Month: January 2015

Obamas pay ‘surprise’ visit to Eddie Vedder’s home during Hawaii vacation

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Barack Obama and his daughter Sasha and Malia gave a surprise visit to Pearl Jam rocker Eddie Vedder’s Kailua home on 3rd January.

The 50-year-old musician was a prominent supporter of Obama’s two election campaigns and there at the event he performed an acoustic set after which he broke out a Hawaiian-made ukulele and joked that it got a little birth certificate which claimed that Obama was born overseas, ABC News reported.

The President of US and the ‘Long Lights’ singer are apparently neighbors at Oahu, as the first family rents a place nearby on the north shore.

Atletico bridge gap on La Liga leaders Real with 3-1 win over Levante

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Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Levante on Saturday has helped them to keep on the heels of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, thanks to two goals from Antoine Griezmann.

In-form Frenchman Griezmann nodded in a deflected Guilherme Siqueira cross after 18 minutes against a Levante side that struggled to cope with the physicality of the hosts.

about 500 Hindus convert to Buddhism in Bihar

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Nearly 500 Hindus, including women and children, converted to Buddhism Saturday in half a dozen villages in Bihar’s Gaya district, officials said.

All those converted to Buddhism are resident of Khanjahapur, Usri, Bara, Joda Masjid, Kukra, Beldari, Bansibigha and Tapsi villages under Manpur block in Gaya, about 100 km from here, said a district police official.

“The conversion took place at a Buddhist temple in Khanjahapur village,” said the official.Basant Mahto, a member of Bodh Gaya-based Mahatma Budh Gayan Ashram, played an important role in the event.

Starc says nothing to prove to Shane Warne for criticism over body language

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Australian paceman Mitchell Starc said that he has nothing to prove to the legendary spinner Shane Warne if he gets a recall to the squad for the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney.

Starc, who claimed two wickets while conceding 110 runs during Brisbane Test, received scathing remarks for his body language from Warne.

Commenting on the issue, Starc said that he hadn’t lost any sleep over it and he didn’t follow him on Twitter. According to him, he had no point to prove to Australian legend Shane Warne, News.com.au reported.

BJP to field celebrity MPs during Delhi campaign

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In order to woo voters in the upcoming Assembly election, Delhi BJP will bank on celebrity MPs Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Khanna and Smriti Irani who will be addressing rallies in the national capital.

According a senior BJP leader, party has so far prepared a list of 18 star campaigners to draw voters during campaigning. The list also includes the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party’s national president Amit Shah.

Respect Dhoni’s selfless act, wait for Kohli to grow: Shastri

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New Indian captain Virat Kohli should channelise his aggressive attitude in the right direction, according to Team Director Ravi Shastri, who said Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s “selfless act” of retiring from Test cricket format at the right time should also be given its due respect.

In an exclusive interview to PTI here today, Shastri said that there was nothing wrong with Kohli’s aggression but it should be used to help build a young team into a dangerous outfit in the near future. He said Kohli was a young captain and will gradually mature into a better cricketer and leader.

Gandhi’s image on beer cans; US company draws ire, apologises

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The use of Mahatma Gandhi’s image on beer cans and bottle by a US company has raised hackles with a petition being filed in a Hyderabad court alleging it had insulted the father of the nation following which the liquor company has apologised.

The Connecticut-based New England Brewing Company even claimed that its intention was to pay homage and celebrate the apostle of peace and that Gandhi’s granddaughter and grandson have expressed their admiration for the label.

GDR route under scanner for routing black money

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The regulatory and other agencies suspect that GDR route is being used for bringing back suspected illicit funds stashed abroad. Dh Illustration For Representation
As a probe continues into misuse of stock markets for routing black money and tax evasion, the regulatory and other agencies suspect that GDR route is being used for bringing back suspected illicit funds stashed abroad.

Soon, cancer cells detecting ‘Endoscope’ to destroy tumors too

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Scientists are working to upgrade the tool used to examine and detect cancer and other illnesses, called Endoscope, so that it can zap tumors as well.

