Month: July 2014

Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari Sunday denied media reports that a “listening device” was found inside his residence here.

“Reports in a section of the media about listening devices having been found at my New Delhi residence are highly speculative,” Gadkari tweeted.

A close aide of the minister too denied the report, but did not give any details.

Deputy Commissioner of Police S.B.S. Tyagi too said police have not received any complaint from Gadkari in the matter.

At least 38 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in 24 hours of fierce fighting between the Libyan army and Islamists in the eastern city of Benghazi, officials said today.

A military source said the clashes broke out yesterday when Islamist groups launched an assault on the headquarters
of a special forces unit near the city centre, causing casualties among forces defending their barracks.

Benghazi’s main hospital said the bodies of 28 soldiers had been taken there in the past 24 hours, along with 50

Egypt’s army said today it has destroyed 13 more tunnels connecting the Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip, taking to 1,639 the overall number it has laid waste to.

Cairo has poured troops into the peninsula to counter a rising insurgency since the ouster of Islamist president
Mohamed Morsi last year, and its security operation involves the destruction of these tunnels.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is the main power in Gaza, reportedly uses the tunnels to smuggle arms,
food and money into the blockaded coastal enclave.

An uneasy calm prevailed today in violence-hit Saharanpur where 38 people were arrested as a political blame game erupted with BJP accusing Samajwadi Party of indulging in “vote-bank politics” and Congress blasting the UP government for “lapses”.

Curfew and shoot-at-sight orders remained in force for the second day in the wake of clashes between two communities over a land dispute with some indulging in arson.

“38 persons have been arrested in connection with the incidents of violence,” Saharanpur District Magistrate Sandhya Tiwari told reporters.

Holding Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav responsible for Saharanpur riots, BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain today said their lust for power and poor law and order situation were reasons behind the riots.

“Akhilesh Yadav’s government deliberately indulges in disturbing communal harmony in Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family are dividing the state at a time when the law and order situation is in very bad shape there,” Hussain, BJP national spokesperson, told media persons at the state BJP headquarters here.

A parliamentary panel in Nepal Sunday asked the government to sign as soon as possible a “Power Trade Agreement” (PTA) with India under which New Delhi has proposed 100 percent Indian investment or joint ventures with Indian entities in the Himalayan country’s power sector.

Both sides held marathon negotiations during the weekend visit here of India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to firm up a deal.

A doctor and a paramedic have been arrested after an eight-month pregnant woman was allegedly wrongly administered medicine for abortion at a prominent private hospital here, leading to the death of her unborn child.

We have immediately registered a case and arrested the doctor, whose negligent act has caused this,” SP, South Jammu, Rahul Malik said.

He said a Female Multi Purpose Health Worker (FMPHW) was also arrested in the case.

The woman, a resident of Dongi Brahmana in Rajouri district, had come to the hospital for a routine medical
examination, her husband said.

England were 78/1 at lunch on the first day of the third cricket Test against India at the AGS Bowl here Sunday.

Opener Sam Robson (26) was the only batsman to get out after the hosts elected to bat. Captain Alastair Cook (48 not out) and Gary Ballance (4 not out) were at the crease when lunch was called.

India pacer Mohammed Shami took the lone wicket to fall in the first session.

A 38-year-old woman was in critical condition Sunday after she jumped from a flyover here in an attempt to commit suicide, police said.

Basanti fractured her legs after plunging from the Peera Garhi flyover in west Delhi, apparently because of family issues.

“She was rushed to the Maharaja Agrasen hospital where she is in critical condition,” a police official said.

“Initial inquiry reveals she was depressed over the behaviour of her family members,” said the official. Basanti lived in Najafgarh, also in west Delhi.

On a day Haryana got a new governor in Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda went ahead and administered the oath of office to new commissioners of the state information commission and the Right to Service commission.

Former bureaucrat and Hooda confidant Shiv Raman Gaur and Rekha, wife of Hooda’s political advisor Varinder, were administered the oath of office by Hooda at his official residence here.

The oath ceremony was done hurriedly just after Bharatiya Janata Party leader Solanki was sworn-in as Haryana governor.

Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar, who made his Bollywood debut in 2010 with “Tere Bin Laden”, will now direct a short film.

He tweeted his photograph Sunday with a caption: “At my set as director.”

Ali Abbas Zafar, who directed the actor in 2011 for “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan”, replied to his tweet saying: “@AliZafarsays All the best now there will be even more confusion about you and me as “Directors”. Inshallah you will make a kick ass film.”

The “Sun re sajaniya” hitmaker thanked him and said: “@aliabbaszafar haha. Thx buddy. This one is a short film.”

Palestinian militant group Hamas Sunday accepted a UN-proposed truce for 24 hours as Israel resumed its offensive earlier in the day, after a temporary truce came to an end.

