Month: October 2014

Aditya Thackeray, the Shiv Sena’s youth wing leader, Friday hit out at the BJP for “back-stabbing” the party, saying that “once BJP’s ‘acche din’ started, they did not want us” and voiced confidence that his party would manage to form a government on its own in Maharashtra after the assembly elections later this month.

In an interview to CNN-IBN, the 24-year-old son of son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Aalso criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for targeting his father for aspiring to be chief minister in case the alliance came to power.

The authorities Friday confirmed 71 new cases of dengue in Odisha, taking the total number of people suffering from the disease in the state this year to 2,851.

Of 150 blood samples tested Friday, 71 have been found to be positive, a senior state health official told IANS.

The maximum 28 cases have been reported from the worst-hit district of Jajpur, taking the total people affected in the region to 957 this year, he said.

Similarly, 19 cases have been found in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur followed by Bhadrak district which reported 10 cases, he said.

Seeking to reach out to more people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed the countrymen over radio for the first time, giving a pep talk about how to shed despondency and use their skills for betterment and prosperity of the country.

He advocated the need for use of khadi products as a homage to Mahatma Gandhi and impressed upon the people to generate confidence among themselves, including the specially-abled children.

In an address that was telecast live on national broadcaster Doordarshan, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today patted the Narendra Modi government for initiatives on national security, economy and international relations in a short period of four months.

Speaking at the customary function on Dusshera which coincides with 89th foundation day of his organisation, he said positive signs are emanating that give people the hope that India is emerging stronger on the international stage.

Actor Sidharth Malhotra has shot a promo for the the 16th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) set to start here Oct 14.

Urging fans to celebrate the movies at the fest, the “Ek Villain” star tweeted Thursday: “Come celebrate the movies with us at the #MumbaiFilmFestival2014 starting 14th October, just finished promo shoot of#MAMI2014 @mumbaifilmfest.”

Earlier Varun Dhawan, Sidharth’s co-star in his debut film “Student of the Year”, shot a promo for the film festival.

The final round of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship will take place at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) at Irungattukottai here this weekend.

“We are thrilled with the way the season has gone. Manufacturer support from TVS, Honda and Yamaha has been critical to the success of two-wheeler racing in the country. The final round will be thrilling with champions waiting to be crowned,” Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC), organiser of the event, president Ajit Thomas said.

Fighting between pro-Russian militias and Ukrainian government forces for control of the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk continued Friday, despite the truce signed by both sides a month ago, sources said.

A spokesman for the rebels told the Russian news agency Interfax that the clashes were still going on and some of the airport’s facilities were under their control, while the Ukrainian forces reiterated that the entire airport was still in their hands.

Renewed clashes in Libya’s second largest city of Benghazi have killed at least 36 people and injured 71 others, military sources said Friday.

A spokesman for the Libyan army’s Special Force said that “a total of 36 people have been killed due to a double suicide attack and the clashes with Islamist militants, who were advancing towards the Benina airport”, Xinhua reported.

The spokesman said the death toll quickly rose after many of the injured died of their wounds, according to Al-Marj General Hospital.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai Friday vowed to fight corruption and bring reforms to ensure good governance in the country.

“We are committed to fight corruption and bring reforms to ensure good governance,” the president said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron in the Presidential Palace here.

Ahmadzai, who assumed office Monday, has already instructed the authorities to fight against corruption, saying he would begin reforms from the Presidential Palace, a step that has been widely welcomed by Afghans.

At least 23 Syrian troops were killed Friday during clashes with anti-government rebels in the town of Deir al-Ades, south of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The London-based NGO said that the army tried to regain control of the town but were repulsed by the insurgents.

There was no immediate word from Syrian authorities on the report of casualties in the fighting.

A woman was killed and four other civilians injured Friday as Pakistani troops again broke the ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) and resorted to unprovoked firing at Indian positions in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, police said.

A senior police officer told IANS that a woman was killed and four other civilians, all men, were wounded in Pakistan firingi in Saujian area of Poonch district Friday afternoon.

“The injured civilians have been shifted to Poonch district hospital for treatment,” the officer said.

Actor Matthew McConaughey, 44, reveals his secrets to staying looking young.

He revealed that he’s not concerned about getting old, but he’s not opposed to giving mother nature a helping hand by looking after his face with a grooming regime, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Talking to Marie Claire magazine, McConaughey said: “I’m not worried about ageing, but I’m not in a rush to age either. I take care of my skin.”

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez is blessed with flawless skin and she gives credit to home remedies especially curd and honey.

“When it comes to my skin, I experiment with a lot of home remedies. I often use dahi (curd) and honey in a pack to cool and soothe my face,” the former beauty queen told IANS during her recent visit to the capital.

