Month: April 2014

Sikh school in Britain reassures parents on pupils’ safety

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A Sikh school in Britain has reassured its students and their parents that its premises are completely safe after it was claimed that the school was constructed on contaminated soil, media reported Monday.

Diggers at free school, Khalsa Secondary School in Stoke Poges in southeast Britain, were reportedly found to be taking up turf of contaminated soil during a re-development work in the premises, the Trinity Mirror reported Monday.

It has been claimed by the nearby local village residents that the site is a possible threat to pupils and staff as the soil is severely contaminated.

Now Cong releases CD against Modi

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The war of CDs hotted up with Congress today releasing one purportedly showing Narendra Modi in pictures with one Afroz Fatta arrested in connection with a Rs,1000 crore hawala racket and dared the BJP PM candidate to submit himself to an independent probe.

Claiming Fatta to be a “well known BJP supporter and a protege of Modi”, party spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters that he was arrested by the Enforcement Direcotrate of Ahmedabad and Surat which unearthed a major hawala racket after carrying out a raid at his residence.

We do not need gyan on development from Modi: Mamata

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Rebutting the accusation by Narendra Modi that she had done more damage to West Bengal in 35-month of rule than the Left Front in 35 years, Mamata Banerjee today said that she did not need ‘gyan’ from him on development.

“If he comes to power, India will plunge into darkness. We do not need gyan (lecture) on development from the architect of riots,” Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress supremo, said on Twitter.

Heaping scorn on the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate, Banerjee said “The man who is being projected as PM candidate, if he comes to power, India will be ruined.

Six killed in China tourist spot blast

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At least six people were killed Monday in an explosion in northeast China, officials said.

The blast took place at 2 p.m. at a tourist destination in the city of Fushun as two workers were making fireworks, Xinhua reported.

The two workers and four passers-by were killed on the spot in the “Liaoshen Campaign” zone, according to the city’s publicity office.

The “Liaoshen Campaign”, an abbreviation of Liaoning-Shenyang Campaign, was one of the three major campaigns launched by the People’s Liberation Army towards the end of the Chinese civil war.

Polls: Over 20,000 security men deployed in Hyderabad, Secunderabad

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Over 20,000 security personnel will be deployed in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to maintain law and order and for peaceful conduct of the first phase of Assembly and Lok Sabha polls to be held on April 30.

“In the first phase, two parliamentary seats (of Hyderabad and Secunderabad) and fifteen Assembly constituencies will go to polls on April 30 in Hyderabad city and all security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order and for smooth conduct of polls,” city Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma told reporters here today.

Sharif lauds ISI amid controversy over attack on Hamid Mir

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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today praised the ISI for “ensuring protection and defence of the country” amid a raging controversy over the recent assassination attempt on senior TV anchor Hamid Mir.

Presiding over a high-level meeting here, Sharif said that all institutions will continue to work in synergy for the protection of public.

“Prime Minister lauded the role and efforts of ISI in ensuring the protection and defence of the country,” an official statement said.

Retrial begins in Salman Khan hit-and-run case

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A sessions court Monday began the retrial in the 2002 hit-and-run case involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan, with the partial deposition of witnesses.

The witnesses included Samba Gowda who had drawn the list of articles (panchnama) seized by police on the day of the incident, Sep 28, 2002.

Gowda informed public prosecutor J. Kenjalkar that the car involved in the accident was a big vehicle that rammed into a laundry and its bumper hit the shop’s shutters.

One killed, 26 injured in Ghaziabad clash

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At least one person was killed and 26 others were injured in this Uttar Pradesh town when two groups clashed Monday over a piece of land, police said.

Police said the rival groups initially pelted brickbats at each other and then opened fire resulting in one death. Over a score were injured in the fighting in Kinaoni locality of Ghaziabad over a piece of land owned by the village panchayat.

