Month: January 2015

Rahul Gandhi says PM Modi involved in personal PR; BJP hits back

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was busy with his personal PR and no concrete work has been done even though the NDA government has been in power since May.

“Since the month of May NDA government is in power and the Prime Minister is involved in his personal PR but no concrete work has been done. People are asking when he would stop saying things and will begin the work,” said Rahul.

Benjamin Franklin’s life inspired me, says PM Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was inspired by the life of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the U.S., and urged the nation to read his biography.

“When I was young, I used to see Kennedy’s pictures in Indian newspapers. His personality was very impressive. But your question is, who has inspired me. I liked reading as a child. And I got an opportunity to read the biography of Benjamin Franklin,” said Prime Minister Modi in the joint ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address with President Obama.

Against divisive politics, Bedi woos Muslims

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Reaching out to Muslims, BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi today said she was against “divisive politics” and that she was contesting the polls on development plank.

“My religion is that of humanity. I’ve never believed in divisive politics. Hindu Muslim Sikh Isai apas mein hai bhai bhai (All are brothers),” Bedi said addressing a rally in Seelampur constituency.

Bedi assured the women of the area of security and safety, if voted to power.

“My sisters, you will get security. It is my responsibility. If you’re facing any trouble, call the CM’s

IS threatens to kill Japanese scribe, Jordanian pilot in 24 hours

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The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group has threatened to kill a Japanese correspondent and Jordanian pilot within 24 hours if a female suicide bomber imprisoned in Jordan is not released.

In a video posted online Tuesday afternoon, Japanese war correspondent Kenji Goto appeared with a message to the Japanese government, Xinhua news agency reported.

PM Modi’s name suit costs over 10 lakh

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has managed to flaunt his fashion sense every time he steps out in public. But on Sunday, PM Modi stepped it up a notch by wearing his own name sewn repeatedly on a bandhgala suit while on ‘chai pe charcha’ with US President Barack Obama.

There’s no fine print in the manuals of how government heads should dress on formal occasions, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, already ahead of the curve in matters sartorial, appeared to push the boundaries when he wore a monogrammed pin striped suit with his name — Narendra Damodardas Modi — forming the stripes.

Pradip Burman seeks stay on court proceedings

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Dabur India promoter Pradip Burman, who figures in the list given by the government to the Supreme Court in the black money issue, moved an application in a court here Tuesday seeking stay on the proceedings in two alleged tax evasion cases in which he has been made an accused.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Devendra Kumar Sharma reserved the order on Burman’s plea for Feb 4.

`Procedure wasn’t followed while taking Salman’s blood sample’

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The defence lawyer in the 2002 hit- and-run case allegedly involving Bollywood star Salman Khan today argued that the chief medical officer of the government hospital did not follow the due procedure while collecting a
blood sample of the actor after the incident.

Advocate Shrikant Shivade, Salman’s lawyer, cross-examined the prosecution witness Dr Shashikant Pawar
who was with the government-run J J Hospital here back then.

Army officer killed in Kashmir a day after getting medal

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An army officer – who was awarded a gallantry medal on Republic Day – and a policeman were killed in a gunfight Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said. Two Hizbul Mujahideen guerrillas were also killed in the gun battle.

Col. Munindra Nath Rai of 9 Gorkha Rifles, seconded to the Rashtriya Rifles, was awarded a Yudh Seva Medal Monday, the army said in a statement in New Delhi.

According to army officials, Col. Rai was commanding his battalion in intense counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir.

Eight killed in Libya hotel attack, gunmen blow themselves up

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A group of Islamic State (IS) affiliates attacked Libya’s biggest hotel in Tripoli Tuesday, killing at least eight and injuring several others before blowing themselves up, according to security sources.

The attackers set off a booby-trapped car bomb around 10 a.m. and then stormed into the Corinthia Hotel.

After a nearly four-hour crossfire and standoff with the security forces, two of the gunmen blew themselves up on the 21st floor of the hotel, Xinhua news agency reported citing the security sources.

The official LANA agency said one of gunmen was taken alive by the police.

Modi concerned over India’s skewed sex ratio

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday expressed concern over the skewed sex ratio in India and blamed a “defect in attitude” towards girls and boys for it.

“There is a lot of worry because of the sex ratio in India. For every 1,000 boys, the number of girls is less. And the main reason for this is that there is a defect in our attitudes towards boys and girls,” he said addressing a special episode of Mann Ki Baat, his regular radio address to the nation which he conducted jointly with US President Barack Obama.

Sacked Telangana deputy CM admitted to hospital

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T. Rajaiah, who was sacked as deputy chief minister of Telangana two days ago, was Tuesday admitted to a hospital here after he complained of chest pain.

Rajaiah was taken to Apollo Hospital in Hyderguda around 6 p.m. after he complained of chest pain, family sources said.

According to hospital officials, he is undergoing treatment in intensive care unit. A team of cardiologists is attending on Rajaiah.

Doctors said Rajaiah was brought with high sugar and blood pressure levels. They described his condition as stable.

India can teach tolerance to world: Israeli envoy

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Israeli Ambassador Daniel Carmon Tuesday said since India has long served as a “peaceful” home to several Jews, it stood in good stead to teach tolerance to other nations.

“Anti-Semitism never set its foot in India. Jews have been living here peacefully without persecutions for over two millennia. This is a lesson and message of tolerance India can and should teach other nations,” Carmon said here during a commemoration event of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

‘My daughters are deeply moved by India’s freedom struggle’: President Obama

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U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday said his daughters were deeply moved by India’s independence movement and the role that Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi played in non-violent strategies, which influenced the civil rights movements in his country.