“I also use ice packs for my face and eyes. I wrap ice cubes in thin muslin or tissue and then place them gently on cheeks and eyes,” she added.

One of West Indies’ leading women cricketers, Shanel Daley, describes her climb in the ICC One-Day International all-rounder rankings as among her best accomplishments.

Daley, a former ICC Women Twenty20 No.1 ranked bowler, jumped to second position in the ODI all-rounder rankings. The elevation to second, behind countrywoman Stafanie Taylor, came on the wave of her performances in the recent four-match series against New Zealand, reports CMC.

Hockey India (HI) congratulated its bronze medal winning women’s team and extended a grand welcome to them Friday on their return here from the Incheon Asian Games.

The team defeated Japan 2-1 Wednesday to claim third spot. South Korea won gold while China clinched silver.

“It’s a proud moment for the country that our women’s team have won the bronze medal at the 17th Asian Games. Each player of the team contributed towards this glory and I am proud of this team and wish them continued success in the future,” HI secretary general Narinder Batra said.

Celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have named their newborn daughter Wyatt Isabelle Kutcher.

The “Two and a Half Men” fame star took to Twitter to reveal his daughter’s name, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“Mila and I would like to welcome Wyatt Isabelle Kutcher to the world. May your life be filled with wonder, love, laughter, health, happiness, curiosity, and privacy,” Ashton tweeted.

The actor also posted a string of images of newborn babies and asked fans to guess which was his daughter.

A British couple who made fake bomb detectors from plastic imported from China and sold them around the world, jeopardising the lives of those who bought it, were today punished by a court here.

While Samuel Tree, 68, was sentenced to three and a half years, his wife, Joan, 62, received 300 hours community work.

In August, the couple had denied fraud at the Old Bailey trial, claiming their device, sold as Alpha 6, did work.

Each device cost just a few pounds to make using a plastic box and antenna, but they were sold for as much as 1,171 pounds (USD 2,000).

Actress Ellen Pompeo, who has a daughter with husband Chris Ivery, welcomed a second daughter via surrogacy. The name of the baby is Sienna May Ivery.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star shared the good news through her WhoSay account Oct 2, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The actress posted a photograph of her husband kissing the baby.

She captioned the picture: “Sienna May Ivery welcome to the world. We love you more than words can say.”

If you have had a bad day, chances are you might end up spending time on social networking sites like Facebook with people who are worse off, says a study.

“When people are in a negative mood, they start to show more interest in the less attractive, less successful people on their social media sites,” said Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, co-author of the study and professor of communication at The Ohio State University, US.

A member of a humanitarian aid organisation, infected by the Ebola virus, arrived in Frankfurt Friday from Africa in an ambulance plane and under strict isolation conditions to be treated for the disease.

After landing, the victim was rushed to University Hospital in a special vehicle escorted by the police.

Authorities have not revealed the victim’s nationality nor in which country he was infected, but medical sources are expected to provide further information during the day.

A month before critical midterm congressional elections, Michelle Obama is putting her popularity and influence to the test, trying to help elect Democratic candidates and give her husband a fighting chance to complete his agenda.

Democrats are clamoring for her to campaign with them even as they avoid appearing with President Barack Obama, whose job approval rating has sunk to the low 40s.

CPI-M leaders Friday decided to clean Kerala through the collection and disposal of solid waste.

The party has decided to go ahead with tackling waste in the state through mass movement, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters after the state committee meeting here.

“I will make on thing clear that this movement against tackling municipal solid waste is not a party programme, but it would be a mass movement. All can take part in the movement,” said Vijayan.

Airstrikes were launched against various positions of the Sunni radical group Islamic State (IS) in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR said Friday.

The NGO said that projectiles apparently fired by planes of the US-led international coalition hit the desert area of al-Mayadin in the eastern province of Deir al-Zur.

It was not immediately clear if there were casualties.

Meanwhile, further airstrikes were carried out on Mathbah city in northern Aleppo province. No further details were available.

(IANS/EFE)

In an address whose live telecast by Doordarshan sparked a controversy, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today described Hindutva as the country’s “national identity” and the “thread of unity” running through its diversities.

Speaking at the customary function on Dusshera which coincides with 89th foundation day of his organisation, the RSS chief also patted the Narendra Modi government for initiatives on national security, economy and international relations in a short period of four months.

Dressed in their traditional finery, residents of the national capital Friday celebrated Dussehra by praying at temples and burning the effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhkarn symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

People thronged popular ‘Ramlila’ venues in the city especially those in old Delhi like the Lav-Kush and Shri Dharmik Lila Committees to witness the spectacular fireworks that lit up Delhi’s skyline.

As part of tradition, Ramlila is enacted over nine days to depict the life of Lord Ram. The festivities culminate on the tenth day called Vijay Dashami or Dussehra.