Month: January 2015

PM Modi condoles passing away of MSU Chancellor Dr. Puar

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the passing away of Maharaja Sayajirao University’s (Baroda) Chancellor Dr. Mrunalini Devi Puar. “I condole passing away of Mrunalini Devi Puar ji and pray that her soul attains eternal peace. Her contribution to society will be remembered,” tweeted Prime Minister Modi. “Mrunalini Devi Puar ji continued the Gaekwad family’s glorious tradition of service through education, including as MSU Chancellor,” he added. Dr. Mrunalini Devi Puar, 83, took charge as the Chancellor of MSU in 1988.

Two drug smugglers arrested from Howrah railway station

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Two drug smugglers, wearing army fatigues, were arrested from the Howrah railway station with 25 kilograms drugs in their possession. “I doubted them after spotting them near Assam rifles. Then I searched their bags and found capsules. Around 24-25 kg drugs have been recovered in green kind of capsules,” said an army official. “The name of one of the arrested is Mohammad Arif alias Tiger. Both belong to Manipur,” he added. He also said that the seized material and bags have been handed over to the police.

ANI

Plane blown off runway, another catches fire in Britain

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A passenger aircraft was blown off the runway by strong winds at the Stornoway Airport in Scotland’s Isle of Lewis, injuring four people, media reported Friday.

The Loganair Saab 340 aircraft, with 28 people on board, was taking off for Glasgow, when a wheel collapsed due to heavy winds, causing it to veer off the runway, Sky News reported.

Police said two men were taken to hospital and two women received minor injuries but declined medical assistance, according to a related report on BBC.

A full investigation into the incident is underway.

U.S. envoy looks forward to working together with Indian Govt.

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U.S Ambassador to India Richard Verma, who arrived here on Friday, said that he looks forward to working together with New Delhi on shared goals of security, development, and prosperity. “I am honored to serve as U.S. Ambassador to India at such an exciting time in our bilateral relationship. I look forward to meeting the Indian people and working together with the Indian government on our shared goals of security, development, and prosperity,” Verma said. Ambassador Verma is a former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.

Vivian Richards backs Kohli’s aggressive attitude

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West Indies legend Vivian Richards has backed and lauded Indian Test captain Virat Kohli for his aggressive on-field attitude which has frustrated Australian cricketers during the ongoing four-match Test series.

Despite India trailing the series 0-2 after the first three Tests, Kohli is the second highest run-maker of the series with 499 runs from six innings which includes three centuries with a staggering average of 83.16.

Zimbabwe cricket board appoints Campbell as managing director

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Former Zimbabwe skipper Alistair Campbell has been chosen as the managing director of the country’s cricket board, in a bid to make swift changes in their cricket management before World Cup kick starts from February 14. Chairman Wilson Manase said that the changes were continuous and they were also searching for a batting coach following the appointment of Dav Whatmore as the team’s coach before the World Cup, Sport24 reported. Campbell, who played 60 Tests and 188 ODIs as a batsman, will assume the post at Zimbabwe Cricket taking charge of the day-to-day running of the organization.

Mumbai to be branded Science City

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The 102nd Indian Science Congress (ISC) starting here Saturday would brand Mumbai as a ‘Science City’, acknowledging its contribution in the fields of science, technology, medicine and research, an official said here Friday.

Organised by the Indian Science Congress Association, Kolkata, the ISC will revolve around the theme of ‘Science and Technology for Human Development’ and is being hosted by University of Mumbai from Jan 3-7.

Kiwis’ Southee doubtful for second Test against Sri Lanka

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New Zealand pacer Tim Southee has sustained an ankle injury and is doubtful for the second Test match against Sri Lanka in the Basin Reserve.

He, however, will undergo a fitness test before the match starts Saturday.

Southee, who claimed six wickets in the eight-wicket win over the tourists in Christchurch, has what skipper Brendon McCullum described as a “slight ankle issue”.

“We’ll see how he pulls up in the morning,” McCullum told AAP.

La Liga kicks off after Christmas break

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The La Liga football returns to action this weekend following the Christmas break with several sides hoping the fortnight’s inactivity could change their fortunes, while others hoping a weekend off would have done nothing to interrupt their form.

The standout game of the weekend sees league leaders Real Madrid travel to Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium Sunday for what is without doubt one off their toughest away trips of the season against a rival who has ambitions of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, reports Xinhua.

Snowfall in Himachal, CM cancels Manali visit

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Himachal Pradesh’s tourist destinations Shimla and Narkanda experienced snowfall Friday, while other areas of the state saw intermittent rainfall. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh cancelled his Manali visit due to inclement weather.

While Shimla had mild snowfall, places in the upper reaches like Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai and Khada Pathar experienced moderate snowfall, a met official told IANS here.

Manali is yet to get snow this time but the hills overlooking the picturesque town were wrapped in a white blanket.

BJP compliments Coast Guard for foiling possible terror attack

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday complimented the Coast Guard for averting a possible terror attack.

The BJP was reacting to the Coast Guard intercepting a suspicious fishing boat, which was later found to be carrying explosives, off the coast of Gujarat.

“The Coast Guard has foiled attempts of a suspected terror boat that was spotted near the Indo-Pak maritime border. Possibly, this was yet another attempt to sneak terrorists into Indian territory,” BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told ANI.

Snooki’s Insta account was hacked by Arabic hackers

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Snooki’s Instagram account was hacked by Arabic hackers, it has been revealed.

The former ‘ Jersey Shore ‘ star got upset with the hacker replacing her kids’ pictures with a pic of a man wearing scarf and a caption in Arabic, Us Magazine reported.

The 27-year-old reality star then took to Twitter requesting the hacker to not delete her kids’ pics, as she had sentiments attached to them.

