Month: April 2014

Don’t need a 56-inch chest to run country: Priyanka to Modi

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Taking a dig at Narendra Modi, Priyanka Gandhi today said a 56-inch chest is not needed to run the country but a “big heart” and “moral strength”.

The Congress star campaigner was taking a jibe at BJP Prime Ministerial candidate’s 56-inch chest remark during a rally in Gorakhpur recently.

“A 56-inch chest is not needed to run this country, a big heart is needed to run it. To run this country cruel force of power is not needed, but moral strength is needed. It needs an internal strength,” Priyanka said while addressing a meeting here.

‘Love hormone’ bonds animals like humans: Study

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And you thought you had a patent on ‘love hormone’ when it comes to showing affection! Dogs too have oxytocin and release it in a good quantity when in love or looking for bonding.

In fact, experts were shocked by the levels of oxytocin released in animals.

Referred to as a ‘bonding’ hormone, oxytocin plays an important role in the neuroanatomy of intimacy, specifically in sexual reproduction, in particular during and after childbirth.

Mumbai Indians manage 125/6 against Delhi Daredevils

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The Mumbai Indians put up a total of 125/6 in 20 overs in their Indian Premier League clash against the Delhi Daredevils at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium here Sunday.

West Indian Kieron Pollard was the top scorer for the Mumbai Indians with his unbeaten knock of 33. Daredevils’ pacer Jaydev Unadkat clinched two wickets.
(IANS)

Iraq’s general elections scheduled for April 30

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Iraq is all set to go to polls April 30 amid threats from Al Qaeda linked militants to disrupt the elections, a media report said Sunday.

The members of the Iraqi security forces will cast their votes Monday in order to be free to guard polling stations on the election day, Press TV reported.

The last general elections were held March 7, 2010, which resulted in the partial victory of the Iraqi National Movement, led by former Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. It won a total of 91 seats, making it the largest alliance in the council.

Reese Witherspoon plans to open retail store

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Actress Reese Witherspoon has named her lifestyle company Draper James and plans to open a retail store next year.

Draper James will include bed and bath products, lingerie, handbags, kitchenware, fragrance and cosmetics, furniture, swimwear, pens, pencils, stationery and even plastic storage containers, reports eonline.com.

An official description of Draper James reads: “This multi-channel lifestyle brand founded by Reese Witherspoon will emphasise her southern roots and personal style. The first store will open in 2015.”
(IANS)

Ramsay’s favourite combo: Rockford Reserve with Delhi’s kebabs

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Scotland’s John Ramsay, a name to reckon with in the world of whisky, says that fine whisky will continue to be popular among Indians. He feels that Rockford Reserve can be best enjoyed with a variety of ‘kebabs’ available in the Indian capital.

Ramsay, who created Rockford Reserve in 2012 for the Indian palate, is hopeful about the alcohol’s popularity in the country.

Rahul is funnier than comedian Kapil Sharma: Modi

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Ridiculing Rahul Gandhi’s allegations against him, Narendra Modi today said his remarks were comical and the Congress leader could soon force stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma to “shut his shop”.

Modi, who was addressing a public meeting in favour of firebrand BJP leader Uma Bharti, also targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his comments on the ‘Modi wave’ in the country, saying that the PM had also failed to see corruption in his government and only the “mother-son duo” were visible to him, in a reference to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul.

Kevin Spacey joins Deepika in ‘Lungi dance’

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Hollywood actor-director-producer Kevin Spacey was the show stealer at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards – he danced on the stage to “Lungi dance” number with Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone.

The occasion was the IIFA Awards night Saturday when the show’s hosts Farhan Akhtar and Shahid Kapoor requested Kevin to shake a leg to the Bollywood number. He happily obliged them.

I will always make music: Mariah Carey

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Singer Mariah Carey, who released her debut album in 1990, says she has no plans to retire.

The “Hero” hitmaker explained her previous comments about her next album being her “last”.

“I will always make music. When I said it could be my last, that’s because tomorrow’s not promised to anyone,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Carey as saying.

She also revealed that she wants her next album to be a “body of work” instead of a few hit singles.
(IANS)

Braid in vogue

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Glam braids, popularised by singer Selena Gomez, are being frequently seen on the red carpets this season and now you can get them too by following just four steps.

Celebrity hairstylist Marissa Marino explains how to do stylish braid in four easy steps, reports eonline.com:

* Start off by parting your hair in a zigzag pattern. Once you have parted the hair into two sections, begin braiding one section into a braid or a fishtail depending on your preference. Repeat with the other section of hair.

Gurgaon doctor sent to custody for raping sister

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A 33-year-old doctor was Sunday sent to 14 days judicial custody on charges of raping his younger sister for over eight years, police said.

Rajesh Kumar, a doctor at a hospital here, was arrested Saturday for raping his younger sister since she was a Class 12 student.

He was Sunday presented before the court of duty magistrate Joginder Singh, who sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, police told IANS.

The woman, who is now an information officer at a central government office in Delhi, is now 27.

This time Modi regime, say Indians in Tampa Bay

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“Ab ki baar Modi sarkar (this time, Modi regime)”, said the Indians gathered here to snatch a glimpse of their favourite Bollywood stars and enjoy their performances at the IIFA green carpet.

Covering the 15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards at Tampa Bay, Florida, an IANS journalist spoke to some of the Indians present at the ceremony Saturday.

Most of the expatriates said they keep a close tab on the Indian politics and feel it’s time for a change and that Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi should be the next prime minister.

Road safety is of little concern in this election (Election Special)

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In a country that records the highest number of deaths from road accidents, road safety surprisingly figures nowhere on the agenda of political parties fighting this election.

