Month: April 2014

How can people trust Modi, asks Pawar

by

Launching a blistering attack on BJP Prime ministerial candidate, NCP chief and Union Minister Sharad Pawar today sought to know how could people trust Narendra Modi, who did not even meet the family of a Congress MP who was allegedly burnt near the Gujarat capital.

“When Modi was Chief Minister, a Congress MP was burnt 20 kms away from state capital but this CM did not even bother to meet the bereaved family. How can such a person assure well-being of the country?” Pawar said.

Gold worth Rs 1.5 crore seized from Hyd airport

by

Customs sleuths today seized gold worth Rs 1.5 crore from three women passengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad here.

The passengers, all belonging to Hyderabad brought 5.154 kgs of gold from Singapore valued at Rs 1.5 crores in the form of thick gold strips (waist belts) by a flight this morning, Customs officials said.

More US elderly writing ‘living wills’ ahead of death

by

In a new trend, more elderly people in the US are completing ‘living wills’ to guide end-of-life medical treatments – up from 47 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2010, shows research.

“However, even with nearly double the number of people completing advance wills, there was little difference in hospitalisation rates or deaths in the hospital,” said researchers from University of Michigan and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

My aim is to defeat Modi in Varanasi: Kejriwal

by

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal today expressed confidence of defeating Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming elections, saying that he had not chosen a ‘safe’ seat since his main objective was to beat the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate.

Training his guns at BJP and Congress, Kejriwal said, “I am contesting from Varanasi as I want to defeat Modi and Kumar Vishwas will defeat Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. We have not chosen safe seats to win and reach Parliament.”

NIA, Delhi Police custody battle of top IM operatives

by

A tug of war was today witnessed in a Delhi court between the National Investigation Agency and the Special Cell of Delhi Police for seeking the custody of top Indian Mujahideen operatives Tehseen Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas.

The special cell sought 15 days police custody of Akhtar alias Monu, Waqas and three other suspected IM operatives in connection with an illegal arms factory case but NIA countered their submissions, saying they need to take custody of Akhtar and Waqas in the 2013 Hyderabad’s Dilsukhnagar blasts case.

Chile orders evacuation as 8.2-magnitude quake kills 5

by

A powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit Chile’s Pacific coast, killing at least five people as tsunami waves of more than two metres lashed the shore.

Panicked residents poured into the streets after the authorities ordered them to flee to higher ground, while President Michelle Bachelet declared parts of northern Chile hit by the offshore quake to be disaster zones.

“The street lights were busted, people ran terrified. After the earthquake there were several aftershocks,” Veronica Castillo told AFP from Arica, 1,000 miles north of the Chilean capital Santiago.

Comments should not be seen as endorsement of any party: Varun

by

Caught up in a piquant situation for praising the work done by his cousin Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, BJP leader Varun Gandhi today said that his comments should not be seen as an endorsement of any political party or candidate.

“It should NOT be seen as an endorsement of any political party or candidate,” he tweeted, after praising the work done by self help groups in Amethi to ameliorate the lot of women.

AI to soon conclude lease of five Airbus A-320 planes

by

Air India, which has issued a tender for 12 Airbus A-320s, would soon conclude the lease of five of these aircraft, which would be in an all-economy configuration, airline sources said today.

The national carrier’s capacity is expected to grow by 9.2 per cent with the addition of six more Boeing 787 Dreamliners to the fleet, they said. As of February this year, the airline has 13 Dreamliners in its fleet out of a total order of 27.

‘Parties unwilling to include tobacco control in manifestos’

by

Medico-legal experts here have cried foul over the absence of intent betrayed by political parties in their manifestos for the Lok Sabha polls, when it comes to tackling the perils of tobacco use.

The irony, experts say, is that while the manifestos make bombastic promises such as focus on preventive rather than curative measures, health security for all and health for all families/habitations, no party has come forward to address the critical issue.

