Month: August 2014

Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who recently joined Liverpool for 16 million pounds, has posted a picture on Instagram that shows his face photoshopped onto an iconic picture of The Beatles. However, instead of John, Paul, George and Ringo the photo displayed his Balotelli in all their faces. Balotelli watched from the stands as his new side crashed to a 3-1 defeat to his former club Manchester City on Monday and he could make his debut for Brendan Rodgers” side on Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, The Daily Star reported.

In a significant development, senior TDP leader and former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao here on Friday.

Tummala was accompanied with TDP MLC Balaneni Laxminarayana. The meeting assumes significance in view of reports that he is likely to join the TRS in the first week of September. According to sources, Tummala may join the TRS on September 5.

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive David Richardson received detailed updates in Wellington and Melbourne this week regarding next year”s Cricket World Cup and has expressed his satisfaction with preparations for the tournament. The briefings and presentations took place in the two host cities from August 25 to 27, and followed venue inspections in which the ICC and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) assessed the 14 tournament stadia and discussed a wide variety of logistical and operational matters with the local authorities.

A court here Friday sent East Bengal Football Club official Debabrata Sarkar, arrested by the CBI for his alleged complicity in the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam, to judicial custody after the agency did not seek extension of his remand.

Presented before the court after the expiry of his custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Sarkar was remanded to judicial custody till Sep 10 after the CBI refused to seek extension of his remand.

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the death of a 26-year-old Indian-origin technician in Singapore’s Pandan Loop area, police said Friday.

Murugaiya Suresh Kumar was found dead at an industrial estate Saturday with injuries to his head and neck, The Strait Times reported.

He was an employee of Poly NDT which does testing and inspections of parts such as ship hulls.

Earlier on Wednesday, Indian national Thiruppathi Veerapperumal was charged with the murder of Kumar.

Anyone convicted of murder faces the death penalty in Singapore.
(IANS)

India”s greatest woman badminton player Saina Nehwal and China”s Olympic champion Li Xuerui have reportedly become embroiled in a sharp exchange of words before their quarterfinal clash at the world championships on Friday. After beating Japan”s Sayaka Takahashi 14-21, 21-18, 21-12 in the third round on Thursday, Nehwal said that entry regulations should be changed to help reduce China”s monopoly of titles.

In the aftermath of the dual air tragedies and subsequent losses in recent months, Malaysia Airlines has decided to cut 6,000 staff as part of its recovery plan.

The airlines will reduce its workforce by nearly 30 percent and will completely become state-owned with a new chief executive in place, the BBC reports.

The move comes amid continuing losses suffered by Malaysia Airlines in the second half of the year.

The airlines had earlier issued a statement saying it had witnessed “a sharp decline” in weekly bookings.

A local court today granted permission to the police to take Ranjeet Singh Kohli alias Rakilbul Hussain in remand for three days in connection with an FIR filed by his wife Tara Shahdeo, who accused him of deceit, exploitation and torture among others allegations.

The police had yesterday moved a petition seeking remand for 14 days after Chief Judicial Magistrate Niraj Kumar sent Kohli to judicial remand.

Claimed to be a national-level rifle shooter, Tara Shahdeo also accused Kohli of forcing her to keep secret the fact of her coming to know of her husband’s faith in Islam.

Social activist Medha Patkar Friday said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee must “stop” changes in the land acquisition act, slated to be brought in by the Narendra Modi-led central government.

Ahead of her meeting with Banerjee during the day, the leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) said she will bring up this matter during the discussion.

Patkar said: “We think she should stop the changes that are going to happen in the Land Acquistion, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

A 70-year-old man and his 40-year-old son committed suicide here due to loneliness and a feeling of being cut off from society.

The police said they found the bodies of Gurpal Singh Dhillon, a retired officer of a public sector bank in Delhi and his only son Sumit Kumar Singh Dhillon in their rented flat at Kalyani Apartments in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, Friday morning.

Gurpal’s wife had died years ago while Sumit could not get a job as he was mentally unstable. Gurpal used to cook the food and feed Sumit.

Sector commanders of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistani Rangers have begun flag meeting here today.

The flag meeting is being held a day after the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to request the Indian government to resume talks with Pakistan.

Since July 16, there have been over 30 ceasefire violations by Pakistan at both the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border. (ANI)

Syria’s civil war has sparked off a series of internal wars between the various stakeholders for the very essence of the global jihad movement, a report said.

Islamist militants who stepped up to help the Free Syrian Army in toppling President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have now ended up fighting not just Assad but the rebels too, reported Fox News.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has promised to introduce a new policy for the real estate sector to ensure single-window clearances for all the reality projects in the State.

