Month: April 2014

Election sweeteners: NaMo, RaGa, Didi sandesh in Bengal (Election Special)

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The surcharged political atmosphere in West Bengal is getting a sweet edge in a hotly contested election. Sweet makers here are cashing in on the election frenzy by creating sweet delicacies named after party symbols and leaders.

The Congress’ hand, or the Trinamool Congress’ ‘Jora Ghas Phul’ (“twin flowers in grass”) or the BJP’s lotus, the quintessential Bengali sandesh, now comes in all party hues.

Called the ‘Nirbachoni Mishti’ or the poll sweets, they are a rage with party workers and the common man alike.

Development economist laments India’s poor economic growth

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Development economist Jean Dreze Tuesday expressed concern over India’s tardy economic growth, which lagged behind neighbours like Nepal and Bangladesh in vital sectors.

Dreze was delivering the ninth I.G. Khan Memorial Lecture on “Hunger and the Indian Enigma” at the Kennedy Auditorium of Aligarh Muslim University.

Referring to the economic growth in south Asia, he said India lagged behind its neighbours “in education, health and food and availability of medicine to the people despite the country’s economic viability in terms of GDP growth”.

Aligarh students extract bio-diesel from used mustard oil

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A group of engineering students from Aligarh Muslim University have succeeded in extracting bio-diesel from refined and used mustard oil, university officials said Tuesday.

Third-year students of the Diploma in Engineering at the AMU Polytechnic designed a bio-diesel extraction plant as part of the recently developed Alternative Fuel and Combustion Engineering Lab, said M. Yunus Khan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Trial in rape case against BSP MP to begin April 4

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A court here Tuesday fixed April 4 to begin recording of evidence in a case against BSP MP Dhananjay Singh, accused for allegedly raping a woman over nearly four years.

The commencement of the trial was scheduled Tuesday but Additional Sessions Judge Sarita Birbal fixed it for Friday.

Dhananjay Singh, member from from Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur, had been charge sheeted Jan 31 for allegedly repeatedly raping a 42-year-old married railway employee between July 2005 and March 2009.

Musharraf seeks lifting of travel ban on him

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Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, indicted on treason charges, has asked the government to lift travel ban on him so that he can go abroad for treatment and meet his ailing mother.

In a hurriedly called press conference last evening, Musharraf’s new counsel Farogh Naseem said an application has been filed with the Interior Ministry asking it to remove the name of the 70-year-old former president from the Exit Control List (ECL).

“There has been no movement on it yet,” Naseem told PTI when asked about the status of the application.

Uddhav’s claim “joke of the year”: Pawar

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NCP chief Sharad Pawar today trashed Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s claim that he blocked his entry into the NDA, dubbing it the “joke of the year” made out of “frustration”.

“I will say this is the joke of the year,” Pawar retorted sharply, reacting to Uddhav’s assertion that the NCP boss and Union minister had sent feelers to him to join the Opposition alliance.

SpiceJet launches Re.1 promotional airfare scheme

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Budget carrier SpiceJet Tuesday launched another promotional fare scheme offering fares starting at Re.1 excluding taxes, for travel starting July 1 onwards.

According to the airline, the promotional scheme has been launched to introduce the low cost carrier’s (LCC) new network of flights which came into effect from March 30.

The new plan comes after SpiceJet launched three discount scheme that led other airlines to offer similar promotional fares. The airline said that under its new fare scheme tickets can be booked April 1-3 for the travel period starting July 1 onwards.

US couple has three lottery hits in one month

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That’s what hitting the jackpot means. A couple in the US state of Virginia has won top prizes in the state’s lottery three times in just one month, the media reported.

Calvin and Zatera Spencer of Portsmouth won two $1 million prizes and a $50,000 within the space of four weeks, The Independent reported Tuesday.

On March 12, the couple won $1 million in the Powerball drawing, matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball number.

Nepal will be ‘Hindu state’ if Modi takes power: VHP

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Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal Tuesday said that Nepal will turn into a Hindu state if Narendra Modi becomes India’s prime minister.

“He (Modi) is set to come (to) power in India,” Singhal told a gathering of Hindus in the eastern Nepali city of Biratnagar.

Once Modi assumes office, it will not take much time to see Nepal as a Hindu state, he said.

Nepal was the world’s only Hindu state until 2008 but was declared secular once the Maoists ousted the monarchy.

Russia cancels discount on gas supplies to Ukraine

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Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said Tuesday it has cancelled discounts on natural gas supplies to Ukraine.

“In the second quarter of 2014, price of gas supplied to Ukraine will be $385.5 (for 1,000 cubic metres),” Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said.

Miller noted that Gazprom would not any more apply the discount agreed with Kiev last December, Xinhua reported.

“Discount has been cancelled due to Ukrainian side’s non-fulfilment of its debt obligations and non-payments in full for the current supplies, which further increases the debt,” he said.

Lime, the must have colour 2014

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Lime is one colour that has taken over the high street fashion this summer. From apparel to accessories, one can easily take a pick from the varied options available in the market, but be careful while flaunting the bold hue.

French actress Olga Kurylenko looked beautiful wearing a Christian Dior sleeveless swing dress to the premiere of her new film, “Vampire Academy”, recently.

Her simple, loose-fit dress, looked beautiful against her skintone. She kept the look simple pairing it with a diamond bangle, stud earrings and a pair of black pumps, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Japanese cosmetic brand Za launched in India

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Shiseido, a 142-year-old international cosmetic brand, launched ‘Za’ in the Indian beauty market under its wholly-owned subsidiary Shiseido India Private Limited.

Shiseido, which has footprints in over 89 countries, will float “Za” in the Indian market this month. The brand will be available in 250 doors by the end of 2014 in Mumbai, the National Capital Region and Bangalore.