At the outset, three boys of one group, going to school Monday morning, were beaten up while they were passing through the rival group’s locality, police said.

US imposes new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

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The White House announced fresh sanctions Monday against Russia, targeting seven government officials and 17 companies.

These people, among them two from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, and entities were hit with visa ban and asset freeze in response to what the White House called Moscow’s “continued illegal intervention in Ukraine and provocative acts”.

The Obama administration also took steps against high technology exports to the Russian defence industry, Xinhua cited White House spokesman Jay Carney as saying in a statement.

UN human rights chief to visit South Sudan

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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay will visit South Sudan from Monday to Tuesday to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the war-torn country.

Pillay’s office said in a statement Monday that she plans to meet South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, senior government officials as well as key actors such as the National Human Rights Commission, Xinhua reported.

Delhi Police yet to make headway in Briton’s murder

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Delhi Police have not yet ascertained the reason for the brutal killing of a British citizen, whose body was found Sunday inside a plastic sack in a market, and are awaiting more information about his background, an official said.

Police have collected the footage of CCTV cameras installed in Bhogal market in south Delhi from where the body of 40-year-old Andrew Raymond Rodick was found inside a plastic sack Sunday morning. His hands and legs were tied and the body was wrapped in a carpet.

Approach bar councils if lawyers violate professional ethics: SC

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The Supreme Court Monday said that it had no powers to prevent a lawyer, the child of a sitting judge from practicing in a court where their parent is dispensing justice as it was for the bar councils and not courts to proceed against the lawyers who don’t adhere to professional ethics.

“If any member of the bar who is not following the professional ethics, be it a son of a judge, file a complaint before the bar council. There can’t be a judicial order,” said a bench of Chief Justice R.M.Lodha, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph.

Way to woman’s heart through smooth facial skin: Survey

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Forget the stubbled and bearded look if you wish to make your way into a woman’s heart, according to a new survey.

The Philips Shaving Survey reveals that 91 percent of the women respondents shared that they dislike men with hard facial skin and get turned on by smooth facial skin.

Conducted by Nielsen March 14 covering 533 males and 502 females in the age group 25 to 30 years in four cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune – the survey also indicates that the health of a man’s skin also impacts how women react to him.

Presence of Japanese first lady at Tokyo Gay Pride applauded

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The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual (LGBT) community of Japan Monday applauded the participation of Akio Abe, wife of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in the Gay Pride celebration in the Japanese capital Sunday.

The Japanese first lady could be seen atop one of the carriages that participated in the parade.

She even uploaded photographs of the event on her Facebook page to the surprise of the participants and her followers on this popular social networking site.

Idea Cellular’s Q4 consolidated net up by 91 percent

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Idea Cellular posted 91 percent jump in the consolidated net profit for the fourth quarter (January-March) of 2013-14 on increased voice call prices, a company statement said here Monday.

The net profit for the fourth quarter stood at Rs.589.8 crore compared to Rs.308.2 crore it posted during the corresponding period in 2012-13.

The consolidated gross revenue of the Aditya Birla group company rose to Rs.7,043.8 crore in the fourth quarter from Rs.6,061.4 crore posted during the corresponding quarter in 2012-13.

Syria ‘still holds 7.5 pc of chemical weapons’: OPCW head

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Syria still holds about 7.5 percent of its 1,300-tonne stockpile at one of its sites, the head of the task force in charge of eliminating the chemical weapons has said.

The comments from Envoy Sigrid Kaag came as Syria appeared to miss a Sunday deadline to remove its arsenal from the country.

Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile is scheduled to be destroyed by 30 June.

According to the BBC, Kaag said that the biggest bulk of the chemical weapons material is removed, but not yet destroyed.

She added that there was still some chemical weapons material at one site.

Congress questions Modi’s no-show at Golden Temple

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BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi took time out to address five rallies across Punjab Friday but could not spare time to offer prayers at the holiest of Sikh shrines, Harmandar Sahib, the Congress said.

