Month: July 2014

AS Monaco FC vice-president Vadim Vasilyev has no intention of letting go of his side’s midfielder James Rodriguez.

“Everyone was surprised that we paid such a large sum a year ago. Now everyone is talking about him, which proves we were right. We strongly believe in this player. He is very important to us. We trust Rodriguez will continue to do great things for us next season,” Vasilyev said, reports EFE.

The 22-year-old Colombian is the top scorer in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil with a tally of six goals from five matches.

Ukrainian troops regained control of the key eastern city of Sloviansk from pro-Russian rebels in what could mark a turning point in the country’s three-month battle to maintain its independence, a media report said.

The city houses one of Ukraine’s largest weapons storage facilities. After falling to the insurgents April 6, it had turned into a stronghold for pro-Russian separatists, the Guardian reported.

Petro Poroshenko, who was elected president in late May after vowing to quickly resolve the crisis, ordered his forces to raise the national flag over the city.

Delhiites experienced a sunny Saturday with the maximum temperature settling down at 38.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season’s average. The Met office has forecast a cloudy Sunday with light rain.

“Sunday will be partly cloudy. Light rain and thundershowers may occur in some parts of the city,” said an India Meteorological Department official.

He further forecast that the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 38 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius respectively.

Ahead of the rail budget, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Saturday urged Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda to sanction more trains for Assam.

In a letter to Gowda, he urged him to introduce a super fast weekly express train between Dibrugarh and Pune, and daily inter-city express trains between Guwahati and Murkongselek, Guwahati and Naharlagun, Rangiya and Naharlagun, Rangiya and Dibrugarh.

Gogoi requested the provision of an alternative railway line stretching from Coochbehar in West Bengal to Assam’s Abhayapuri in the railway budget, to be presented in parliament July 8.

Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai Saturday called upon the country’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) to announce the election result according to schedule.

“As per the timetable, the Election Commission should announce the preliminary result of the election July 7, the final result July 22 and the power transfer inauguration Aug 2,” Ahmadzai told a press conference here.

A 35-year-old businessman was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here for illegally smuggling 1.2 kg of gold from Riyadh, an official said Saturday.

Around half-an-hour after Nazim Ahmed, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Padesh, arrived at the Delhi airport from Riyadh, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel nabbed him while he was delivering the gold to another passenger Friday.

“Nazim Ahmed was under observation as he was roaming at the terminal after arriving from Riyadh,” CISF spokesperson Hemendra Singh told IANS.

Indian-origin British Energy and Climate Change Minister, Baroness Sandip Verma, Saturday emphasised the her country would aid India to develop its renewable energy sector and suggested it replicate British financial models that boost investment in the green sector.

Verma, a member of the House of Lords, said there is “no conflict” in growth and environment protection.

She said India could follow a model like that of Britain’s Green Investment Bank (GIB), a funding organisation working towards the green sector.

GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar, today said that there was every need to develop bus bays in IRC (Indian Road Congress) standards in order to adopt ‘Queuing system’ in APSRTC bus stops in GHMC limits.
The Commissioner held a meeting with Jitender, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic), R. Dhansingh, Engineer in Chief, GHMC, Y. Subramanyam, Advisor, ASCI(Administrative Staff College of India), Kiran, representative from RTC on ‘Bus bay and Queuing system’ in Hyderabad.

Delhi Congress today said it will gherao the Parliament House on Monday – the first day of the budget session – demanding a roll back in the recent rail fare hike and to protest against the BJP-led Central Government’s “failure” to curb soaring price rise of essential commodities and consumable items.

Under the leadership of DPCC President Arvinder Singh, the demonstrators will assemble at 10 AM on Monday at Jantar Mantar before marching toward the Parliament House and launch a “Halla Bol Andolan”, the party said today.

Aam Aadmi Party today asked Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to change a “discriminatory” act that disallows MLAs from spending their funds for development work in group housing societies’ areas here and threatened to launch a city-wide stir if its demand was not met.

Addresing a press conference, AAP MLA Rajesh Garg said there is a rule that MLAs fund cannot be used for the development work and welfare for the people living in group housing society flats, which is a “discriminatory” act of the government.

The body of a college student, chopped to pieces, was found beside the railway track between Duttapukur and Bamongachi stations in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district Saturday, police said Saturday.

The victim’s family and locals alleged that Sourav Chowdhury, missing since Friday night, was killed by miscreants for protesting against anti-social activities in the area. An empty cartridge shell was also found at the spot.

“We have filed a murder case. We are investigating the matter. I can’t say anything more now,” said North 24 Parganas Police Superintendent Tanmay Roy Chowdhury.

Breaking his silence, former Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today rubbished claims of the head of AIIMS’ forensic medicine department that he was pressured to manipulate the autopsy report of Sunanda Pushkar and questioned Sudhir Gupta’s credibility, saying he can “shoot his mouth off anytime against anybody”.

