Month: February 2015

Insurgents kill one, kidnap five in Balochistan

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pSuspected insurgents killed one employee and kidnapped five others in two separate incidents in the coastal region of Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan province, police said on Tuesday.

In the first incident, masked gunmen riding on motorcycles barged into the Quetta Electric Supply Corporation Grid Station in the port city of Gwadar and opened indiscriminate fire, killing one employee on the spot.

In the second incident, armed men kidnapped five officials of the Irrigation department in the Shadi Core area near the Makran Coastal belt in the province.

Badaun sisters case: Court to decide on CBI’s closure report today

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A local court will on Tuesday decide on the closure report filed by CBI in connection with the death of two teenage cousins in Katra village of the district in May last year.

The court of Additional District Judge (POSCO Act) Anil Kumar had yesterday reserved its judgement for Tuesday after hearing both the sides.

CBI has in its report seeking closure of the case said that two minor girls were not raped or murdered, as earlier alleged by the local police, and committed suicide.

Muhammad Aamir signed up to play in a non-first class Championship

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Pakistan’s banned paceman, Muhammad Aamir has been signed up by a leading private departmental team to play in the non-first class Patrons Trophy Grade-2 Championship next month.

According to an official of the Omer Associates team, Aamir will play for them in the tournament whose winner every season is promoted to the first class ciruit.

“Aamir has signed the contract today and we are happy to give him a platform to make his comeback to domestic cricket,” the official said.

Amitabh Bachchan ‘excited’ about his debut commentary during India-Pakistan World Cup match

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is busy cramming to get into the intricacies of cricket terminologies ahead of his debut commentary stint during the upcoming India- Pakistan match of the 2015 World Cup.

Bachchan, 72, who will be joining seasoned commentators Harsha Bhogle and Kapil Dev for the highly-awaited February 15 match, said he is taking tips from them.

Record 56.4 million tourists flocked to NY in 2014

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A record 56.4 million tourists visited New York last year, drawn by its diverse culture, low crime and “dynamism,” and generating USD 61.3 billion for America’s largest city, officials have said.

The number of visitors tops the previous record of 54.3 million in 2013, with steady increases every year since 2009, city hall said yesterday.

More than 42 million tourists came from elsewhere in the United States, while among foreign visitors those from Britain, Canada, Brazil, France, China, Australia and Germany were the most common, in that order.

Indian national found dead in a Singapore hotel

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A 31-year-old Indian national and an Indonesian maid were found dead in a hotel room here in Geylang, according to local media reports.

The body of Chinasamy Baskar was found hanging in a hotel room here yesterday evening, while the 29-year-old Indonesian maid was found dead with her throat slit.

Baskar, who has worked in the construction sector here for five years, was found dead in a hotel room in Geylang, a popular weekend areas for foreign workers.

Anita Dobson lands Elizabeth I role

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Former ‘EastEnders’ actress Anita Dobson is to star in ‘Armada’, a BBC Two documentary series about Queen Elizabeth I to be broadcast this spring.

The series will use CGI and dramatic reconstruction to explore England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, reported BBC online.

The 65-year-old described Elizabeth as “a gift of a role, and one I’ve always hoped I’d get the opportunity to play”.

“Playing a queen was one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had,” she added.

Bradley Cooper, Suki Waterhouse moving in together?

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Superstar Bradley Cooper and his model girlfriend Suki Waterhouse are reportedly moving in together when he relocates to London for a stint on the West End stage.

The ‘Hangover’ actor is set to take his Broadway show ‘The Elephant Man’ to the British capital in May, and he plans to set up home with the British beauty during his time in the UK, reported Hollywood online.

Black actors get awards only for ‘subservient’ roles: Oyelowo

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‘Selma’ star David Oyelowo, who was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr, feels “black people, have been celebrated more for when they are subservient”.

The actor and film’s director Ava DuVernay were ignored despite the critical acclaimed that the film recieved and Oyelowo pointed out the awards irony during an appearance at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

US IT industry opposes Obama’s move to tax overseas earning

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IT industry and the Republican leadership has opposed US President Barack Obama’s move to tax overseas earnings, saying that this is bad for global competition of US companies.

“The proposal to tax companies’ overseas earnings, rather than making our tax code simpler and more competitive through reform, is an area that gives us significant pause,” the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), president and CEO Dean Garfield said in a statement yesterday.

Singapore starts blocking gambling websites

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Singapore has started blocking hundreds of gambling websites to curb unlicensed online gambling, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The blocked sites included bet365, Ladbrokes and 888.Com as reported today. The law came into effect yesterday.

The objectives of regulating remote gambling are to maintain law and order and to minimise the potential harm of remote gambling, especially to young persons and other vulnerable persons, said the Ministry.

The Ministry stressed that any attempt to make payments to these betting firms will be blocked.

Katy Perry Super Bowl guitars up for auction

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Two guitars used during Katy Perry’s Super Bowl half-time performance have gone up for auction to raise money for charity.

The ‘Roar’ hitmaker performed at the big US football game in Arizona and some of the instruments used by her band have been donated to help anti-domestic abuse charity Break The Cycle.

“Guys! Want the guitars that my band will be playing at #Sb49? Bid now to benefit @BreaktheCycleDv,” Perry wrote.

Bids for the 74 American Vintage Jazz bass and Fender American Standard Stratocaster guitars stood at around USD 800 each. The auction ends on February 15.

Microsoft slashes XBox prices by 19% to Rs 12,990

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Microsoft has slashed prices of its popular gaming console ‘XBox’ by 19 percent to Rs 12,990 as the tech giant looks to expand its footprint in India’s gaming market.