The ongoing fighting between the Hamas movement and the Israeli army in Gaza, now in its 20th day, has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Palestinians, Xinhua reported.

Defence Expert Uday Bhaskar on Sunday said that incidents of Chinese incursion into India territory will continue unless there is a clear demarcation of border between India and China.

“As an analyst, I have come to one conclusion that such incidents will continue. Unless you have a line, there would be this kind of testing each other’s presence,” said Bhaskar.

Former minister and Greater Hyderabad Congress president Danam Nagender faced severe criticism for the party’s dismal performance in the city during the recent Assembly elections.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants today staged a protest at Mukherjee Nagar area of New Delhi.

The protesters not only went on fast but also threatened to hold a semi nude protest and also to burn their admit cards.

“We are planning to do a semi nude protest so that we can show the government that the person who is willing to become a good official now wants to get down to this level to fight for his demands. We want to send a message to them that they should definitely fulfill our demands as soon as possible,” said a UPSC aspirant Arvind Kumar.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was committed to normalisation of relations with India on the basis of mutual interest and respect, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit has said.

Basit was speaking at the Jama Masjid which he visited at the invitation of Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari for ‘Iftar’ Saturday evening, a release said here Sunday.

Addressing the congregation after the prayers, he conveyed to Indian Muslims felicitations on behalf of the people of Pakistan and wished them Eid greetings in advance.

The 46 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army along with special group of Jammu and Kashmir police, recovered war like stores from a militant hideout from the forests here in the state today.

The recoveries are one AK 47, two pistols, three UBGL grenades ,19 RPG ,13 detonators and 5kgs of IED and others .

This is a major recovery in Baramulla district after a long time. Later the explosives were destroyed in a nearby forest area. (ANI)

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Gaurav Bhatia, on Sunday attacked the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for what he alleged ‘ behaving irresponsibly’ in Uttar Pradesh and gave a veiled warning about the state government getting tough to deal with those leaders who incite violence.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain said here on Sunday that the next Chief Minister (CM) of Bihar will be from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“There is no doubt that the next CM of Bihar will be from the BJP,” said Shahnawaz Hussain while addressing a press conference in Patna, his first ever in the city after Lok Sabha elections 2014.

Asserting that the Narendra Modi government has done commendable work since it assumed office two months ago, union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu Sunday said it was trying to put the country’s economy back on rails.

He told reporters here that the economy was derailed during the UPA’s rule and that the Modi government is trying to put it back on rails. He also blamed the previous government for leaving behind a huge debt.

IT major Wipro plans to expand its operations in coastal city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh with an investment of Rs.500 crore.

Wipro chairman Azim Premji Sunday met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and discussed the expansion plans.

Information Technology Minister P. Raghunath Reddy said that the Wipro chairman sought approval to develop a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Naidu agreed to the request.

The SEZ will come up on three acres of land. The facility comprising five lakh square feet will create an employment of 6,400 over next five years

Finally, in the talk show Ek Mulaqat of DD News, Salman Khan did not shy away from accepting that may be he will never marry in his life.

The actor reportedly also said that he has no interest in politics; neither does he wish to direct movies but will continue acting.

It was in the same talk show in the year 2010, Deepika Padukone considered Salman is the real ‘Lafanga’ though he has many good qualities that can be inspiration for others.

Ingredients

125 gm butter

75 gm grated jaggery

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

250 gm chopped seeded dates

1 beaten egg

200 gm crumbled biscuits

Pared rind 2 oranges

50 gm melted chocolate

4 scoops ice cream

Mint sprigs

Orange segments

Method

Melt butter in a pan.

Stir in sugar. Add dates. Cook for five minutes stirring continuously.

Remove from flame and beat in egg, followed by biscuits. Shape into a roll.

Wrap in foil and chill overnight. Blanch orange rind in boiling water for fifteen seconds.

Ingredients

1 medium onion chopped to a paste

1 1/2 tsp garlic paste

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

25 gm butter

1/2 tsp oregano (optional)

1/2 kg skinned, de-seeded & chopped tomatoes

2 Tbsp fresh, soft bread crumbs

125 ml milk

2 Tbsp softened butter

4 Tbsp chopped parsley / coriander

2 finely chopped, deseeded green chillies (Optional)

1 egg

1/2 kg lean minced meat (Keema)

To coat:

Seasoned flour

1 tsp oil

1 Tbsp butter

Method

For the tomato sauce:

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan should designate a member of the Lower House of Parliament as Leader of the Opposition even if “there is no clear applicable rule”, feels one of her predecessors Somnath Chatterjee.

“That will also put an end to the fact that Indian Parliament does not have an LoP, which will weaken democratic system we have adopted,” the former Speaker, who presided over the 14th Lok Sabha from 2004-2009, told PTI today.