Month: February 2015

Al Kuwait Club terminates Iranian Ghoochan-Nejad’s contract

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Iran international striker Reza Ghoochan-Nejad has parted company with Al Kuwait football club by mutual consent.

Ghoochan-Nejad, who scored nine goals in 14 appearances for Al Kuwait, joined the Persian Gulf side in August. The club’s officials had a meeting with the player’s agent and finally decided to terminate his contract Wednesday, reports Xinhua.

It’s undecided whether the Iranian-Dutch striker will remain in Kuwait. Al-Qadsia SC offered $300,000 dollars.

Social security pact with Norway comes into force

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A social security agreement between India and Norway to avoid double social security contributions has come into effect from Jan 1, an Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) order said here.

“In pursuance of the social security agreement (SSA) signed with Norway, Government of India has notified it…(it) has come into force with effect from January 1, 2015,” the order said.

10 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan

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Ten Taliban militants were killed and four others injured when Afghan security forces stormed Taliban hideouts in the country’s northern province of Takhar Wednesday, a spokesman for the provincial government said.

“Acting upon intelligence reports, Afghan police in coordination with army units backed by helicopters raided Taliban hideouts in Pul-e-Momin area of Khawjaghar district this morning, leaving 10 rebels dead and injuring four others,” Xinhua news quoted Sunatullah Timor as telling reporters in provincial capital Taluqan, 245 km north of Kabul.

Selfies behind US plane crash that killed two Indians?

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Selfies may be to blame for a small plane crash in the US last year that killed an Indian-origin pilot and his only passenger – a Jalandhar-based synthesiser player, US investigators have found.

The plane crashed near Watkins City in Colorado state on a cloudy night last year, probably because the pilot had been
taking pictures of himself and his passenger, with a flash,the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in US has
concluded.

“It is likely that cellphone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development

Plan to grow back in size and scale: SpiceJet

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Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet plans to grow back in size and scale to what it had achieved in mid-2014.

In a letter to its passengers published in the company’s in-house magazine, SpiceJet’s chief operating officer Sanjiv Kapoor said the airline plans to grow back in size and scale that it had achieved in the middle of 2014.

According to Kapoor, the company plans to reclaim its position as the second largest domestic passenger carrier with 21 percent market share, before legacy issues caught up with it.

Ukraine conflict: Shell hits Donetsk hospital

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At least four people were killed and many more wounded when a shell hit a hospital in the rebel-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Violence has surged in recent weeks, and the pro-Russian rebels are trying to encircle the key town of Debaltseve, northeast of Donetsk, BBC reported.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini appealed for a truce to allow civilians to leave the area.

According to Amnesty International, 7,000 people remain in Debaltseve, a major road and rail hub, out of an original population of 25,000 a few days ago.

23 killed in Taiwan plane crash

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At least 23 people were killed after a Taiwan TransAsia Airways plane plunged into the Keelung river in Taipei Wednesday morning, 10 minutes after takeoff.

Survivors were taken to nearby hospitals in Taipei and New Taipei, Xinhua reported citing disaster relief authorities. The plane’s two black boxes were recovered and were expected to be deciphered by Wednesday night.

Flight GE235 was headed for Kinmen from Taipei with 53 passengers on board, including 31 from the Chinese mainland, and five crew. Three of the mainland passengers are known to be children.

Educated Indian women may find it hard to get a match by 2050

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By 2050, it will be more difficult for Indian women to find an eligible partner, particularly if they have been educated at university or college-level,according to new research.

The research published in the journal ‘Demography’ theorises that if current social norms persist by 2050 whereby university-educated or college-educated men are more desirable spouses than women similarly educated, there will be a ‘mis-match’ in numbers of ‘suitable’ men and women.

Srinjoy Bose granted bail in Saradha scam

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Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose was granted bail by a city court here on Wednesday.

The TMC MP was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged links in the Saradha scam in November last year.

The CBI has so far quizzed several TMC leaders in connection with the Saradha chit-fund scam, and has arrested a few including West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra and Saradha chief Sudipta Sen.

TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy was the latest to have been questioned by the CBI. (ANI)

Rihanna, McCartney, West to perform at Grammy Awards

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Singers Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Kanye West are set for the debut performance of “Four five seconds” at the 57th Grammy Awards, which will be aired in India live on VH1 Feb 9.

Making his return to the Grammy stage after six years, 21-time Grammy Award winner West will give two performances. He holds two current nominations — Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song for “Bound 2” with Charlie Wilson, read a statement.

PM Modi should uphold dignity of his post: AAP

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Expressing pain over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address today, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said it reflected the mindset of a petrified Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“I am really pained to hear what the Prime Minister has said. We always maintain that the Prime Minister has certain dignity, the office has certain dignity and every Prime Minister should adhere to that to protect the dignity of that office but unfortunately this is not happening right now,” AAP leader Ashutosh told ANI here.

Rajnath briefs PM over Matang arrest row

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about allegations that Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami had tried to stall the arrest of Congress leader Mantang Sinh in connection with Saradha scam.

Singh apprised the Prime Minister on the issue after talking to Goswami and CBI Director Anil Sinha to get a factual picture about allegations that Goswami, a 1977 batch IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir cadre, had interfered in CBI’s work and made attempts to prevent arrest of Sinh on Saturday, official sources said.

