Month: May 2014

‘Dream girl’ pitches for Narendra Modi

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Pitching in for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, actress-turned-politician Hema Malini today said the people were fed up with corruption and social evils under Congress rule and looking eagerly for a change.

“People of India are fed up with rampant corruption and prevalence of social evils during Congress rule,” Malini said addressing an election rally here in favour of party candidate Radha Mohan Singh.

Only a strong government under Narendra Modi could rid the country off all these problems, the actress, popularly known as ‘dream girl’, said.

Sania, Cara win first title of season in Portugal

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Sania Mirza and Cara Black won their first title of the season with a hard-fought 6-4 6-3 win over Eva Hrdinova and Valeria Solovyeva in the final of the WTA Portugal Open, here today.

The top seeded Indo-Zimbabwean pair, playing their third finals of the season, was tested by the Czech-Russian team in summit clash, which lasted one hour and 18 minutes.

Before, this Sania and Cara had ended runners-up at Indian Wells in March and at Stuttgart event, last week.

Political blame game over Assam violence erupts

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A political blame game over the Assam violence erupted today with BJP faulting “vote- bank” politics of Congress governments at the Centre and the state and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference holding Narendra Modi responsible.

Against the backdrop of the violence in Bodo areas that left 32 people dead since Thursday, senior Congress leader and Union Minister Kapil Sibal took a swipe at Narendra Modi, saying Modi stands for ‘Model of Dividing India’ and accused BJP leaders of playing the “communal card” to garner votes.

Karat bats for Third Front, dismisses Modi ‘wave’

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CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat Saturday batted forcefully for a non-Congress, non-BJP government at the Centre while discounting any “wave” in favour of BJP leader Narendra Modi.

“The 11 parties that we brought together have not allied with either the Congress or the BJP. Depending on the results of the (Lok Sabha) polls, we will be able to bring them together,” Karat said.

He was speaking at the Indian Women’s Press Corps on Ashoka Road here.

He also said a Third Front government coming to power was “very much a possibility which we will explore post elections.”

Rajasthan Royals players interact with students of Amity University

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The atmosphere at Amity University became lively, exuberant and electrifying when legendary players from Rajasthan Royals Team -Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, accompanied by upcoming stars–Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Stuart Binny and Tim Southee visited Amity’s Gurgaon Campus and interacted with the enthusiastic students. Amity students carrying flags of Rajasthan Royals, bats and balls and fully gripped with IPL fever, cheered aloud when Rahul Dravid entered the university accompanied by his team members-Captain Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Stuart Binny and Tim Southee.

Modi holds Rawat equally responsible for poor management of Uttarakhand floods

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Training his gun at Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday said the former is equally responsible as the then state government for the poor management of the natural disaster which struck Uttarakhand last year. “He (Rawat) is answerable to people as he was the Water Resource Minister in the UPA Government when the state was ravaged by floods. He is also responsible for poor flood management” said Modi while addressing a rally here.

Modi gave more money to Adani than what we invest in MNREGA: Rahul

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi gave away more money to businessman Gautam Adani than what the Congress-led UPA Government invests in the MNREGA scheme in one year. “Modi gave away more money to Adani than what we invest in MNREGA in one year i.e. 30000 crore rupees. We are giving 30000 crore rupees to farmers through MNREGA but he has given 40000 crore rupees to one business,” Rahul said while addressing a public meeting here.

Five killed in Somalia car bomb blast

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Five people, including a former government official, were killed and six others injured after a car bomb went off near a main junction in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, police and witnesses said.

The bomb was planted on the vehicle of Abdi Kafi Hilowle, former secretary of Mogadishu administration. It went off near the main K4 junction, killing Hilowle and two of his bodyguards besides two passers-by, Xinhua reported.

“Abdi Kafi and his bodyguards died as a result of the explosion which occurred apparently within the vehicle of the official” police officer Husen Ali said.

Assam attacks toll rises to 27, PM says it’s cowardly

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The toll in the twin attacks in Assam rose to 27 Saturday. The state government decided to hand over the probe to the NIA while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described it as a “cowardly attempt to spread fear and terror”.

As many as 22 people were arrested in connection with the violence as seven more bodies were recovered Saturday.

Protesting against the attacks, a mob Saturday burnt down two camps of the state forest department in Baksa’s Gobardhana area.

Manmohan Singh said the “attacks are cowardly attempts to spread fear and terror among our citizens”.

Venkaiah Naidu confident of BJP’s victory, slams Congress over scams

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Venkaiah Naidu, exuded confidence in his party as he took a jibe at the Congress for its involvement in scams. Naidu, while addressing a conference in Hyderabad on Saturday trained guns at Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. “We are confident because of the response of the people. This is the first election where result is known before the election. I don”t want to answer Digvijaya Singh; I can”t stoop down to his level,” said Naidu. Naidu said that Modi could provide a strong and stable government.

36.76 mn voters for second phase polls in Andhra Pradesh

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Over 36.76 million voters, half of them women, are eligible to cast their votes in the second phase of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh May 7.

Chief electoral officer (CEO) Bhanwarlal told reporters here Saturday that all arrangements have been made for conducting free and fair elections for 175 assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Seemandhra (residuary state of Andhra Pradesh).

The CEO said 40,708 polling centres were set up for the second phase elections to be held in 13 districts of Seemandhra (four districts of Rayalaseema and nine districts of coastal Andhra).