Apart from the Congress, which has promised a “strong-willed political commitment” to reduce road fatalities by 50 percent in the next five years, no other major party has even touched on the issue. A BJP official however said that the party would deal with the problem if it came to power.

Jaitley rubbishes Third Front option

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BJP leader Arun Jaitley Sunday dismissed the probability of a Third Front government after the Lok Sabha election, calling its constituents “merchants of instability”.

“Those who toy with the idea of a Third Front with Congress support are only reviving an idea which has repeatedly failed. Such non-ideological combinations formed purely for convenience can never deliver governance,” Jaitley said in his blog.

‘2 States’ continues to be favourite of audiences

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Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer “2 States” is in its second week and it has raked in about Rs.70 crore at the domestic box office. Close on its heels is “Revolver Rani”, which came out this weekend.

“Samrat & Co.” and Subhash Ghai’s “Kaanchi” haven’t struck the right chord yet.

According to sources, “2 States”, which released April 18, has earned Rs.69.83 crore net in the country.

Based on a bestseller by author Chetan Bhagat, it is directed by first-timer Abhishek Varman.

Pune host Dempo in their last I-League clash

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Pune FC will be eager to end their campaign on a high when they host Dempo SC in an I-League Round 26 encounter at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex here Monday.

The season’s final game will be crucial for seventh-placed Pune (29 points) as a win against sixth-placed Dempo (32) will see them move up a place and maintain the club’s history of finishing in the top half of the standings.

Having dominated head-to-head against the five-time champions, Pune will look to maintain the prevailing record of six wins, two losses and three draws.

14 injured in explosion near Farooq Abdullah’s rally

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Fourteen people were injured Sunday in an explosion near the venue of an election rally to be addressed by ruling National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. This was the second such explosion during the day to disrupt the Srinagar Lok Sabha candidate’s rally.

Abdullah was scheduled to address the rally in Magam town of central Badgam district, 30 km from Srinagar.

“Fourteen people were injured in the explosion. Of them, 10 have been taken to hospital,” a police official said, adding that they were investigating the explosion.

‘Indiana Pacers need to build consistency’

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NBA All-Star forward Paul George had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Indiana Pacers in their victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

“I’m tired. But at this point whatever the coach needs me to do, I’ll do,” said George, who played all 24 minutes in the second half Saturday, reports Xinhua.

The Pacers were 2-2 even with the eighth-seeded Hawks in the playoffs first round after they beat the Hawks 91-88.

“This game could have gotten away from us and we’d be down 1-3. It’s going to be a long series. This team is not going away. We just have to build some consistency,” said George.
(IANS)

John XXIII and John Paul II declared saints

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Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were canonised by Pope Francis Sunday in Vatican City, the country’s official news network News.VA said.

A huge crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square and surrounding vantage points to see a historic ceremony.

Pope Francis read the formal proclamation at a canonisation mass which was also attended by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Francis’ predecessor.

Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were canonised by Pope Francis Sunday in the Vatican City, the country’s official news network News.VA said.

IIFA 2014: ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ sweeps the honours

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It was “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” all the way at the 15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s directorial venture bagged the maximum top honours including best picture and best director as well as the best actor award for Farhan Akhtar.

Deepika Padukone won the best actress trophy for playing a Tamil girl in “Chennai Express” and the actress, who gave back-to-back four hits last year, also walked away with the best entertainer of the year award.

Proscribed SIMI may be again regrouping, says police

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With the arrest of top Indian Mujahideen operatives, including Pakistani bomb-making expert Waqas, Delhi Police and intelligence agencies suspect the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) may be again regrouping to launch its operations to gather funds for terror acts.

The interrogation of Waqas, or Zia-ur-Rehman, who was arrested in March from Ajmer, gave police the first hint that the SIMI may be planning to regroup and strike roots in different parts of India, including the national capital, top police sources told IANS.

Bravo, Maddinson, Coulter-Nile to miss rest of IPL

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Dwayne Bravo, Nic Maddinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile will no longer be able to participate in the ongoing seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as all three are nursing injuries.

The IPL Technical Committee Sunday approved the replacement of these three players. Chennai Super Kings’s Bravo is out with a shoulder problem, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Maddinson is injured while Delhi Daredevils’ Coulter-Nile is suffering from a hamstring problem.

Nepal president helps clean up Bagmati river

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Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav was among the thousands who Sunday took part in an event here to mark 50 weeks of cleaning the Bagmati river that joins the Ganges in India.

More than 1,000 people, including those from the Nepal Army and police, took part in the programme in front of the Guheshwari temple as well as at other spots including near the Pashupatinath Temple.

President Yadav offered prayers and performed religious rites, said a statement from the Haridwar-based Gayatri Parivar group.

Indian professor found dead in Oman

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An Indian national has been found dead at his residence on a university campus in Oman.

Hisham Abdul-Khader, 57, who worked as an associate professor in the chemistry department of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Muscat, was found Friday.

“His body was found in his room. We came to know about the tragedy late Friday night around 22.30 p.m. He was staying alone,” Times Of Oman quoted a person close to the professor as saying Saturday.

The professor went for an evening stroll Friday before his death, a witness said.

Indian delegates leave for ITTF Congress

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A four-member delegation of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) led by its president Prabhat C. Chaturvedi will attend the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Congress to be held at Tokyo during the World Championships between April 28 and May 5.

The other members of the delegation include TTFI secretary general Dhanraj Choudhary, vice-presidents Chiranjib Choudhary and Arun Kumar Banerjee. The delegates left for Tokyo in the early hours of Sunday.