukraine,” the State Duma or the lower house of the parliament said in a statement.

Sabir Ali’s wife protests outside Naqvi’s house, detained

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Delhi Police Monday detained expelled JD-U leader Sabir Ali’s wife Yasmin for over two hours after she protested outside BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s residence, demanding an apology over remarks that Ali was close to terrorists.

Police later allowed her to go home.

Yasmin sat outside Naqvi’s Pandara Park house Monday afternoon but was detained by police and taken to the Tilak Marg police station along with two other women.

“Yasmin, along with two other women, was released around two hours after her detention,” said a police officer.

Shazia takes on ex-army chief

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AAP candidate Shazia Ilmi Monday took on the BJP for giving a Lok Sabha ticket to former army chief Gen. V.K. Singh, saying it had set a wrong precedent.

Ilmi said that although every citizen has a right to get involved in active politics after retirement, the way the Bharatiya Janata Party was projecting Singh “is posing a dangerous trend”.

“We have seen the fate of Pakistan… and the BJP is encouraging such trends in India for its narrow political aims,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader told the media here.

NHRC denies ordering action against Somnath Bharti

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The National Human Rights Commission Monday denied it asked Delhi Police to take action against former AAP minister Somnath Bharti for his controversial campaign against an alleged drug and prostitution racket.

“The NHRC has seen news stories that it has given a direction for taking action against Somnath Bharti in the Khirki Extension incident,” said an NHRC statement.

Attacks on Hindus in Sindh send ominous signals: Pakistani daily

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To sit quietly as intolerance grows against non-Muslims is akin to acceptance of communalism, a leading Pakistani daily said Monday.

The frequent attacks on the Hindu community in Sindh province of Pakistan send ominous signals, the Dawn newspaper said in an editorial.

A Hindu temple in Hyderabad city of the province was set on fire by unidentified arsonists last week, resulting in damage to an idol and the structure itself, it said.

A dharamshala in Larkana was attacked by rioters after a Hindu man in the town was suspected of desecrating the holy Quran.

AAP fields Jaaved Jaaferi from Lucknow; Kejriwal says AAP gaining in Varanasi

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Film actor Jaaved Jaaferi will be the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate in Lucknow against BJP chief Rajnath Singh as the party on Monday announced its 13th list of candidates for 22 Lok Sabha constituencies.

The party named seven candidates for Bihar, three each for Jharkhand and Gujarat, five in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and one each in Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Riturajbhai Maheta will be the party’s candidate against BJP’s senior leader LK Advani from Gandhinagar seat in Gujarat.

Advani calls Manmohan Singh India’s weakest prime minister

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Senior BJP leader L K Advani said here today that Manmohan Singh has proved to be India’s “weakest prime minister”.

Addressing a public meeting at Shevgaon, 80 km from here, Advani said that BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would revive the process of development started by former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The former deputy prime minister said that Vajpayee and the NDA had tried it’s level best to fulfil every commitment, right from the Pokharan nuclear test to providing basic amenities.

Two killed in train attack in Pakistan

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At least two people were killed and seven others injured when armed assailants attacked a passenger train in Pakistan Monday, an official said.

Armed militants opened fire at Nawab Akbar Bugti Express in Balochistan’s Bolan district, Khan Wasey, a spokesperson for the Frontier Corps, said.

“The train was halted as a result of the attack,” Dawn online quoted Wassey as saying.

“The assailants fled after launching the attack,” he added.

The injured, including two women, were shifted from Bolan’s Mach area to Quetta in a helicopter for medical treatment.

Rayapati Sambasivarao joins TDP

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Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao joined the Telugu Desam Party in the presence of TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu here on Monday.

Rayapati’s brother Rayapati Srinivas Rao also joined the TDP along with his followers. Welcoming them into the party, Naidu said that people in Seemandhra have confidence that only TDP could bring development in the region.

‘Trinamool mulling action against official who accused legislator’

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A Trinamool Congress leader Monday said the party was mulling legal action against a West Bengal government official who has accused a legislator of threatening to behead him for removing posters of party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Party general secretary Mukul Roy rubbished the allegations and accused the officer of maligning the legislator with an ulterior motive.

YSRCP slams TDP for false allegations

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Brushing aside the false claims and propaganda of TDP, YSRCP has said it is winning hands down and if the results of the municipal elections come out in the open they will put facts in the right perspective.