Delhi result not a referendum on Modi govt’s performance: Naidu

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Amidst most of the opinion polls giving an edge to AAP in Delhi elections, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the electoral mandate in the national capital cannot be seen as a referendum on the performance of Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

“It is the election for the Chief Minister and not for the Prime Minister. Narendra Modi is not fighting assembly elections. It is a state election. You are going to elect a Chief Minister not a Prime Minister. It is the BJP versus the rest. That is all,” Naidu told PTI in an interview.

Modi’s Rs 10 lakh suit was made in UK: Rahul

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Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘Make in India’ campaign, Rahul Gandhi today said the Rs.10 lakh suit he wore during US President Barack Obama’s visit was “Make in UK.”

Gandhi also accused Modi of working only for only four-five industrialists.

“Modiji said he will give you employment. He talked of Make in India. Crores of rupees were spent in marketing this Make in India. You tell me whether something came out of it.

136,020 Indians to perform Haj this year

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Over 136,000 Indians will perform Haj in 2015 with the quota for the country remaining unchanged since last year due to the ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

The agreement in this regard was signed as the Indian Haj delegation led by Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. (Retd) V K Singh held a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Haj minister Bandar Al Hajjar yesterday here in Jeddah to chalk out a plan for this year’s pilgrimage.

Kejriwal correctly enrolled in voters’ list: ECI to HC

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AAP chief Arvind Kerjiwal is correctly enrolled in the voters’ list for the upcoming assembly polls in the national capital, the Election Commission today told the Delhi High Court.

The poll body made the submission before the bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru, which had on Monday sought its response on Congress leader Kiran Walia’s plea seeking removal of Kerjiwal’s name from the Delhi electoral rolls on the ground that he has illegally declared himself to be a resident of the national capital.

Modi uses development mantra in bid to woo Delhi voters

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Singing the development mantra in his last rally three days ahead of Delhi assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today tried to woo voters by highlighting central welfare schemes and trashed the opinion polls which gave an edge to AAP, saying BJP will get majority.

Attacking BJP’s main rival AAP on recent allegations of “dubious” donations, Modi said he was asked by his friends whether he has also given donation to AAP and when he got it checked, “I was surprised to know that even Mahatma Gandhi and (US President Barack) Obama have donated to them.”

Games row: Govt rejects Mohanlal’s offer to return money

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Expressing regret over the heated controversies centring around the Mohanlal show at the inaugural of the 35th National Games, Kerala CM Oommen Chandy today said government would not accept the actor’s offered to return his remuneration.

After a cabinet meeting that reviewed the conduct of the event, he said the heat generated by the event was quite regrettable and the Government’s morality would not allow it to take back the money.

Modi put Natarajan against me: Rahul

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Breaking his silence, Rahul Gandhi today said his former party colleague Jayanthi Natarajan had been pitted against him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he had been fighting for the poor and other weaker sections of the society.

“Ek din maine Modiji ke baare mein kuch kaha, agle din unhone Natrajan ko khada kiya (One day, I said something about Modi, the very next day, he put up Natarajan),” the Congress Vice President said at a rally here.

Parents of school girl who committed suicide write to Irani

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Parents of a 17-year-old girl, who allegedly committed suicide last month after being upbraided by her school teachers have written to Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Irani seeking justice.

Accusing three teachers of Salt Lake’s Kendriya Vidyalaya II for abetting the suicide by his daughter Kamalika, Kishalay Das said the letter was sent to the minister on January 27.

“We want nothing but justice and punishment for the teachers who have pushed my daughter to take this drastic step,” Das told PTI today.

Delhi polls: AAP takes out cycle rallies to woo voters

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In a novel method to reach out to the young voters, AAP volunteers are taking out cycle rallies all over the city carrying placards and banners showcasing the party’s specific promises to the youth.

As the name suggests, the ‘Cycle cum Cycle rickshaw campaign’, involves the use of cycles hired from BRT stands and also rickshaws plying around the city.

Uber driver allowed to examine himself as defence witness

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A court here Wednesday allowed a plea of the Uber cab driver, who is accused of raping a woman executive in his taxi, to examine himself as a defence witness in the case.

Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja allowed driver Shiv Kumar Yadav’s plea to examine himself as a defence witness, and fixed Thursday for recording his statement.

The court, however, dismissed a plea by the accused seeking CCTV visuals of the area from where the woman hired the cab and for recalling her, her friend and the investigation officer for further cross-examination.

Delhi polls: AAP’s women wing organises bike rally as show of strength

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The women’s wing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) organised a bike rally led by actor-turned-politician Gul Panag here on Wednesday ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections.

This bike rally was organised in Krishna Nagar assembly constituency from where Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi is contesting the elections.

AAP supporters from across the country converged in the capital to take part in the rally.

Panag, who led the rally riding her trademark Bullet bike, said it was an important display of female emancipation.

Kim K ‘pouts’ bare butt again for Love magazine

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A picture of Kim Kardashian has recently been revealed online in which she can be seen bending over and flashing her sexy bare booty for the second time for a magazine.

The reality star was wearing just a Prada jacket, stockings and heels, by ditching her undies, the Daily Star reported.

The 34-year-old star is a loyal anti-smoker in real life but this time she dared to puff on cigarette while flaunting her sexy asset.

ICC consider stipulatiing bat sizes on World Cup eve

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering placing limitations on the depth of a bat with less than a fortnight left for the World Cup to begin to restore the balance between batsman and bowler.

ICC chief executive David Richardson has said the balance between batsman and bowler “may have shifted a bit too much” in favour of the former.