Claiming that “Narendra Modi was alien to the idea of India and not at all secular”, Congress candidate from Amritsar Amarinder Singh Monday questioned Modi and the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine on why he skipped going to the Golden Temple complex.

Modi did not go to the Sikh shrine, which is visited by millions annually, during his visit here.

Nicki Minaj wants more acting assignments

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The acting bug has bitten singer Nicki Minaj, who featured in “The Other Woman”, and she wants to do more films.

“It gave me an idea as to what the world would be like being on a set and being on a trailer for hours. And now that I know it’s something I can do, I think I want to expand a role eventually,” contactmusic.com quoted Minaj as saying.

“I am going on auditions and I’m trying to find the right role with the right director and the right writers. I want to be part of something from the beginning stage this time, and I want the role to be custom-made for me,” she added.

Tori hospitalised, McDermott by her side

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Actress Tori Spelling was recently hospitalised for six days for undisclosed reasons and her husband Dean McDermott was by her side, despite their marital problems.

“Dean would arrive by 10 a.m. and didn’t leave until 8 most nights. He seemed very stressed out and worried. He would bring food and often only left Tori to go outside to catch some air or make a phone call,” femalefirst.co.uk. quoted a source as saying.

The 40-year-old was seen heading home from the undisclosed clinic with a pink hospital band on her wrist, Saturday.

Shoaib Akhtar to judge Indian talent on TV show

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Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar Monday shot here for a celebrity special episode of Indian talent reality show “Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega” with Bollywood celebrities Farah Khan and Anu Malik. He was “amazed” at the talent.

“I was very excited and was looking forward to the special episode. I was amazed with the kind of talent I got to see on the platform. The contestants and their performances were mind-blowing,” Akhtar said on the sets of the show.

“It was great fun being part of the show along with Anu Malik and Farah Khan,” he added.

Spears’ ex reunites with her dad at soccer game

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Singer Britney Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline was spotted with her father Jamie watching the ex-couple’s sons play soccer.

The former dancer was seen laughing with his onetime father-in-law Jamie as they cheered on Federline’s and Britney’s sons Sean Preston, 8, and Jayden James, 7, at their soccer game here Sunday, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Neither the singer, nor Federline’s current wife Victoria Prince were seen with them.

With Federline having full legal and physical custody of the boys, he has remained close to Jamie.

Indian expat’s body identified two months after his death

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The body of an Indian expatriate in Oman, who died two months ago following a severe chest pain, has been identified by his friend, media reported Monday.

The repatriation of the body of Vadakkath Appu Rajendran, a native of Thrissur in the south Indian state of Kerala, who died in Oman’s Sohar port city Feb 26 this year, was delayed due to absence of identification documents, the Muscat Daily reported Monday.

Rajendran’s friend Chavakkad Kunhan Suresh, also from Kerala, identified the body and submitted an undertaking in this regard to the Indian embassy.

40 held captive in eastern Ukraine town

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Around 40 people have been held captive in Ukraine’s eastern town of Sloviansk, where pro-Russia protestors seized government buildings, authorities said Monday.

According to Maryna Ostapenko, spokesperson of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the activists who have captured the people, have not put forward any demand to release the hostages, Xinhua reported.

Ostapenko said Russian Special Forces “might be involved” in the kidnapping of European military observers in the eastern city of Sloviansk.

Five killed in house fire in Britain

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At least five people of Asian origin, including three children, were killed in a house fire in Britain’s Sheffield city Monday.

The fire department confirmed that two women and three “young” children died, the Guardian reported.

Shabbina Begum, their 54-year-old grandmother, and Anum Parwaiz Kayani, 20-year-old aunt, died while trying to rescue the trapped children.

The mother of the three children, however, escaped the blaze. The children’s father was on night duty at work when the incident happened.

Police have not yet been able to ascertain the cause of the fire.
(IANS)