“We are the Party that is on a winning streak and there is no reason as to why we should resort to sponsored surveys. It is always the Party that is on the brink of defeat that will take to such cheap tricks while people are with us as always,” party spokesperson Gattu Ramachandra Rao told reporters here on Monday.

33 Morsi supporters sentenced to jail

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An Egyptian court Monday sentenced 33 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi to six years in jail, media reported.

The Islamist defendants were accused of violent acts during clashes between the backers and opponents of Morsi in the coastal city of Alexandria last December. They were also accused of assaulting security forces, belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and joining protests without official approval, Xinhua reported citing local newspaper Ahram.

Vivek, Vinod returns to Congress fold

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Peddapalli MP G Vivekananda and former minister G Vinod have announced their return to the Congress fold from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Both Vivek and Vinod called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday. Speaking to media persons later, Vivek said that the Congress President has fulfilled her promise of giving statehood to the Telangana region and made of lot of sacrifices for the same. Therefore, he has decided to return to the Congress party. He said he was persuaded by his father and former Union Minister G Venkatswamy to rejoin the Congress party.

Shikhar Dhawan on men’s fashion magazine cover

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Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has been captured in a suave and intense look for the cover of men’s fashion magazine GQ India, in which he has spoken about life, childhood hijinks and his inkings.

After hitting the fastest-ever debut Test century at Mohali last year, batsman Dhawan grew big.

“God had plans for me. That innings changed my life,” he has said in the magazine.

The 28-year-old, who already has a few tattoos, has said: “I may get my children’s names on my back, but then that’s it, I’ll be done.”

Kejriwal meets LG, urges him to consider fresh elections

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Aam Aadmi Party’s national Convenor and former Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal today met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and urged him to dissolve the Delhi Assembly and consider holding fresh elections.

“I met the Lt Governor and requested him to consider conducting elections in Delhi immediately. LG said he would consider,” Kejriwal said.

Both BJP and Congress parties are not at all interested in having fresh elections in Delhi and it raises doubt on their intentions, Kejriwal said, referring to Supreme Court’s observation.

Jindal Power starts second 600 MW unit of Chhattisgarh plant

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Jindal Power Ltd, a subsidiary of Jindal Steel & Power, has commenced production at the second 600 MW unit of the Tamnar power project at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, JSPL said Monday.

“With the commissioning of this plant, the total capacity of Jindal Power Ltd has now reached 2,200 MW,” JSPL said in a statement here.

The third unit of the 4X600 MW project is ready for synchronisation, while the fourth unit should be commissioned by October, the statement added.

Modi stands for ‘Movement Of Developing India’: Sukhbir

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SAD president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today praised BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, saying Modi stands for ‘Movement Of Developing India’.

Sukhbir said the future generation would remember Modi as a “catalyst” who took India from being a developing nation to the list of most developed nations of the world, and dared the Congress to compete with NDA on development agenda.

He was talking to reporters while campaigning for SAD-BJP candidate from Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha seat Prem Singh Chandumajra.

Congress lauds BJP leader for saying minorities fear Modi

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The Congress Monday ‘congratulated’ Goa’s Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Francis D’Souza for publicly admitting that minorities had apprehensions about his party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

“We congratulate the deputy chief minister because he finally voiced the fears which the minorities have always had about Narendra Modi. The apprehension was finally articulated by a senior BJP leader himself,” Congress leader Pratima Coutinho told reporters at a press conference.

Girl raped in Haryana govt hospital room, two arrested

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A 20-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by two youths in a room of a Government hospital, with police today arresting both the accused.

Police arrested two youths named Dheeraj Yadav, resident of Bhateda village and Sandeep Yadav of Nangal Mundi village, who allegedly gangraped the girl of Gulabpura village in a room of the Government Hospital at Nangal village, about 12km from here, on March 28.

The police had registered a case of gang-rape and criminal intimidation against the duo on a complaint filed by the girl yesterday.

AAP puts up candidates against Rajnath, Chidmabaram’s son

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The AAP Monday announced it was fielding Bollywood actor Jaaved Jaaferi against BJP president Rajnath Singh from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency as it released a list of 22 candidates.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has put up Thamil Arima against union Finance Minister P.Chidambaram’s son Karti P. Chidambaram, who is contesting in place of his father from Tamil Nadu’s Sivganga constituency.

Sanjeet Dhanka has been fielded from Rajasthan’s Dausa, presently represented by union minister Namo Narain Meena.