Za boasts innovative and advanced skincare and makeup line-up that is designed especially for the 20-35 year old urban women who desire sophisticated and fashionable beauty.

US readies welcome mat, visa for India’s new leader

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The US is getting the welcome mat out for whoever may be India’s new prime minister, including the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Narendra Modi, as the law automatically entitles a head of government to a US visa.

“We will work with whoever the people of India decide should lead their country,” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters Monday as a Congressional Research Service memo advised law makers regarding visa policy for Modi.

Himachal power plant has record output

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Hydro-electric power generation at the 1,500-MW Nathpa-Jhakri project in Himachal Pradesh touched a record 7,193 million units in the last financial year, the company said Tuesday.

It was 579 million units more than the power station’s designed capacity, R.P. Singh, chairman and managing director of Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (SJVNL), the company that owns and operates the plant, said in a statement.

The generation capacity of the plant located in the Kinnaur district is 6,612 million units.

AAP faces trouble in UP

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has run into plenty of problems in Uttar Pradesh.

Twelve hours after it sprang a surprise by naming actor Javed Jaaferi as its Lok Sabha candidate from Lucknow, murmurs of dissent are getting louder even in the loyalist camp.

Vaibhav Maheshwari, the state spokesman for the party, admits that he is clueless how Jaaferi’s name cropped up.

But he denies charges that the candidature is aimed at dividing the Muslim vote in the state capital to make the going easy for BJP president Rajnath Singh.

Six Taliban leaders killed in Afghanistan

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Six Taliban leaders and a suicide bomber were killed in a blast in Afghanistan Tuesday, an official said.

“Six Taliban commanders and a would-be suicide bomber were killed when a suicide jacket went off prematurely in Shash Qala area of the Charkh district Tuesday,” the Afghan intelligence agency said in a statement.

Police found and seized more than 2,000 kg of explosive materials in Taluqan city, capital of the northern Takhar province, overnight, police spokesman Abdul Khalil Asir told Xinhua earlier in the day.

HC stays ASCI order against airing of ‘Internet baby’ ad

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Delhi High Court today stayed operation of the Advertising Standards Council of India’s order that asked Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd not to air after April 7 an advertisement which the company claims to depict the speed of its Internet service.

Justice Manmohan stayed ASCI’s March 24, 2014 decision holding the advertisement’s contents as “gross and indecent” and “offensive especially to women” and asked SSTL to not broadcast it after April 7, 2014.

The court also issued notice to the Centre and ASCI, seeking their replies by August 12, the next date of hearing.

More than 150,000 killed in Syria conflict: NGO

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More than 150,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011, a monitoring group said in a new toll released today.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented the deaths of 150,344 people, 51,212 of them civilians, including nearly 7,985 children.

The group said 37,781 members of the armed opposition had been killed in the fighting, including jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

A total of 58,480 regime forces, including more than 35,000 soldiers had also been killed.

Mortar attack kills five in Syria

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At least five people were killed and 26 injured Tuesday when mortar shells struck the Syrian city of Aleppo, media reported.

The mortars were fired by “terrorists” on the Nile and Mokambo streets in Aleppo city, which has been battered by intense battles between the government troops and the armed militants. Some of the wounded are in critical condition, Xinhua reported citing SANA news agency.

Sonakshi should campaign for Shotgun: BJP workers

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With former actor and BJP candidate Shatrughan Sinha facing a four-cornered contest for the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat, party workers and supporters say it will be great if his daughter, Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha, campaigns for him.

“Unlike last time, it is not going to be a cakewalk for Shatrughan. He should invite his daughter Sonakshi to campaign for him. Her star power will help him tide over the odds against him in the polls,” said Bharatiya Janata Party worker Rupesh Kumar.

MH370 cockpit-ATC talk shows nothing abnormal: Malaysia

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The Malaysian government Tuesday released the 64-minute transcript of communications between the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and the air traffic controller (ATC) and said it revealed nothing “abnormal”.

Acting Transport Minister Hishammudin Hussein said in a statement Tuesday that the transcript has been shared with the families of all the 239 people on-board the Beijing-bound flight that went missing March 8 and was later declared “lost”, The Star reported.

“There is no indication of anything abnormal in the transcript,” said Hishammuddin.

MGAT signs contract with British Airways

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MAS GMR Aero Technic Limited (MGAT), a 50-50 joint venture between Malaysian Aerospace Engineering SdnBhd (MAE) and GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), has forayed into aircraft line maintenance business by signing first contract with the British Airways.

MGAT, a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here, will provide the line maintenance technician support to the British Airways for their new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Get ready for second freedom struggle: Anna Hazare

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The freedom as envisioned by the martyrs has not yet been achieved and the people should get ready to fight a second freedom struggle, social activist Anna Hazare said here Tuesday.

The present political system was interested only in personal ambitions and favouring industrialists and corporates, neglecting the common men and peasants, said Hazare while addressing a gathering here.

China ex-general charged with corruption

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China has charged a former deputy logistics chief of the People’s Liberation Army with corruption as part of its massive drive to clean up the military, the media reported Tuesday.

China’s military procuratorate or prosecutor’s office Monday charged Lieutenant General Gu Junshan with embezzlement, bribery, misuse of state funds and abuse of power, South China Morning Post reported.

He is the highest ranking officer to stand trial in a military court on such charges since Vice Admiral Wang Shouye in 2006, who received a suspended death sentence for embezzlement.

Seven Indian American students win pretigious scholarship

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Seven Indian American college students have been awarded the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship that would fund their educational expenses in the coming years, a media report said Tuesday.

Of the over 1,660 students who applied for the award this year, 283 were selected, making this one of the most competitive years for the award, American Bazaar online reported Tuesday.