Month: January 2015

At Pune retreat, bankers look at ways to raise capital

by

The government is looking at ways to improve the functioning of banks and make it easier for them to raise capital, financial services secretary Hasmukh Adhia said here Friday.

“If we have to give better support to banks, if the banks have to play a complimentary role, can we think of some other structures by which it is easy for the banks to manage their affairs, it is easy for them to get capital from the market and it is easy for them to improve the balance sheets?” Adhia said here.

Iggy Azalea diagnosed with joint disorder

by

Singer Iggy Azalea will not let a joint disorder affect her work.

The 24-year-old mentioned her health problem over social media on New Year’s Eve to share her plan for 2015, reports aceshowbiz.com.

After confirming that she would start working on her second album next week, the “Fancy” hitmaker wrote: “Last month I was diagnosed with TMJ (or TMD known as Temporomandibular joint dysfunction) which isn’t the best.”

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction or TMJ causes pain in jaw joints and muscles around the area.

An hour of exercise curbs Parkinson’s effects!

by

Just an hour of exercise thrice a week can help people with Parkinson’s disease improve their balance and even reduce risk of falling down in people with early stage of the disease, new research says.

People with Parkinson’s disease experience trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face, rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk, slowness of movement and postural instability.

Not part of Modi government’s ad campaign: Amitabh

by

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says that he has not been asked by the Narendra Modi government to be part of its ad campaign that stresses the need to rise above caste and religion.

He took to micro-blogging site Twitter to clear the air.

“The news by media that PM and PMO have asked me to be involved in a campaign film, is incorrect !! Kindly rectify .. thank you !” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, on the big screen, the 72-year-old will be seen in R. Balki’s “Shamitabh”.

(IANS)

Oprah Winfrey says still searching for leadership in Ferguson protests

by

Oprah Winfrey has revealed that she is looking for some kind of leadership to come out and clarify what people want.

The TV host said that the leader should make it clear the changes the protesters want to see and the steps that they need to take to make these changes, and what they are willing to do to get it, People Magazine reported.

Winfrey added that she thinks it’s wonderful to protest, as it’s wonderful to see all across the country, people doing it. (ANI)

Tiwary upbeat about making India cut

by

Having already made India’s World Cup probables list of 30, Bengal cricketer Manoj Tiwary is upbeat to make it to the last 15.

“I feel I can make the cut this time around,” Tiwary said at the unveiling of the ICC World Cup Trophy here Saturday. The quadrennial event will be held in Australia and New Zealand from Feb 14 to March 29.

The 29-year-old was also selected for the 2012 World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka but was not selected for any match.

Tiwary said he has been performing well for the last few domestic seasons and is practicing hard to make the cut.

Three Students Injured in Gelatin Stick Blast in Bengaluru School

by

In a freak incident, three students of a private school suffered ‘minor’ injuries on Friday when gelatin sticks they took from a waste dump exploded in their classroom, police said.

The children studying in the Sai Baba School at Madiwala had found the gelatin sticks lying in a waste dump while they were playing and carried them to their classroom, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said.

The explosion occurred as soon as they switched on the electric panel into which they had stuffed the gelatin sticks, he said.

PM Modi to inaugurate 102nd Indian Science Congress in Mumbai tomorrow

by

The 102nd session of Indian Science Congress at Mumbai University will commence from tomorrow after its formal inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The five-day event will see deliberations and presentation of papers by the scientific fraternity from across the globe.

Evidently, the Science Congress is returning to Mumbai after 45 years, and hence, the emphasis will be on showcasing Mumbai as a science city and as the financial capital of India.

Next edition of consolidated FDI policy to come out on March 31

by

The Commerce and Industry Ministry plans to release the next edition of its consolidated FDI policy document on March 31, incorporating all the changes made over the past year.

“The next edition of the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular i.e. ‘Consolidated Foreign Direct Investment Policy Circular of 2015’ is scheduled to be issued on March 31, 2015, and will be effective from 1 April 2015,” the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said.

Mumbai train service resumes after motorman union strike called off

by

The suburban train service in Mumbai resumed on Friday following the motorman union called off their strike after negotiations with central officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).
According to reports, the local train services slowly resumed from the Diva and CST stations. However, railway officials said that it will still take some time to restore normalcy as many trains are halted along the line.

Congress expresses disapproval of Planning Commission renaming

by

The Congress on Friday expressed its disapproval over the Centre’s decision to rename the Planning Commission, terming such an exercise by the government as ‘futile’ without having any effective alternative in place.

“I don’t think that they have found an effective system in place of the Planning Commission. When dismantling something, they should have an effective alternative,” Congress leader P.C. Chacko told ANI.

Marrying Pitt an extraordinary feeling for Jolie

by

Actress-director Angelina Jolie says marrying actor Brad Pitt was an “extraordinary feeling” for her.

The 39-year-old, who walked down the aisle with Pitt last year after nearly ten years of courtship, says the ceremony was so special because it was shared with their children – Maddox, Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox, reports mirror.co.uk.

Tata Motors’ sales up 10% in December

by

Tata Motors today reported 10 per cent increase in total sales at 41,734 units in December, as against 37,836 units in the same month last year.

Domestic sales of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles grew by 8 per cent at 37,776 units as compared to 35,010 units in December 2013, Tata Motors said in a statement.

Sales of passenger vehicles in the domestic market in December stood at 12,040 units, up 30 per cent from 9,272 units in December 2013.

In the commercial vehicles segment, domestic sales remained flat at 25,736 units during the month, the company said.

