Month: March 2014

India’s first rooftop mini-football field!

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Football fans in Mumbai can experience a new high – on a rooftop mini-football field above a cinema complex!

India’s first rooftop mini-football field opened at the Big Cinemas IMAX in Wadala here recently.

“The six-a-side (team) mini-football field was set up by Futsal Sporting Venture Association with Big Cinemas IMAX Wadala,” Shirish Srivastav, head of marketing and sales for Big Cinemas, told IANS.

The 6,000 sq. feet playing area and a 1,500 sq. feet spectator area is certified by FIFA, he said. The rooftop field has synthetic grass and floodlights.

Development in Kukatpally unparalleled: Dr. JP

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Kukatpally legislator and Loksatta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan has taken serious exception to a section of the press alleging that he has spent only 20 percent of the funds allotted to him under the Constituency Development Fund.

Gavaskar to head BCCI during IPL 7 season

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In a revamp of the cricket establishment, the Supreme Court today took the BCCI out of N Srinivasan’s control and handed it over to legendary player Sunil Gavaskar during the upcoming IPL 7 but allowed Chennai and Rajasthan teams to play in the tournament.
Besides appointing Gavaskar as an Interim President during IPL, the Court also directed that the senior most Vice President of the Board, Shivlal Yadav, will discharge the functions of BCCI president “with regard to all other matters”.

Pak court sentences Christian to death for blasphemy

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A Christian man has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani court for blasphemy, an incident that triggered riots last year in the country’s second-largest city.

Sawan Masih was sentenced by Additional District and Sessions Judge Chaudhry Ghulam Mustafa at the Kot Lakhpath Jail here yesterday.

He was convicted of insulting the prophet Muhammad during a conversation with a Muslim friend in the Joseph Colony neighbourhood of Lahore in March last year.

The trial was held in the jail because of security issues. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 200,000 on Masih.

Sridevi unveils trailer of Amole Gupte’s ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

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Actress Sridevi, who starred in the popular 1987 song “Hawa Hawai”, Friday unveiled the trailer of Amole Gupte’s much-awaited film “Hawaa Hawaai” here.

The cast of the forthcoming movie was present at the event.

Sridevi, who had danced to the number of the same name in the movie “Mr.India’, said: “I have always been associated with ‘Hawaa Hawaai’ with ‘Mr. India’, but today it has a new meaning.”

“I have loved Amole Gupte’s films. They touch the emotionnal chords. I have loved the trailer of this film,” she told reporters during the trailer launch of the movie.

Treat sexual problems in lung cancer patients on priority: Experts

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Raising an issue that has been ignored for long in the case of lung cancer patients, experts have urged physicians to pay more attention on how such patients suffer difficulties with sexual expression and intimacy.

“It is time that doctors and scientists paid more attention to this important issue,” suggested Stephane Droupy from University Hospital of Nimes, France.

He was addressing the gathering at the fourth European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) here Friday.

Russia not to recognise Ukrainian presidential poll

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Moscow considers Ukraine’s upcoming presidential election illegitimate, a senior official said Friday.

“At present, we believe these elections are illegitimate because they don’t match the agreement signed between Ukraine’s opposition and president Viktor Yanukovych on Feb 21,” Andrei Kelin, Russian envoy to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said in a televised news briefing in Vienna.

Kelin said that in order to be legitimate, the country’s leader must enjoy the support of the general population, Xinhua reported.

Samuel L. Jackson likely to star in ‘The Incredibles 2’

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Actor Samuel L. Jackson says he has been informed by director Brad Bird that he will be brought back for “The Incredibles 2”.

Jackson is expected to reprise his role as Frozone in the sequel, reports aceshowbiz.com.

“Every time I run into Brad, he always tells me Frozone is part of what’s going on, so I have to believe that,” Digital Spy quoted Jackson as saying.

His character has the ability to manipulate water molecules in the air and freeze them.

The sequel to the 2004 film “The Incredibles” was announced by Disney’s CEO Bob Iger earlier this month.
(IANS)

Shuttler Varma enters Malaysia GP Gold semi-final

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Shuttler Sourabh Varma kept alive the Indian challenge at the $120,000 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold by entering the men’s singles semi-finals at the Stadium Perbandaran Pasir Gudang here Friday.

However, it was disappointment for all other Indians who had to bite the dust in their respective quarter-final rounds.

The eighth seeded Varma upset Chinese Taipei’s third seed Tien Chen Chou 22-20, 18-21, 21-15 in a marathon match which lasted an hour and nine minutes. This was Varma’s second win over Chou in as many meetings.

Water between rocks builds massive earthquakes?

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Water pressure in the pores of the rocks making up the oceanic plates boundary zone takes the dominant role in determining how big an earthquake is, new research has found.

Large earthquakes are results of oceanic plates movement beneath the earth. The stress builds up before an earthquake and the magnitude of subsequent seismic energy release are substantially controlled by the mechanical coupling between both plates.

Stress build-up and its lateral distribution, in turn, are dependent on the distribution and pressure of fluids along the plate interface, the study noted.

India to observe Earth Hour Saturday

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As the clock strikes 8.30 p.m. Saturday, lights across India will be switched off to mark Earth Hour, which is observed March 29 every year.

Organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Earth Hour is a global environmental campaign observed March 29 from 8.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.

People are asked to switch off lights for an hour – as part of their commitment to the planet.

In India, various events have been planned for the day, with hotels and corporate houses pledging their support by switching off non-essential lights.