The 4GB version of the standalone XBox 360 was earlier being sold for Rs 15,990.

Similarly, Microsoft has also reduced the price of 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect to Rs 21,990 (from Rs 26,990) and 250GB Xbox 360 with Kinect to Rs 29,990 (from Rs 31,990), Microsoft said in a statement.

“Since its launch, Xbox has been instrumental in providing a gaming experience like never before to fans across the world,” it added.

Harry Styles celebrates 21st birthday with celeb friends

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One Direction star Harry Styles, who turned 21 recently, organised a star-studded party that was attended by many of his celebrity friends.

Chris Martin and rumored girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence, David Beckham, Adele, Adam Levine, Kendall Jenner, Courteney Cox, Rashida Jones, Cara Delevingne, and Kelly Osbourne were among the popular people attending the bash held at Lulu’s Cafe in Beverly Hills.

Styles’ rumoured girlfriend, Victoria’s Secret model Nadine Leopold, reportedly was also in attendance.

Court to hear plea against Arvind Kejriwal’s bribe remark today

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A Delhi court will on Tuesday hear a criminal complaint seeking action against Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly exhorting voters to take bribes from BJP and Congress and vote for his party.

The matter, which was scheduled to come up for hearing on Monday, was posted for today as Metropolitan Magistrate Richa Gusain Solanki was on leave yesterday.

The complaint, filed by advocate Arun Kumar, accused Kejriwal of deliberately abetting bribery.

Unknown militants explode gas pipeline in Arish

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Unknown militants detonated the Al-Arish city gas pipeline that links the city to Israel and Jordan, an official source in North Sinai has said.

Yesterday’s explosion is 28th for the pipeline, which recently stopped working, local media reported.

“The pipeline used to export gas to Israel, but has stopped working during the last period. However, it still has some gas,” officials from the gas company said.

The source added that some unknown militants had planted explosives under the pipeline and detonated it from a distance.

Indians deported from Turkey let off with warning

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A nine-member Indian group, which was deported from Turkey and detained here on arrival Jan 30, has been set free with a stern warning against making attempts in future to engage in social activities in areas controlled by the Islamic State militant group, a top police official said Monday.

“We let them off, as no incriminating material (documents) or any evidence was found against them. No case was registered but they were warned against making such attempts in future,” Bengaluru police commissioner M.N. Reddi told reporters here.

N Zealand PM hits back at swipe by ‘Luminaries’ author Catton

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New Zealand prime minister John Key hit back today at criticism of his government by the country’s Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton, saying she had no more political insight than All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

“The Luminaries” author sparked uproar last week at a literary festival in India when she said she was angry with New Zealand’s treatment of the arts.

Her claim that New Zealand was dominated by “neo-liberal, profit-obsessed, very shallow, very money-hungry politicians who do not care about culture” provoked debate across the country.

Strauss-Kahn’s ‘pimping’ trial dominated by political intrigue

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The pimping trial of ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was dominated today by hints of conspiracy and political intrigue as his lawyers argued the case was based on a secret, state-ordered probe into the former presidential frontrunner.

The 65-year-old economist, whose high-flying career imploded when he was accused of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid in 2011, is back in court over his role at the centre of a prostitution ring.

Government warplanes kill over 40 across Syria

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Syrian warplanes struck several rebel-held areas across the country today, killing over 40 people, activists said.

Air raids on the village of Jassem in the southern Daraa province killed at least 12 people and wounded 25, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Daraa-based opposition activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh said 14 were killed in the air raids, including four children and two women.

British lawmakers to vote on three-parent babies

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Britain could become the first country in the world to allow the creation of IVF babies with DNA from three parents tomorrow in a move that has divided campaigners and religious leaders.

Lawmakers in parliament are set to vote on mitochondrial DNA donation techniques aimed at preventing serious inherited diseases.

Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) is passed on through the mother. Mitochondria supply the energy inside cells.

Hereditary mitochondrial diseases affect major organs and cause symptoms ranging from poor vision to diabetes and muscle wasting.

Libya parliament drops law barring Kadhafi-era officials

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Libya’s internationally recognised parliament today voted to suspend a controversial law that barred officials from the era of toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi from holding political posts.

“The House of Representatives voted in favour of suspending the law of political exclusion until the adoption of a permanent constitution,” lawmaker Tarek al-Jerushi said, adding that the law could now be considered “annulled”.

It is unclear how the authorities will be able to apply the law since the legitimacy of the parliament is disputed by a rival coalition that seized Tripoli last year.

US inmate with more than 2 decades on death row freed

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A man who spent more than two decades on Delaware’s death row has been freed, but prosecutors still hope to revive their murder case against him.

Forty-two-year-old Jermaine Wright walked out of prison and into the arms of his mother Friday.

A judge earlier ruled that prosecutors could not use a confession Wright gave to police following the 1991 killing of a liquor store clerk. Prosecutors dismissed the charges against Wright last week in order to appeal the judge’s ruling to Delaware’s Supreme Court, and Wright was freed for now.

Blast after presidential rally in Nigeria, fear of attacks

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President Goodluck Jonathan today escaped a suspected suicide bomb blast after he left a campaign rally in northeast Nigeria, as the country braced for fresh Boko Haram attacks before polling day.

The head of state had been addressing supporters of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe city and had just left the venue when the blast happened in a car park outside.

Rescue workers and health officials said the bodies of two women were brought to the Gombe State Specialist Hospital with 18 people who were injured. The target of the attack was not clear.