The biomedical advancement, which is under development at the University at Buffalo, could make chemotherapy more efficient, reduce its side effects and improve how doctors treat some of the most deadly forms of cancer.

Ulas Sunar, PhD, a research assistant professor in UB’s Department of Biomedical Engineering sad that they were developing a novel endoscopic device that would improve the ability to detect and destroy cancer cells.

Ministry of Justice rules out Evans’ chances of resuming career overseas

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The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has revealed that convicted rapist and former Sheffield United striker Ched Evans would not be allowed to resume his career overseas.

Maltese side Hibernians had said on Friday that they wanted to sign Evans, who left prison in October after serving half of a five-year term for raping a woman in a hotel in May 2011, on a deal until the end of the season.

But a MoJ spokesperson said that strict conditions imposed on sex offenders effectively rules out working abroad, The BBC reported.

Polar’s new tracker to monitor users throughout the day to help them attain fitness goals

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Polar has reportedly announced a new dedicated fitness watch that will track the wearer’s activity throughout the day.

The A300, which is a cousin to the M400, shares some of the features with its predecessor. In addition to tracking your steps taken, calories burned and distance travelled, the wearable device automatically measures your restful and restless sleep at night. However, it lacks GPS to track the users’ pace and distance while running, reported CNET.

Need to put an end to religious conflicts: Islamic scholar

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Rising incidence of religious conflicts and coercion in the world could lead to religious wars if this menacing trend is not confronted with due urgency, an Islamic scholar from West Indies has said.

Mufti Waseem Ahmad Khan, chairman of Darul Uloom Trinidad, said this while delivering the keynote address at a seminar on ‘dialogue among religions’ organised by Department of Sunni Theology at Aligarh Muslim University yesterday.

“All religions teach peace but it is a tragedy that in today’s modern world innocent people are being killed in the name of religion.

Jharkhand CM meets PM Modi

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Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Sunday and briefed him about the areas that need to be worked on in his state.

“Prime Minister Modi has given a big responsibility to a labour. I want to thank the respected Prime Minister and that is why I had come to meet him today. It was a courtesy call, where I made him aware of the condition of the state, especially the financial and revenue condition,” said Das.

A great women reformer Savitribai Jyotirao Phule

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1. an Indian social reformer and poet.Tribute to Ma Savitribai Jyotirao Phule on her Birth Anniversary–who is the Person for all her Woman officers education–enlightenment of Society—else they might have been left as slaves under degradation serving Untouchables,ST,BC,OC/Sudra”s and OCs–under Manu Society–which is still ruling Society.

2. Along with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, she played an important role in improving women’s rights in India during British rule.

3. The couple founded the first women’s school at Bhide Wadai in Pune in 1848

5 killed as newly constructed overhead water tank collapses

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Five people were killed and at least two others injured when a newly constructed overhead water tank collapsed on them at nearby Yapaladinni village, Raichur, Karnataka on Saturday.

The incident occurred when the victims, most of them devotees taking part in the ongoing Urs festivities at the local Dargah, had gone near the tank in the morning, police said.

The injured are being treated at a local hospital, they added.

Gerrard close to signing 18-month contract with Los Angeles Galaxy for MLS: Reports

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Liverpool football team captain Steven Gerrard is reportedly set for a move to Major League Soccer (MLS) as he is close to signing an 18-month contract with Los Angeles Galaxy.

Earlier, the veteran midfielder had revealed channel that he would be moving to MLS at the end of the season, but had yet to finalise a deal with a team.

A source, who declined to be identified, had been cited as saying that the club Gerrard had chosen was David Beckham’s former team the Galaxy and that the deal was worth 6 million dollars a year, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Facebook, Twitter refusing to remove provocative Islamophobic posts from sites

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According to an investigation, Facebook and Twitter are refusing to remove provocative Islamophobic posts from across their sites in spite of alerts from anti-racism groups.