SC pulls up Bengal for failure to protect rape victim’s rights

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The Supreme Court Friday said that West Bengal government failed to protect the fundamental rights of a village woman who was gang raped on the dictates of a community panchayat over her relationship with a man from another community.

“Such offences are resultant of the state’s incapacity or inability to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens,” said a bench of Chief Justice P.Sathasivam, Justice S.A.Bobde and Justice N.V.Ramana in their judgment.

Objects possibly from lost jet sighted from aircraft

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Objects possibly linked to the lost Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been sighted from aircraft for the first time Friday in a new search area in the southern Indian Ocean but confirmation by ship can happen only by Saturday, Australian authorities said.

“RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Air Force) Orion spotted objects in #MH370 search area, identity to be established,” the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) tweeted, adding that the aircraft would be landing soon at Pearce Airbase near Perth and imagery was awaited.

Old woman, scared by face mask, compensated

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An elderly woman in China was paid compensation after she got scared when she saw a woman drive with a facial mask on.

The driver, Chang, of China’s Jiangsu province, received a phone call from a friend Wednesday asking her to visit her. Chang stepped out and drove her car wearing the facial mask since she did not want to waste it, China Daily reported citing local media.

Chang stopped her car at a crossroad. A passing elderly woman who saw her got so scared that she fell down next to Chang’s car.

The old woman’s husband reported the incident to the police.

OPEC daily basket price closes higher

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The basket of 12 crude oils of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stood at $103.79 a barrel Thursday, compared to $103.62 Wednesday, according to the OPEC Secretariat.

The new OPEC reference basket comprises Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Iran Heavy (Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (United Arab Emirates) and Merey (Venezuela). A barrel is equal to 159 litres.
(IANS/WAM)

Inter-state criminal arrested for heists in Delhi

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An inter-state criminal was arrested here for a number of heists, police said Friday.

Manoj Serawat, 46, was arrested Monday from the Dwarka link road in southwest Delhi when in a bid to escape the police he speeded the car but hit a tree.

According to police, despite being injured, Serawat fired two rounds following which the police retaliated. He was later overpowered and arrested.

Serawat, on the run since 1993, is also accused of murder, kidnapping, and robbing gold valued at Rs.35 lakh in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, police said.

England captain Broad fined for slow over-rate

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England captain Stuart Broad was Friday fined 40 percent of his match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate in the ICC World Twenty20 Group 1 clash against Sri Lanka at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here Thursday.

Match referee David Boon imposed 20 percent fines on the other English players after the side was ruled to be two overs short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

Humans arrived in the Americas from Asia much earlier: Study

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In a ground-breaking research, archaeologists have unearthed stone tools that suggest that humans reached what is now northeast Brazil as early as 22,000 years ago – upending a belief that people first arrived in the Americas from Asia about 13,000 years ago.

“If they are right, and there is a great possibility that they are, that would change everything we know about the settlement of the Americas,” Walter Neves, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Sao Paulo, was quoted as saying.

Sensex hits record high for fifth consecutive day

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A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Friday touched a record high of 22,363.97 points for the fifth consecutive day, surpassing its previous record high of 22,307.74 points hit Thursday.

The rally was led by banking, metal, capital goods and healthcare sectors.

The 30-scrip S&P Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 22,273.44 points, closed at 22,339.97 points, up 125.60 points or 0.57 percent from its previous day close at 22,214.37 points.

It touched a high of 22,363.97 points and a low of 22,185.11 points intra-day.

IAF C-130J transport crashes near Gwalior; six deaths feared

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Six armed forces personnel were feared killed when a newly-acquired C-130J transport aircraft crashed near Gwalior on Friday in what is seen as a major setback to the efforts of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to sharpen its tactical capabilities. The IAF, however, did not immediately confirm the casualties.

“The aircraft crashed 72 km west of Gwalior. It had taken off from Agra around 10 a.m. on a routine training mission,” an IAF officer told IANS here, adding: “Rescue operations are on.”

Yes, I met Rahul Gandhi, Haryana CM: Yogendra Yadav

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Senior AAP leader and Lok Sabha candidate from Gurgaon Yogendra Yadav said Friday there was nothing secret in his meeting Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

On the allegations about his meeting Gandhi and Hooda, Yadav said, “A delegation from Mewat met Rahul Gandhi in 2008 demanding medical college for Mewat in the name of some Meo (Muslim). I was part of the delegation.”

70-yr-old man gets seven years in jail for raping maid

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A Delhi court has sent a 70-year-old man to seven years in jail for raping his 20-year-old maid, observing that no lenient view can be taken towards him on the ground of his age as he should have thought about it before “resorting to such a shameless act”.

The court held Narender Mohan Mittal, a resident of Dwarka, guilty of raping the girl and threatening her, and said that the offence of rape becomes “more odious” as it was committed by an elderly person on a young and helpless girl.

Modi convinces Bihar leader not to contest as Independent

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BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Friday phoned party leader and four-time Bihar MP Lal Muni Choubey and convinced him not to contest the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate.

“In view of Modi’s request, I have decided I will not contest as an Independent candidate from Buxar,” Choubey told media persons here.

Choubey was upset after being denied a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket for the polls and had filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate.

“I will withdraw my nomination papers following Modi’s request,” he said.

BCCI office bearers must not own IPL teams: Digvijay Singh

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Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh said here today that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office bearers must be debarred from owning IPL teams, to avoid conflict of interest, but the show must go on.

In a tweet, the Congress General Secretary said that IPL had helped cricket as well as cricketers.

Those involved in match-fixing must be punished but teams should not be be suspended, Singh said, adding that BCCI chief N Srinivasan must resign.