Snooki later got her account back and then uploaded some of her family pictures on New Year. (ANI)

After Coast Guard chase, Pakistani boat explodes, sinks

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A suspicious Pakistani fishing boat exploded into a ball of fire off the Gujarat coast and sank after it was intercepted by the Coast Guard, the government said Friday.

The dramatic incident took place on the night of Dec 31-Jan 1, and the Coast Guard’s Deputy Director General K.R. Nautiyal said he suspected “something serious”.

He told the media that the boat first tried to get away after a Coast Guard ship asked it to halt for a check of its crew and goods. After six hours, it switched off its lights early Thursday just inside the Indian waters.

Pakistan is planning a major strike in India, says security expert

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Terming the interception of a suspicious fishing boat carrying explosives off the coast of Gujarat as a ‘serious matter’, security expert Qamar Agha said that the incident points towards Pakistan planning a major terror attack in India.

“This is a serious matter. It seems like the Pakistani forces are planning a major strike against India. Once again, they are using the same method [as the 26/11 attacks] to infiltrate into India. They have made other attempts to cross the border but all the attempts were foiled by the Indian security forces,” Agha told ANI.

Minor fever with breathlessness can be swine flu: IMA

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The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Friday issued a set of guidelines to tackle swine flu and urged citizens not to neglect minor cases of fever with breathlessness.

It said in its guidelines that the matter is important as the current seasonal influenza vaccines are not expected to provide protection against human infection with avian or swine flu viruses.

“However, reducing seasonal influenza risk through vaccination might reduce the theoretical risk for recombination of influenza viruses of animal origin,” it said in a statement.

Derogatory remarks against NE people may invite jail for 5 yrs

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Calling anyone ‘Chinki’, ‘Chinese’ or making any other derogatory remark relating to race, culture or physical appearance will land you in jail for up to five years, according to a proposal which the Home Ministry is considering.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said his ministry is considering the proposal made by a high-level committee that looked into the attacks on people from North East in Delhi and some other parts of the country.

Pakistani court halts death row convict’s execution

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The Lahore High Court (LHC) Friday put on hold the execution of a death row convict, media reported.

A two-judge bench of the court headed by Justice Abdus Sami Khan halted the execution of Faiz Ahmad in response to a petition filed by the convict’s counsel Abdul Khaliq, Dawn online reported.

Khaliq in a petition told the court Faiz Ahmad’s appeal against the death sentence was pending in the Supreme Court since 2009 and therefore his death warrant must be set aside by the court.

Uma Bharti calls for active involvement of CBIP in river development programme

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Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has called upon the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) to come forward and actively associate itself with the task of river development in the country.

Speaking at the CBIP day event earlier on Thursday, Bharti said that a strategy has to be evolved for better water resources development and management through wider consultations among various stakeholders.

She further said that efforts are on to ensure that only treated waste water is released into river Ganga.

BJP acknowledges govt. decision on regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers held a meeting here on Friday to thank the Centre for its major decisions on problems related to the national capital and in particular lauded the government for its decision on regularisation of unauthorised colonies.

The workers felicitated Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at his residence for the government’s ‘pro-people decisions’.

Jaitley said the government’s decision to regularise unauthorised colonies in the national capital has been taken to provide basic amenities in these areas at par with other developed colonies of the city.

Kenyan soldiers kill three Al Shabaab militants

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The Kenya Defence Force (KDF) said Friday that three Al Shabaab militants were killed during an ambush in the coastal town of Lamu.

KDF spokesman Colonel David Obonyo told Xinhua that three soldiers were injured when the militants ambushed their vehicle at Kiunga in Lamu near the border with Somalia late Thursday, but added that the militants were later pursued and three of them were killed.

‘BJP in talks with NC, PDP over govt. formation; no fruitful outcome yet’: Amit Shah

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Friday said his party was in talks with both the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir but added there had been no fruitful outcome yet.

“We want to participate in Jammu and Kashmir government formation keeping in view the public mandate. We are in talks with both the parties but there has been no fruitful outcome yet,” Shah said at a press conference here.

Haddin prepared for India’s short-ball attack

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Australian vice-captain Brad Haddin has said India is welcome to continue the short-ball attack on him in the fourth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Jan 6-10.

India’s quickies have bombarded the veteran Aussie gloveman with the short stuff in the past two Tests to mixed success. Haddin managed just 19 runs in the first two Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane before notching up a vital 55 in Australia’s first innings of the third Test.

Centre accepts report on safety of northeastern people

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The central government has accepted the recommendations of a committee that has suggested immediate measures to ensure the safety of people from India’s northeast in Delhi and other major cities.

“The government (has) accepted the recommendations of the M.P. Bezbaruah Committee with regard to immediate measures,” union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the media Friday.

“The government is committed (to the) safety and security of the people from the northeast region living in Delhi and other metropolitan cities,” he said.

Gujarat mock-drill row: Azam Khan targets BJP

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Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Friday took a jibe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre over the anti-terror mock drill conducted by the Gujarat Police, which showed dummy terrorists wearing skull caps and shouting pro-Islamic slogans, saying this is a gift for Muslims in India on the occasion of the New Year.

“This is a gift for Muslims in India on the occasion of New Year. Muslims have been branded as traitors, anti-nationals and terrorist,” he told the media here.

NDA ally PMK opposes NITI Ayog, attacks PM

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In a sharp attack on the Centre for replacing Planning Commission with ‘NITI Ayog,’ NDA partner PMK today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of seeking to achieve his ‘twin objectives’ of ensuring greater private role in government affairs besides wresting all authority.

The new body did not have powers to allot funds to the states and approve central schemes and the Prime Minister’s decision would be final in such matters, PMK founder leader S Ramadoss in a statement here said.