Month: July 2014

Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket after the end of the Test series against South Africa and Pakistan in August.

The 37-year-old Jayawardene retired from World Twenty20 after Sri Lanka won the title in April this year. He will continue playing ODI cricket.

Jayawardene, in a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief executive officer Ashley De Silva, stated that he would like to retire from Test cricket after the forthcoming Test series against South Africa and Pakistan.

With the proposed integrated steel plant by JSW in West Bengal yet to take off, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday threatened to utilise the over 4,000 acres land given to it for other industrial project.

“The project has to materialise as early as possible. If the factory doesn’t come up on time, then we will not keep the land idle, and will use it for other industrial units,” she said after a meeting with various district officials in West Midnapore.

Key players involved in talks on Iran”s nuclear programme have warned of there being big gaps between Iran and the world powers over the latter’s nuclear capabilities. According to the BBC, the warning comes with only a week left to strike a deal. Arriving in Vienna for the talks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said significant differences between Iran and the world powers remain. This view was also echoed by France and the UK. An Iranian envoy also said it was not clear if major gaps could be bridged.

Pakistani school girl Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban, met with some parents of the over 200 girls abducted in northern Nigeria on Sunday. The Pakistani activist, who is fighting for girls” education rights, met separately with leaders of the BringBackOurGirls campaign group and about 15 parents of the abducted girls, along with five of the girls who escaped from their abductors. According to News24, the meeting took place in Nigerian capital Abuja.

The Lok Sabha Monday passed a bill to amend the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act, paving the way for appointment of former panel chairman Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid a walkout by the Congress, CPI-M, RJD and AAP members.

However, the Trinamool Congress, which had earlier opposed the bill, supported it on the floor of the house.

Government today sought to put the onus on the previous UPA regime for the controversy over destroying of 11,100 Home Ministry files saying the process of identifying them was done by it between August 2012 and May 2013, when the Congress-led coalition was in power.

Amid controversy over destruction of files relating to Home Ministry, the Government assured the Rajya Sabha that it will not allow tampering or destruction of any link with the country’s glorious history and allayed fears of members that BJP-led NDA government was trying to destroy continuity of India’s history.

Controversial legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi was honoured by a Jeddah-based Indian community organisation for his contribution to the country’s Muslims, media reported.

Bazm-e-Ittihad, an Indian welfare organisation in Saudi Arabia’s coastal city of Jeddah, at a function presided over by its president Ahmad Uddin Owaisi feted the Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-e-Ittihadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi for his service to Indian Muslims, particularly to the Hyderabadi community, the Saudi Gazette reported Sunday.

The following are the ICC Test team rankings released Monday:

1 Australia 123 points
2 South Africa 123
3 Pakistan 103
4 India 102
5 England 100
6 Sri Lanka 96
7 New Zealand 93
8 West Indies 74
9 Zimbabwe 40
10 Bangladesh 21

–IANS

The father of the Dec 16 Delhi gang-rape victim Monday said he was not happy with the Supreme Court’s decision to suspend the death sentence of two of the convicts.

“I am not happy with the decision of the Supreme Court to issue a stay order on the high court’s decision to give death sentence to two of those gang-rape convicts,” the victim’s father told IANS.

The Supreme Court today stayed till further orders the execution of death penalty of two of the four convicts in the December 16 gangrape and murder case.

A bench of justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and N V Ramana said since the death sentence of other convicts have already been suspended by this court, the same order has to be passed.

It stayed the execution of Vinay Sharma (21) and Akshay Thakur (29), who were convicted along with other two– Mukesh (27) and Pawan Gupta (20)– whose death sentence has already been stayed.

26/11 terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on Monday said that the uproar in the Indian Parliament over his informal meeting with senior journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik, shows the narrow mindedness and extremism that prevails among Indian politicians.

“We meet everyone with an open heart, whoever wants to meet; regardless of nation, belief or religion. Sadly, so called ‘Secular’ India is unable to bear an informal meeting of her journalist, Vaidik; another example of Indian narrow mindedness,” tweeted Saeed.

Thirteen States and Union Territories have implemented a model bill to regulate and control development and management of ground water, the Rajya Sabha was told today.

In a reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Santosh Kumar Gangwar said, the Ministry of Water Resources has circulated a Model Bill to all the States and Union Territories for regulating and control development and management of ground water.

The Andhra Pradesh Government is preparing to sell nearly 4,000 tonnes of precious red sanders which was confiscated from smugglers on different occasions.