Better sleep ups survival period of breast cancer patients

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Among the women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, those who sleep efficiently – not necessarily for longer period – are likely to live longer than those who do not get quality sleep, a study indicated.

Sleep efficiency refers to the ratio of time asleep to time spent in bed.

“Good sleep seems to have a strongly protective effect, even with advanced breast cancer,” said Oxana Palesh, an assistant professor at Stanford University.

Indian students win awards in aero-design contest in US

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Engineering students from India have bagged top laurels in an aero-design contest held in the US recently, officials said here Saturday.

Students from Mumbai’s M.H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering won the first prize in the micro class and the fifth in the advanced section at the SAE Aero Design competition held in Fortworth, Texas.

Aamir Khan disappoints Bihar’s Mountain Man’s family

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Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has disappointed the poverty-stricken family of Bihar’s ‘Mountain Man’ Dasrath Manjhi, as neither did he provide financial help to them nor send his team to inquire about their requirements.

Dashrath Manjhi is known for single-handedly cutting through a hill to make a road.

His son Bhagirath is sad and pained after he failed to save his wife Basanti Devi, who died due to lack of medical care last month.

NIA to probe Assam violence, 22 arrested

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The Assam government Saturday decided to hand over the probe into the killing of 27 civilians in the state’s Bodo-majority districts to the NIA, as 22 people were arrested in connection with the violence.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said: “We have decided to hand over the probe to the NIA. Some people are demanding a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe over the violence. But CBI has some limitations.

Azam Khan’s supporters protest against EC

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At least 2,000 supporters of the Samajwadi Party protested here Saturday against the Election Commission for banning party leader Azam Khan from holding public meetings in Uttar Pradesh.

Members of the party’s Delhi unit gathered at Jantar Mantar around 9.30 a.m. and demanded that the poll panel lift the ban.

Azam Khan was banned from addressing public meetings and campaigning for the Samajwadi Party after a series of hate speeches in which he made uncharitable comments about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and spoke about the army on religious lines.

Priyanka doesn’t understand the difference between father and father figure

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharati on Saturday stated that Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra doesn’t understand the difference between a father and a father figure.

“Mrs Vadra doesnt understand difference between father and a father figure, Modi said he is like a father figure not her father,” Uma Bharati said.

People in high stress offices prone to take more sickies

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A new study has revealed that people in in high-stress offices were more likely to need or more off work a year.

The study on more than 7000 people has found those in high-stress offices were more likely to need two weeks or more off work a year and experience symptoms like chest pain, nausea and shortness of breath, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Search for missing MH370 could take a year

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The search for the debris of missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 could take up to a year, according to the official leading the jet hunt.

Angus Houston, speaking in Malaysia, said that he was confident an “effective search” would find the plane, The BBC reports.

Houston said the authorities remain totally committed to finding MH370, but that it could take another eight to 12 months to recover any wreckage.

NASA’s memorabilia including piece of Hindenburg up for grabs

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More than 600 historical NASA artifacts, including a metal piece of the Hindenburg and a manuscript written by one of the Wright brothers, will soon go under the hammer at the seventh Space and Aviation Autograph and Artifact auction.

According to the Verge, other items up for auction include Charles Lindbergh’s autobiography, a signed photo of Amelia Earhart and a rotational hand controller from Apollo 15’s Lunar Module Falcon whose biding will start at 10,000 dollars.

Pak journalist Hamid Mir appears at judicial commission probing attack on him

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Hamid Mir, the Pakistani journalist who was shot last month reportedly appeared at a judicial commission set up to investigate his shooting.

Hamid Mir and his family have accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of orchestrating the attack in which he was shot six times, The BBC reports.

The three-member panel has been conducting hearings behind closed doors in the city of Karachi this week.

Pakistan’s Geo TV reported that Mir came to court in a wheelchair and left after giving a statement.

Sibal condemns Assam violence, tears apart BJP for pursuing communal card

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Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday condemned the violence in Assam’s Kokrajhar District.

“On behalf of the president and vice-president of the Congress Party, I condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence perpetrated where the Muslim community has been targeted. I believe all political parties must stand up and condemn this senseless act of violence,” Sibal said at a press conference.

Sibal also said that the communal atmosphere prevailing acrosss the nation presently, must be creditted to the BJP and Narendra Modi.

‘Camels transmitting deadly MERS virus to men’

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Nasal discharge of camels could transmit the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus to men, alarming research has indicated.

The MERS coronavirus that has already cost more than 100 human lives is currently spreading very rapidly in the Arab world.

The researchers found that viruses from infected humans and Arabian camels from the same geographical region have nearly identical RNA sequences.

Rs.140 crore seized during Andhra polls

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A whopping Rs.140 crore in unaccounted cash has been seized during the ongoing assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh so far, officials said Saturday.

The state accounts for more than 50 percent of the Rs.272 crore seized across the country.

State Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal told reporters here Saturday that the Election Commission was concerned over the growing money power in the elections.

He said the number of flying squads was also increased to keep a close watch on the money and liquor flow.

The police have so far seized five lakh litres of liquor.

Egypt court jails 102 Morsi supporters

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An Egyptian court Saturday sentenced 102 supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to 10 years in prison for violence during protests in July 2013.

The verdict came after nearly 700 supporters of Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, were sentenced to death Monday, which sparkled an international outcry and raised questions over the independence of Egypt’s judicial system.

The Cairo Criminal Court also sentenced two others to seven years in prison for violence during last July’s protests in the Cairo district of al-Daher.