World War II period bomb explodes killing seven

by

At least seven people were killed and 19 others injured when a World War II period bomb exploded at a scrap metal warehouse in Thailand’s capital Bangkok Wednesday.

The bomb, weighing 225 kg, went off after a worker at a scrap metal warehouse in the Bang Khen district tried to cut it open without realising that it was still active, The Nation reported.

“The workers at the warehouse thought the bomb was no longer active so they used a metal cutter to cut into it causing the explosion,” Virasak Foythong, a police officer, was quoted as saying.

Simple make-up tips to enhance your look

by

Colourful outfits teamed up with light and simple make-up makes for a perfect spring look. Follow an easy do-it-yourself routine to put your best foot forward, suggests an expert.

Here’s a tutorial from Navyata Malkani of Fashion on my Own (FOMO) for a spring-summer make-up:

* Start off by washing your face with a gentle face wash and dabbing it dry.

* Next, apply some face primer all over your face which will help your make up stay for long in the warm spring-summer days.

An app to test your eyes anywhere on earth

by

In a ground-breaking innovation that could help prevent blindness in millions across the world, scientists have developed an app that allows eye tests anywhere.

Aptly named ‘pocket optician’, the app allows a person without any training to carry out eye tests.

All that one needs to do is download the Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek), developed by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on your smart phone.

To test the vision, the app shows letters of decreasing size.

It also shines light into the eye and takes pictures of the retina.

NGO demands tobacco-free polling booths

by

Poll authorities in Goa should emulate Jammu and Kashmir and Bihar and ban smoking in polling booths in the state, an anti-tobacco group demanded Wednesday.

“It is requested that all election booths be declared tobacco free zones, by installing anti-smoking signboards – both inside as well as outside the booths,” Shekhar Salkar, general secretary of the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), said in a memorandum to the Goa chief electoral officer.

Reliance gas: SC withdraws Australian judge as arbitrator

by

The Supreme Court Wednesday withdrew the appointment of former Australian judge James Jacob Spigelman as a presiding arbitrator in disputes between Reliance Industries and the centre over the shortfall in gas production in the KG basin and its consequential implications.
Justice Spigelman’s appointment was withdrawn after senior counsel Dushyant Dave pointed out to Justice S.S. Nijjar that the Australian’s name topped the preferred list of arbitrators submitted by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries.

Etihad Airways now to fly to Jaipur

by

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Wednesday commenced daily operations between Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, and Abu Dhabi.

“The addition of the Jaipur service reinforces Etihad Airways’ commitment to the Indian subcontinent,” Craig Thomas, Etihad Airways’ regional general manager for Asia-Pacific North and the Indian subcontinent, said in a statement.

“We are confident that the new flights will continue the strong passenger growth between India and the UAE,” he added.

WW II bomb explodes in Bangkok, kills 7

by

At least seven people were killed and 19 others injured today when workers at a scrap shop here in the Thai capital accidentally detonated a 227-kg World War II bomb, police said.

Workers at the shop tried to cut the bomb open believing that it has been defused when the blast ripped them off.

Five of the workers died on the spot while several others were admitted to hospital.

The blast brought down the building housing the scrap shop and damaged dozen of homes within a 500-metre radius, The Bangkok Post reported.

Body parts were found as far as 200 metres from the scene.

Salman, Lata, Asha to campaign for Disco King Bappi?

by

Thanks to the star-spangled nominations by top political parties, West Bengal is set to witness a Bollywood extravaganza during the election campaign.

Famed music composer Bappi Lahiri, contesting the Lok Sabha polls on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, is likely to bring in Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and melody queens Lata Mangeshkar or Asha Bhosle while canvassing for votes.

The “Disco King” had expressed a desire to turn his constituency – Sreerampur in Hooghly district – into a tourism hub. Now, the area will also get a chance to up its glamour quotient.

