Month: June 2014

At least three people were killed and five others injured in Pakistan Sunday when unidentified gunmen opened fire at their vehicle, officials said.

Unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire at the passenger vehicle carrying the victims in Maroi area of Hangu, a district in the country’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Xinhua reported citing police officials.

Police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to hospital, where all the injured were reportedly in stable condition.

A jihadist group in Syria has publicly executed and crucified nine men, eight of them rebels fighting both President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the jihadists, a monitor said today.

The report comes amid fierce clashes on the outskirts of Damascus between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,
which is spearheading a major offencive in Iraq, and rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

“ISIL executed eight men in Deir Hafer in the east of Aleppo province” yesterday because they belonged to rebel

Innumerable melodramatic family dramas and romantic sagas are currently dominating the small screen and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is hoping to break the clutter with his finite series “Yudh”. He says if the medium allows “good” tales, he’s ready to make more for it.

“Yudh”, due to go on air in July on Sony Entertainment Television, marks the entry of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan into the fiction space on TV – a medium whose face he changed when he first stepped in as the host of “Kaun Banega Crorepati” in 2000.

Actor Boman Irani, who played professor Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Virus) in the 2009 hit film “3 Idiots”, says the movie is “a favourite” in places like Hong Kong.

He stayed at Hong Kong’s Ritz Carlton hotel for a few days and was pleased to meet some of the fans of the Rajkumar Hirani-directorial.

“The housekeeping staff of the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong. Fans of 3 Idiots. A favourite in these parts. Bless you Raju,” Boman tweeted.

The movie, which released in India Dec 23, 2009, was a blockbuster. It also featured Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan and Kareena Kapoor.

Noted actress Sarika says though the portrayal of women in films is changing, there is a need for a strong and and honest presentation of them on screen.

“Portrayal of women on screen is changing but it is not as much as I would like to see it. Strong and honest
portrayals of women need to be increased. One should stop looking at women for relationship purpose (on screen), she is a person and can do lot of things,” Sarika told PTI.

The actress is making her small screen debut opposite megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the much awaited TV show ‘Yudh’.

Socialite Kim Kardashian says her baby daughter North became the victim of a racial attack while on a plane last month.

The reality TV star’s one-year-old daughter, who she has with husband Kanye West, was allegedly screamed at by a woman while travelling in the business class, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Goa’s leading women rights group has called Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar “arrogant and insensitive towards women” after he publicly suggested that entrepreneurs starting an industrial unit suffered an ordeal worse than that experienced by a raped woman.

Sabina Martins, convenor of the Bailancho Saad, Goa’s most active women’s group, told IANS Sunday that comments made by Parrikar Friday night in his speech at the annual general body meeting of the Goa State Industries Association was an insult to all women.

The UGC Sunday said students admitted in B.Tech course during the 2013-14 academic year will continue to pursue the four-year course they enrolled for.

The announcement came as a relief for nearly 2,500 students in the various B.Tech courses, even as Delhi University rolled back its four-year undergraduate programme following instructions from the University Grants Commission.

The UGC Sunday said students admitted in Delhi University’s B.Tech course during the 2013-14 academic year will continue to pursue the four-year course they enrolled for.

Contrary to the popular belief that violent video games turn people aggressive, a new study suggests playing them may actually lead to increased moral sensitivity and pro-social behaviour in real life.

New evidence suggests heinous behaviour played out in a virtual environment can lead to players’ increased sensitivity towards the moral codes they violated.

“Rather than leading players to become less moral, this research suggests that violent video-game play may actually

Singer Beyonce Knowles and husband-rapper Jay Z will reportedly “lead separate lives” while touring.

The couple, whose marriage is said to be in trouble, recently began their joint ‘On the Run’ concert series but they are said to be only seeing one another on stage, as they travel separately and stay in different hotel rooms, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“They might be sharing a stage, but while on tour they’ll live practically separate lives,” said a source.

Singer Lana Del Rey says she is busy with her music career, but would like to hit the road on a bike.

While discussing the casting of bikers in her video for “Ride”, she explained their importance, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“The reason why bikers and biker culture is so important to me is that we have the same principle in mind, freedom and staying free. For them, that means being on two wheels on the road, which is why that’s a recurring motif for me,” she said.

Actor Shia LaBeouf has been banned from a restaurant here after he was allegedly caught urinating on the wall outside last month.

The troubled actor, who has sparked fears over his mental health in recent months, could face a life-time ban from The Local Peasant, after the manager witnessed him urinating in the car park during his four-hour visit to the eatery, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“The manager followed Shia to the parking lot, where he saw the actor peeing on the wall … Shia profusely apologised in an odd rant,” said a source.

Pakistan-based LeT and its front group JuD, enjoying backing of the military, have not only grown far stronger since the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, but are also trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction, in addition to developing air and sea power, a new book says.