Israeli Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon, met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Friday to discuss the implementation of the anti-terrorism agreement between the two countries, which was signed earlier this year.

“We discussed issues of mutual concern and about our common values and challenges. We also discussed how we could implement the anti-terrorism agreement, which was signed a few months back,” he said.

Carmon also discussed the terror concerns in the world through groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao offered puja at the city’s tallest 60-feet Ganesh idol at Khairtabad here on Friday.

This is the first Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations after the formation of Telangana State and KCR had earlier directed the officials to ensure grand celebrations of the festival. Earlier on Friday, Govenror ESL Narasimha too had offered pooja at the Khairtabad Ganesh idol. (INN)

The Sept 11 memorial plaza will be open on the night of the attacks’ anniversary this year, marking the first time the general public will be able to visit ground zero on the commemoration date.

The plaza will be closed to the public during the remembrance ceremony and much of the rest of the day, but it will open from 6 pm to midnight for those who want to pay respects and view one of the most evocative observances the twin beams called the Tribute in Light from an especially “meaningful vantage point,” memorial President Joe Daniels said in an email yesterday to victims’ families.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Hepatullah Friday clarified that she used the word ‘Hindi’ to describe all citizens of the country and not ‘Hindu’ that a media report quoted her as saying.

Her comments came on the day a media report quoted her saying that “there is nothing wrong with the term Hindu being applied equally for all citizens as a label of national identity”.

Versatile actor Paresh Rawal, who will soon start shooting for a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, says he is the right choice to play the role of the politician.

“I am confident about the film and no one else can play Narendra Modi other than me. He is in a different league altogether and I am more than excited to play the role. I am not allowed to talk much about the film but, yes, I will start shooting soon for this film,” said Paresh.

The Justice (retd.) Mukul Mudgal Committee, probing allegations of spot-fixing and betting against 13 people, including some cricketers, in the Indian Premier League 2013 and inaction by Indian cricket board president N. Srinivasan, Friday submitted its report to the Supreme Court.

In May, the apex court asked Justice Mudgal to inquire into the allegations that it had earlier submitted to it (court) in a sealed cover, naming 13 people – including some cricketers who had played in IPL 2013 – for the irregularities and had alleged inaction by Srinivasan.

(DR. GHALIB AL MASHOOR) “Media One”, Malayalam Television Channel, made a live interview with Dr. Ghalib Al-Mashoor, the President of Indo-Kuwait Friendship Society in the night of 26TH Aug. 2014, coinciding with Ceasefire declared in Ghaza, suggested that India can play an active Peace mediation role between Israel & Palestinians if both parties really want a permanent peace solution.

Singer Mariah Carey and her estranged husband Nick Cannon were spotted sans their wedding rings.

On Tuesday, the singer was seen at a restaurant here without her wedding ring. She was accompanied by her three-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe, reports people.com.

“They seemed happy and like they were having a good time,” said a source.

Meanwhile, Cannon hosted Tuesday night’s “America’s Got Talent” without his wedding ring on.

The two married in 2008 and recently shared the news of their separation.
(IANS)

India has taken up with the Kuwaiti authorities the arrest of 25 Indian workers in that country for allegedly killing two Egyptians, an external affairs ministry official said here Friday.

“India’s mission has taken up problems with the Kuwaiti authorities. Will provide necessary consular assistance (to those arrested). All need to abide by local laws,” the ministry’s spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said in a tweet.

“Consular officer (has also) visited camp of Indian workers in Kuwait (to) allay their fears. The mission also in touch with management to ensure safety,” Akbaruddin added.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Friday laid the foundation stone of a planetarium at Shoghi on the outskirts of Shimla to be constructed at the cost of Rs.11 crore, an official said here.

The planetarium will comprise a remote sensing centre which would help study glaciers and rivers, a government spokesperson told IANS.

It would also have a science museum, a biodiversity park and laboratories.

He said this would be one among a few planetariums in the country where the visitors would be able to get themselves acquainted with the planetary system.
(IANS)

In moves that could provide a breakthrough in the political crisis, Pakistan’s powerful Army today stepped in to try and resolve the standoff between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and protesters as both sides returned to the negotiating table.

Hours after Army Chief Raheel Sharif mediated between the embattled government and protesters headed by Imran Khan and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, the two sides were trading charges on who was responsible for the intervention.

The annual Ganesh festival began on a grand scale across Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana as well as Andhra Pradesh today.

As many as one lakh Ganesh idols ranging from 3 feet to 60 feet were installed across Greater Hyderabad limits (that comprise parts of the neighbouring districts of Medak, Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda), Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi General Secretary Bhagavanth Rao told PTI.

The Hyderabad City Police made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peaceful conduct of the festival.