“Can I even think of such a stupid thing? Media knows me, entire country knows what kind of person Ghulam Nabi Azad is…I can’t even think of doing such a criminal thing,” Azad told reporters at Congress headquarters.

In a significant development, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Saturday started “paperless” office in the state government by clearing an IT and electronics department file with a digital signature.

On the occasion, he also used the “e-office” application developed by the National Informatics Centre.

Akhilesh told divisional commissioners and district magistrates to periodically review the progress of this interface with regard to various schemes and projects undertaken by the state government.

A Palestinian teenager, whose abduction and murder sparked three days of violent protests, was burned alive, according to initial post-mortem findings reported by Palestinian media today.

Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, was kidnapped from the Shuafat neighbourhood of Arab east Jerusalem on Wednesday and his burnt body was found hours later in a west Jerusalem forest, in an attack Palestinians believe was carried out by Jewish extremists.

The Minister for Irrigation T Harish Rao on Saturday felt that some political leaders joined the TRS only for achieving Bangaru Telangana.

Speaking to the media here, Harish Rao alleged that the Congress and TDP, which were bitter political rivalries, have colluded in Zilla Parishad elections and it was indication for their downgraded politics. He questioned as to how can the Congress leader Jana Reddy join hands with the A P Chief Minister and TDP president Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who was spewing venom on Telangana.

A 25-year-old man was killed and three others critically injured Saturday when a speeding car first hit a bike and than collided with another vehicle here, police said.

The bike rider was killed on the spot while another person riding pillion was critically injured in the accident in Farukh Nagar town, a police officer said.

Other two injured people, including the driver of the car, were admitted to a hospital here.

The driver of the car was drunk, police said.
(IANS)

Suspected terrorists dressed as armymen stormed a police station in Pakistan and took away weapons, uniforms, wireless sets and other valuables, after beating six policemen and tying them with ropes.

There were only six policemen present at the station when over three dozen men wearing Pakistani army uniforms arrived in Diamer district Friday morning, Dawn news reported Saturday.

They took away 10 guns, three pistols, thousands of rounds, wireless telephone sets, police uniforms and other belongings of the police personnel

With both the RJD and JD(U) decimated by BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, RJD chief Lalu Prasad today indicated at fighting the coming Assembly elections in Bihar with the JD(U).

“If the vote share of both RJD and JD(U) in the recent Parliamentary poll in the state is combined it will go up to 45 per cent which will be enough to defeat BJP,” he said.

Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot Saturday asked state commissioners to be more attentive to people with disabilities in rural areas.

He noted disabilities are more common in Schedules Castes – at 2.45 percent – than in the overall population where it is 2.1 percent.

Colombia midfielder Carlos Sanchez lamented his side’s elimination from the World Cup following the 1-2 loss to Brazil in the quarterfinals, but noted that they are leaving with their heads held high.

The 28-year-old said that his teammates are leaving with sadness but they are proud of their performance they delivered Friday at the Castelao Stadium here, reports EFE.

France striker Karim Benzema said that he is still young and can play the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after his country’s 0-1 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2014 edition here Friday.

The 26-year-old regretted his side’s elimination but expressed happiness on qualifying for the quarters. He added that the temperature here was very high which affected the players, reports EFE.

Germany advanced to the semi-finals after winning at the iconic Maracana Stadium and will take on hosts Brazil for a place in the final.
(IANS/EFE)

Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo admitted that his team failed at the FIFA World Cup after losing to Brazil in a penalty shootout during the Round of 16 June 28.

“We have to keep growing. We know we have not achieved anything. We have failed in this World Cup,” the new FC Barcelona player said, reports EFE.

Bravo added that his teammates felt obliged to reward Chile with the next Copa America title in 2015 to be hosted in Chile.

Justice Nasirul Mulk will take oath Sunday as the chief justice of Pakistan.

President Mamnoon Hussain will administer the oath at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president’s house, Geo News reported Saturday.

The 64-year-old, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, will succeed Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, who had taken over last December from chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Justice Mulk will serve till Aug 16, 2015.
(IANS)

To help save fuel and ease traffic woes, three enterprising students from Meerut have designed a three-floor bus, which they claim if put to use by the government will help the environment at large.

Sachin Ghaj, a 24-year-old student from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut along with two friends – Prashant Kumar and Sandeep Choudhary – has designed the bus.

Named Ghaj, the height of the bus is the same as that of the common bus used for public transportation.

According to a poll, Brazilian fans see forward Fred as the Selecao’s worst player while rating Neymar Jr. as the best.

The poll, conducted by Datafolha Institute, was published by daily Folha de Sao Paulo Friday, reports EFE.

It showed that 21 percent of football fans in Brazil consider the Fluminense forward as the worst Brazilian player in the tournament, closely followed by Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder Hulk with nine percent, winger Dani Alves at six percent, midfielder Paulinho with four, and Real Madrid defender Marcelo at three.