IPL tickets for UAE-leg go on sale Thursday

by

Sales of tickets for the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL), that will be held April 16-June 1, will start Thursday and these have been priced in the range of 20-50 dirhams depending on the venue.

While online sale through iplt20.com and ticketmaster.ae starts Thursday, tickets will also be available at selected Lulu Hypermarkets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, from Sunday. Stadium box-office sales will start from April 10. The UAE leg of the IPL will witness 20 matches and will end April 30.

Retro fashion turns trendy this summer

by

Be ready to make some noise with retro fashion as the trend is back with a bang this summer, says designer Anuradha Ramam suggesting that one can experiment with unique blend of drapes and cuts.

From retro skirts, Penelope skirts, to short dresses and quirky palazzos, there is plenty to chose from.

“This summer you will love to flaunt your sunny side in a retro way. Wear a printed and colourful skirt embroidered with silk and Kutch work in evening or adorn yourself with a pop coloured Ganji for a beach side rendezvous in Goa,” said Ramam in a statement.

Escaped Meghalaya militant re-arrested

by

A top leader of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) who escaped nine months ago from a Meghalaya hospital has been re-arrested in Kolkata, police said here Wednesday.

Phyrnai Swer alias Pastor, a former Meghalaya police constable-turned-lieutenant of the HNLC, was captured by the anti-terrorism squad of the Kolkata police, a police official said.

Swer’s associate Nanda Kishore Thakur has been detained by the Kolkata police for helping in providing shelter to the escaped rebel.

Keep rural volunteers out of electioneering: EC tells Odisha

by

Taking strong note of the allegations that the services of Bharat Nirman Volunteers are being misused in Odisha, the Election Commission Wednesday directed the state government to keep them out of the electioneering.

“Some political parties informed us that the services of the Bharat Nirman Volunteers are being misused. The commission directs that these volunteers will not be used in any election activities,” Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi, one of the Election Commissioners, told reporters here.

Magician P.C.Sorcar gets anticipatory bail

by

Magician P.C. Sorcar Jr., BJP’s candidate from West Bengal’s Barasat, Wedneday got anticipatory bail after a police complaint was filed against him for making derogatory comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sorcar Wednesday surrendered before court and sought an anticipatory bail a day after the North 24-Parganas district magistate, who also doubles up as the district election officer, lodged a first imnformation report (FIR) against him following a directive from the Election Commission.

The court granted Sorcar bail against a bond of Rs.3,000.

My son saved my life: David Dhawan

by

Director David Dhawan teamed up with his actor son Varun for the first time in “Main Tera Hero” and gets sentimental about the filial bonding.

He says that the film has not only strengthened their bonding, Varun also saved his life during the Bangkok shoot.

“Directing Varun has brought us closer together. During a schedule in Bangkok when I took ill, I could feel Varun’s panic,” said the director informing that it was a reaction to medicines that almost killed him in Bangkok.

Katrina can never be offended: David Dhawan

by

A supposedly funny line in David Dhawan’s “Main Tera Hero” where Raju Kher takes a dig at Katrina Kaif’s lack of command over the Hindi language had the affable director being confronted with lots of righteous protest.

The director says the actress will take the “bantering quip” sportingly.

“It is just an off-the-cuff remark, a bantering quip in the film, and Katrina is a girl I’ve known for many years. In fact, she did her first big film ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?’ with Salman Khan and me. She can never be offended with what I do. She knows it’s all in fun,” said Dhawan.

16 live cartridges found near Taj Hotel in Mumbai

by

Sixteen live cartridges were today found in a lane near the Taj Mahal Hotel in south Mumbai.

The bullets, belonging to a licensed 0.32 bore revolver, were found this afternoon by a patrolling team inside a hole in the lane used for public parking, Additional Police Commissioner (South) Krishna Prakash said.

However, the pedestrians claimed a woman spotted the shells and alerted the police.

Colaba Police has seized the bullets and further investigations are on.