According to the Independent, many of these posts accuse Muslims of being rapists and pedophiles. The number of such posts has increased after the Rotherham sex-abuse scandal and the murder of British hostages by Islamic State (IS) militant group in Iraq and Syria.

Cong likely to come up with revival blueprint by March

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A blueprint for revival of Congress is expected to be ready by March with Sonia Gandhi asking state unit chiefs to seek views of grass-roots workers on how to turn around the party’s fortunes.

After Rahul Gandhi’s directive to party general secretaries to get feedback from district and block levels, the Congress president has formally written to them as well state chiefs asking them to seek the views and submit a report to her by February end, sources said.

An AICC meeting is likely in March to take up these suggestions, which will also be compiled in a book form, they said.

Samsung to introduce ‘most seductive TV of all time’ at CES

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Samsung, which has left no stone unturned in hyping up its CES product lineup this year, has reportedly claimed that it has made the “most seductive TV of all time.”

Samsung’s marketing strategy is focused at highlighting the sex factor of the giant, curved 4K TV, reported The Verge.

The tech giant has already revealed that all of its smart TVs going forward are going to run on its Tizen operating system. However, little is known about the product’s features and specifications.

The official start of CES is just one day away. (ANI)

Dhoni’s absence gives Australia advantage: Warner

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The sudden retirement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s most capped and most successful Test captain, gives Australia an early advantage in the build-up to the fourth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) beginning Tuesday, opener David Warner said Sunday.

“MS (Dhoni) thinks a lot about the game, he’s very knowledgeable,” Warner was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“He knows a lot about how to get each individual out, you can see the plans and it was always challenging when you’re out there (to see) what trick does he (Dhoni) have up his sleeve today?”

Prince Andrew’s pal Epstein may have filmed ‘VIP orgies with sex slave’

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The papers filed against Prince Andrew’s friend Jeffrey Epstein has claimed that he recorded VIP orgies he threw at his luxury homes using cameras hidden in the walls and may have even secretly filmed the Duke with underage girl he is alleged to have abused.

According to the papers filed by the woman, Epstein recorded the sordid orgies he threw for VIPs at his luxury homes using cameras hidden in the walls of guest bedrooms, the Mirror reported.

President greets nation on Eid Milad-un-Nabi

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President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday greeted people on the occasion of Prophet Mohammad’s birth anniversary Eid Milad-un-Nabi and urged people to resolve to “help the needy and work for the wellbeing of all”.

“May the Holy Prophet’s teachings of universal love and compassion guide us to live in fellowship, harmony and unity,” Mukherjee said in a tweet.

–IANS

Iran rejects new ‘hijab law’ after terming it ‘unconstitutional’

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Iran has reportedly rejected a draft law that aimed at granting greater powers to the police to enforce women’s compulsory wearing of the veil.

The draft law, titled the “Plan on Protection of Promoters of Virtue and Vice,” was rejected by the nation’s influential Guardian Council, a group that scrutinises legislation, after they found flaws in the 24-point plan. A council spokesman said that it was not approved because it contradicted the constitution, reported the Express Tribune.

SAD dubs Chugh’s demand for Majithia’s resignation ‘violation of coalition dharma’

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The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary Tarun Chugh over his repeated assertion that Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia should quit the Cabinet.
SAD spokesman Maheshinder Singh Grewal alleged that Chugh’s comment was uncalled for and violated the coalition protocol.

“It is an established convention that a person holding a constitutional post can be asked to resign only if he has been convicted by a court of law. Mere summons for questioning by a central agency can never be ground for demanding anyone’s resignation,” he said.

Badaun rape case: UP Govt. announces Rs. 5 lakh compensation to victims

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The Uttar Pradesh Government has announced a compensation of Rs. five lakh for the minor, who was allegedly raped by two police constables in Badaun.

As per reports, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has instructed the local administration to arrest the accused police officers who are still on the run.

The two accused constables have also been dismissed from service while two Sub Inspectors and the SHO of Musa Jhag Police Station have also been reportedly suspended.