Forest Minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy told media persons here on Monday that the Centre has given nod for the sale of confiscated red sanders and global tenders would be called for the same.

Stating that nearly 8,500 tonnes of seized red sanders was readily available for sale, he said lack of legal sales route was leading to smuggling in the international market.

Deputy CLP leader in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammad Ali Shabbir on Monday questioned the seriousness of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on the Polavaram Project issue.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in a message on the occasion of the 105th Birth Anniversary of late Smt Durgabai Deshmukh, falling on 15th July, remembered the ‘Mother of Social Service’.

The Chief Minister said Durgabai was not only a courageous freedom fighter, commendable administrator, committed educationist, feminist, active social reformer and a parliamentarian but also a multifaceted personality who stood as a legend among women in her life time.

The works on the much awaited MMTS ( Multi Modal Transport System) phase -II project in the twin cities will commence very soon in this month itself. The joint venture partners, who have been awarded this prestigious project, have deposited the requisite Performance Guarantee amount with M/s Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) a few days back. With this, decks have been cleared to launch the field works on this project.

Having answered his critics with a match-saving 78, Stuart Binny expressed his pride and happiness on getting India out of a sticky situation in his debut Test.

“I was a bit disappointed with the way it went in the first innings. I did the hard work for the first 10-15 minutes – which is the most crucial phase for a batsman – and then played a loose shot to get out. So today I just wanted to go in there and spend as much time in the middle as I could,” Binny told bcci.Tv at the end of the match.

“Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein. Those who are ill or traveling may substitute the same number of other days. Allah wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations, and to glorify Allah for guiding you, and to express your appreciation.”
(Qur’an: 2:185)

“.. Allah wishes for you convenience, not hardship…”

Keys Hotels, a mid-market brand of New York-based proprietary fund, Berggruen Holdings, is antagonistically stepping up expansion in the country with plans to possess 100 hotels by 2018, up from 36 at present, as part of its growth strategy in Asia’s third largest economy.

A few days back, it took over the management of Ras Resorts in Silvassa, toting up 85 more rooms to its inventory of 1,500 rooms.
MD & CEO Sanjay Sethi of ‘Keys’ too owns a significant equity stake, has been active in India since 2007.

At the time of Telangana statehood movement ‘Jobs for unemployed youth’ was the most-shouted slogan. With the formation of Telangana state and the elation surrounding it quieten down, a number of educated youngsters now wait hopefully for recruitment notifications.

The inordinate delay displayed by the then AP Public Service Commission (APPSC) in issuing notifications and filling up vacancies left many government job aspirants disheartened.

The government and the Congress sparred over the TRAI (Amendment) Bill which was passed by Lok Sabha today, with Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu saying that Congress was countering it only for the sake of opposition and former minister Shashi Tharoor maintaining there were issues of principle involved.

“The Congress party is opposing for the sake of opposing,” Naidu said, adding that the Prime Minister has the right to appoint his Principal Secretary.

Ruling National Conference today condemned the alleged atrocities and “war-crimes” being committed by Israeli forces in Gaza and asked the Muslim world to put up a united face to stop Israeli aggression in Palestine.

“National Conference has condemned in the strongest of terms the atrocities and war-crimes being committed by Israeli forces in Gaza and has expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine,” party’s provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani said at a meeting held here to express solidarity with innocent victims of violence and bloodshed in Palestine.

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma today said that there was a possibility of mid-term polls taking place in Uttar Pradesh as the BJP after its massive win in the Lok Sabha elections was “trying to destabilise” the Akhilesh Yadav government.

“Mid term polls are possible in Uttar Pradesh… government getting such a mandate in the past have done the same and it could be possible this time round too,” he said.

The constant power clash between AP and Telangana is all set to be discussed at a high-powered meeting scheduled to be taken up in New Delhi on Monday. The meeting will be presiding over by the chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Neerja Mathur.

According to CEA sources, officials of power utilities from both the states, including those from all the generation companies, discoms and transmission companies of the two states.

Apart from this, officials of power ministries of both the states are expected to participate in the meeting to be headed by the CEA chairperson.

Telangana set to slash tax on jet fuel to 4%; move to make H’bad attractive as a base for airlines
In order to make Hyderabad an aviation hub, Telangana government is slashing taxes on airline fuel – a step that is expected to lure airlines into moving a bulk of their operations to the city.

The value-added tax currently stands at 16% on jet fuel and slashing it to 4% will make Telangana among the few Indian states to do so. States that reduced tax on jet fuel include Orissa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.