“They are deeply moved by India’s independence movement and the role that Gandhi played in non-violent strategies in not only India but also how it influenced the non-violent civil rights movements in the United States,” said President Obama, who was the chief guest for this year’s Republic Day parade.

There are bad days at work: Obama

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US President Barack Obama Tuesday said though he had tough days at work, what inspired him was that almost every day, somebody told him that he had made a difference to their lives.

“The problems that come to my desk are ones that nobody else solves. If there were easy questions, then somebody else would solve them before me,” Obama said on a special episode of “Mann Ki Baat”.

“There are days when it’s tough and frustrating,” the US president said.

“But something which inspires me is that almost every day, I meet somebody who say you have made a difference to my life.”

Chicken shop owner Killed for Rs 10 in central Mumbai

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A 35-year-old chicken shop owner was beaten to death allegedly by three of his customers following
a heated argument over Rs 10 in central Mumbai, police said today.

The incident took place last night at around 8:30 PM in Elphinstone area at the chicken centre owned by Firoz Shaikh and the arrested accused were identified as Kundan Choudhary (24), Sanjay Bharati (30) and Damodar Sahu (20). The trio worked at a vada-pav stall.

US can be India’s best partner: Obama

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Recalling the historic address of Swami Vivekananda, US President Barack Obama Tuesday won over his audience by referring to them as “sisters and brothers of India” and said he firmly believes America can be India’s “best partner” and together the two nations can bring more prosperity to their people.

In his final engagement in India, before flying to Riyadh and then home, the US president addressed a town hall-style meeting in Siri Fort auditorium, where he said: “India and the US are not just natural partners, I believe that America can be India’s best partner, I believe that.”

Wipro to co-develop software for smart devices

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Indian IT bellwether Wipro Ltd will jointly develop software for smart and connected devices with German firm Software AG.

“The software solution will enable enterprises to understand how customers use their products in real-time and through streaming analytics,” the company said in a statement here Tuesday.

The joint platform will also provide real-time actionable intelligence for the Internet of Things (IoT) market.

Every girl’s life matters;should be treated with dignity:Obama

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“Every girl’s life matters”, US President Barack Obama said here today as he emphasised on providing safety, respect and dignity to women in the country.

“As a husband and fathers and brothers, we have to step up because every girl’s life matters every daughter deserves the same chances as our sons and every woman should be able to go about her day, to walk the street and ride the bus and be safe and be treated with respect an dignity. She deserves that,” he said in his address at Siri Fort auditorium.

German president urges citizens not to forget Holocaust

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German President Joachim Gauck Tuesday urged all Germans never to forget the Holocaust.

“There is no German identity without Auschwitz,” Gauck said in his speech to the nation’s parliament, Bundestag, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Gauck said: “The remembrance of the Holocaust remains something for all citizens living in Germany. It belongs to this country’s history.”

The president said that Auschwitz represented “the horror” of the Third Reich.

Ghar Wapsi: Obama slapped it softly on Right to Religion?

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US President Barack Obama Tuesday, in his only public engagement during his three-day India visit, stressed on the right of freedom of individuals to profess, practice and propagate religion and said it is important for India with its multiplicity of faiths to uphold this fundamental right.

Will bring daughters to India on next visit: Obama

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US President Barack Obama Tuesday said he will bring his daughters on his next India visit.

He, however, said that may not be during his tenure as the president.

“They (my daughters) very much wanted to come. They are fascinated by India, Unfortunately each time that I have taken a trip here, they had school and they couldn’t leave school,” he said during the “Mann Ki Baat” radio programme recorded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bahut dhanyawad’, ‘Jai Hind’ and DDLJ famous line , Obama uses Hindi to woo Indians

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‘Bahut dhanyawad’ and ‘Jai Hind’ were among few words spoken in Hindi by US President Barack Obama in his address to connect with the audience which gathered to hear him at the Siri Fort auditorium here today.

I bring the friendship and greetings of the American people. On behalf of myself and Michelle, thank you so much
for welcoming us back to India, ‘bahut dhanyawad’,” Obama said in his opening remarks.

He also charmed everyone by quoting Shah Rukh Khan’s famous line ‘Senorita, bade bade deshon mein…’ from
blockbuster ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’.

Four men feared drowned during idol immersion in Delhi

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Four men were feared drowned in two separate incidents during Saraswati idol immersion in the Yamuna river, police said Tuesday.

In the first incident, three men identified as Rajnikant Sharma, 23, Mukesh Sharma, 23 and Abhishek Jha, 26, went deep into the river but began shouting for help when they could not return to the bank at Bawana drain in west Delhi Monday evening.

The people present there informed the police and divers but they could not trace the ill-fated trio.

In the second incident, Rajeev, 25, was feared drowned in the same drain during another idol immersion.

Modi says ‘touched’ by Obama gifting Vivekananda book

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said he was “touched” when US President Barack Obama gifted him a book on Swami Vivekananda during his visit to the White House last year.

Modi was replying to a question on how he felt when he went to the White House as the prime minister.

He said he never imagined that he would get a chance to visit the White House ever.

“When I had gone there for the first time, I got my photograph clicked outside the place,” he said on a special episode of “Mann Ki Baat” which he jointly addressed with the US president.

India to host international equestrian tent pegging

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The Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) Tuesday bagged the rights to organise International Equestrian Tent Pegging Championship 2015 at the Noida Sports Stadium March 10-15.

The tournament will be followed by four national championships and will be part of the Penta Grand 2015 being organised from Feb 26 to March 15,” the EFI said in a statement.