It is known that the JuD has been acquiring sea and air power. However, what is less known is that it is also trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMD),” US-based Pakistani author Arif Jamal writes in his book titled ‘Calls for Transnational Jihad: Lashkar-e-Taiba 1985-2014’.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan`s wife Gauri today refused to answer questions about her family`s driver being arrested for allegedly raping a minor maid.

The 43-year-old producer-interior designer along with her son Aryan and daughter Suhana, was in the capital to inaugurate a bakery shop `The Brown Box` of her cousin Priyanka Tiwari.

This was Gauri`s first public appearance since the case came to light.

Dwarakapeeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand stirred up another controversy on Sunday after he said that Sai Baba was a Muslim and used to refrain from taking a dip in the river Ganga.

Swami Swaroopanand added that Sai Baba used to call himself a Muslim and asked people to keep him away from Ganga river.

He questioned the disciples of Sai Baba as to why they bathe in the holy river with his idol when he used to call himself a Muslim.

This is not the first time that Swaroopanand had made controversial statement.

GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar has strictly directed the hoteliers not to keep their Haleem Batties on the top floors keeping in view of tragic incident occurred at City Light Hotel last year which took 18 precious lives.

India has no opinion on the Jan 5 general election in Bangladesh which the Awami League won amid criticism by the West, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said.

“We cannot give any opinion on the election. Only people of Bangladesh can decide their political future,” the minister told Bengali daily Prothom Alo in an interview published Sunday.

“Our policy towards Bangladesh is future-driven. We frame policies considering issues those are important for India-Bangladesh ties,” she said.

India’s Saina Nehwal became the first non-Chinese shuttler to win a women’s singles Super Series title in 2014 after clinching the Australian Badminton Open at the State Sports Centre here Sunday.

The Olympic bronze medallist defeated Spain’s Carolina Marin 21-18, 21-11 in 43 minutes to win her first Super Series crown in 20 months, after coming out on top in the Denmark Open in October 2012.

The $750,000 tournament in Australia was the eighth Super Series tournament this year. The previous seven have all been taken by the top Chinese shuttlers.

Batting great Rahul Dravid will join the Indian team in an advisory role to prepare for the tour of England. He will be with the team till the start of the first Test July 9.

“Rahul Dravid, former India captain, has accepted a request from the Indian team management, to support and advise the team in its preparatory stages of the tour of England, given his vast experience and knowledge of the game,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement Sunday.

“He will be with the team till the beginning of the first Test.”

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each to the kin of Telugu workers who were killed in a building collapse in Chennnai.

Naidu, who reviewed the building collapse incident with officials here, has asked state minister K Mrinalini to rush to the site of the accident in Chennai and supervise the rescue and relief operations, a TDP release said here.

Many of victims of the tragedy are said to be natives of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh.

Mrinalini, Minister for Housing, hails from the district.

The death toll in the GAIL pipeline blast at Nagaram village of East Godavari increased to 19 with one more person succumbing to severe burn injuries which he suffered on June 27.

Kasu Chinna, 20, succumbed to the burn injuries while undergoing treatment at Kakinada Hospital on Sunday morning. Earlier on Saturday, two other persons including a baby girl had succumbed to the burn injuries which they suffered in the blast. (INN)

Saudi King Abdullah today sharply criticised religious extremists, vowing not to let “a handful of terrorists… Terrify Muslims”, in a speech marking the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Islam is “religion of unity, fraternity and mutual support” but some people “lured in by false calls… Are confusing reform with terrorism”, the monarch said, in comments carried by state news agency SPA.

“Their goal is to sow discord among Muslims,” he said in an apparent reference to insurgents from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

A young woman has been burnt to death by her suitor after she rejected his marriage proposal in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The incident took place in Toba Tek Singh district when the suspect visited the residence of the victim with his marriage proposal, according to the girl’s family members.

The proposal was turned down by the girl and it enraged the suspect who lit her on fire after sprinkling petrol on her, the family members were quoted as saying by Dawn.

The girl was shifted to a local hospital in critical condition where she succumbed to her wounds during treatment.

Muslims in much of Asia began celebrating the holy month of Ramadan today, but in Indonesia even threats by hardliners to raid “sinful” bars could not stop football fans heading to nightspots to watch the World Cup.

Across the Muslim world, the faithful fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious during the holy month, which ends with the Eid holiday.

Ramadan got under way in Asian countries including Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population at around 225 million people, war-torn Afghanistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

As street fashion becomes more mainstream, one trend that’s likely to be seen on an increasing number of well-dressed men is bare ankles.

A recent wave of new designers have brought the sockless look to even tailored clothing.

Hey, don’t get us wrong, we love socks -short, long, coloured, striped – all kinds. Wearing them has lot of advantages, too. However, there is something mature about going sockless.

Going sockless is no an easy feat. It’s an art, something that is practiced and perfected over time.