99 percent rise in crime in Delhi: Police

by

A whopping 147,230 cases of crimes were reported in the national capital in 2014 as compared to the 73,902 in 2013 – an increase of 99.22 percent, according to Delhi Police annual report data.

Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said the sudden increase was because every case was being filed and police have become more sensitive towards the issue.

He said registration of cases will continue in 2015 as well as it was done in 2013.

“Our men sincerely investigated every case and tried to solve it at the earliest,” Bassi told media.

Goa CM not in favour of closing all casinos

by

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar Friday said the government was not in favour of stopping the operations of five existing casinos “in one go”.

Addressing a press conference, Parsekar said offshore casinos were generating considerable income for the Goa government but added that no new casinos would be granted permission.

“Their business is going on. They were permitted… It was because of permissions maybe of the earlier government that they are functioning there. Bucking such a set business may end up in someone going to court,” Parsekar said.

Bihar CM and council Ministers list their weapons

by

Bihar CM and other leaders are found to to be too fond of weapons. At least a dozen ministers in the state of Bihar, including Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, are the proud owners of arms, ranging from antiquated rifles to pistols.

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi possesses a double barrel gun and a rifle worth Rs one lakh, but he is no match to most of his ministers when it comes to wealth.His total movable and immovable assets worth Rs 66.81 lakh.

An app to delete inappropriate text messages

by

If you have sent some inappropriate text messages to your friend and want to delete it from his/her device permanently, a new app called Strings could help you do so.

The app has been developed by Be Labs, a Seattle-based tech firm. It gives users complete control over their personal conversations.

The app allows you to take back your messages by controlling the feature “if and when content is deleted, immediately and permanently”, CNBC reported.

The recipients must also have the app installed on their phones for it to be effective.

New US ambassador, Richard Verma, arrives in India

by

The new US ambassador, Richard Verma, arrived here Friday. He is the first ever Indian-American to be appointed the US envoy to India.

Verma, 46, will continue the US embassy’s work in advancing the US-India strategic partnership, said a communique from the mission.

“I am honoured to serve as US ambassador to India at such an exciting time in our bilateral relationship,” he was quoted as saying.

“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.

Doping will now land athletes minimum ‘four-year ban’

by

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has increased the suspension period for athletes, who are guilty of doping, from two years to a minimum four-year ban under new rules.

UK sports minister Helen Grant said that successful implementation would mean an innovative and robust anti-doping programme that reaches further than ever before, to more athletes, more support personnel and more sport lovers, all of who want to be part of sport free from doping, the BBC reported.

Obama’s a champ at swatting flies with rolled up magazines!

by

Barack Obama recently showed off his skills at keeping his Oval Office pest free by swatting a pesky fly with a rolled up magazine.

The US president rolled up a magazine, squatted, and whacked the bug, which had landed on the carpet, the New York Post reported.

White House said in the photo caption of the incident, which was released as part of the White House’s “2014: A Year in Photos” collection, that aides laughed as President Obama swatted a fly that was invading his space in the Oval Office

—- (ANI)

Ali Zafar cancels Durban concert post Peshawar massacre

by

Ali Zafar has cancelled his New Year music concert after the harrowing school attack in Peshawar.

The Pakistani singer said that he decided to cancel his concert in Durban, South Africa, as he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to celebrate or entertain at the time when people in his homeland were so severely affected, the Tribune reported.

The ‘Kill Dill’ actor explained that since no one had been able to forget the massacre that happened just a few days ago, his fans would be able to understand his mental situation and his decision.

Rescuers recover 22 bodies as hunt intensifies for AirAsia jet

by

The wreckage and bodies of people on board the ill-fated AirAsia jet that mysteriously crashed on Sunday are spread over an area of 5 kms in the Java Sea although search teams recovered 22 bodies and believe that many passengers are still strapped to their seats.

Multi-national rescuers equipped with sophisticated acoustic equipment today narrowed the search area for Airbus 320 flight’s crash site in the hunt for the black box recorders, as they recovered a total of 22 bodies so far out of the 162 and more debris from the choppy waters in the area.

Nicki Minaj opens up about teen pregnancy

by

Nicki Minaj has revealed that she got pregnant in her teenage and it plagued her for decades.

The ‘Pink Print’ rapper said that while she was at school she fell pregnant to an older boyfriend, who was not ready for a baby, and she had to go through an abortion, the Daily Star reported.

The ‘Bang Bang’ singer American rapper admitted that the decision haunted her for years as she was not ready for it and didn’t have anything to offer a child.

Minaj thought that she was going to die as it was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. (ANI

’50 Shades’ is not Misogynistic, says Jamie Dornan

by

Jamie Dornan is absolutely adamant on the fact that love story is more important than the sex in his upcoming film ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.’

The 32-year-old Irish actor, who plays the role of Christian Grey in the film, said that a movie wasn’t about what happens in the “Red Room,” and the love story was more important than the BDSM aspect, the Daily Express reported.

Dornan also explained that he didn’t understand why people said tying up a woman and spanking her was misogynistic, for men are more submissive than women in real life. (ANI)

South Korean activist to drop DVDs of “The Interview” into North Korea via balloons

by

A South Korean activist is planning to balloon drop DVD’s of Sony’s ” The Interview” movie in North Korea.

According to Mashable, North Korean defector and activist Park Sang-hak said he will start dropping 100,000 DVDs and USBs with the movie by balloon in North Korea as early as late January.

Park said that he was teaming up with the US-based non-profit Human Rights Foundation , which has taken upon itself the task to finance the making of the DVDs and USB memory sticks with Korean subtitles.