Month: April 2015

Consider giving up use of subsidised LPG: Tata Group to staff

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The Tata Group has requested its employees to consider voluntarily giving up use of subsidised LPG, joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to re- deploy the subsidy towards national development.

“In keeping with that tradition of supporting the national interest, Tata companies are requesting those employees who can afford to do so to consider whether they may wish to voluntarily give up the use of subsidised LPG,” Tata group said in a statement on its website.

CBRE to buy Johnson Control’s real estate biz for $1.47 bn

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Real estate consultancy firm CBRE has entered into an agreement to acquire Johnson Controls’ work space solution business GWS for USD 1.475 billion in an all cash deal.

Together, CBRE and GWS will manage nearly 5 billion square feet of real estate and corporate facilities globally, including 1.4 billion square feet in Asia Pacific, CBRE said in a statement.

CBRE has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Global WorkPlace Solutions (GWS) business of Johnson Controls, Inc. The “purchase price of the deal is USD 1.475 billion, payable in cash”, the statement said.

Honda Cars sales rise 23% in March to 22,696 units

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Honda Cars India on Wednesday reported 23.17 per cent jump in its domestic sales at 22,696 units in March, 2015.

The company had sold 18,426 units in March last year, Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) said in a statement.

Last month, the company sold 1,642 units of small car Brio, 8,128 units of compact sedan Amaze, 3,049 units of Mobilio and 9,777 units of the mid-sized sedan City.

Besides, the company sold 100 units of sports utility vehicle CRV.

In addition, the company exported a total of 691 units during the month.

Michele Bachmann compares Obama to Germanwings’ suicidal co-pilot for Iran deal

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American Republican and former member of the US House of Representatives Michele Bachmann has compared President Barack Obama to the Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz saying that Obama, with his Iran deal, is like Lubitz who flew his “entire nation into the rocks”.

Bachmann said that Obama is for the 300 million souls of US what Lubitz was for 150 souls on the plane that crashed into the French Alps killing all passengers on board, reported Washington Times.

Bachmann’s comments came on a Facbook post which received 8,000 likes and roughly 1,600 shares.

Ben Platt hops aboard Ang Lee’s ‘Billy Flynn’s Long Halftime Walk’

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Actor Ben Platt has been added to the cast of Ang Lee’s upcoming project ‘Billy Flynn’s Long Halftime Walk.’

The adaptation of the acclaimed 2012 Ben Fountain novel centers on a group of servicemen sent on a “Victory Tour” after returning from combat in Iraq, Deadline.com reported.

The 21-year-old ‘Pitch Perfect’ actor, who recently did ‘The Book Of Mormon’ will play the role of Josh, who works for the Cowboys organization and is in charge of taking care of the Bravo Squad during its day at the football stadium.

Potential Ebola vaccine passes safety test, shows good immune responses

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As per a new study an experimental Ebola vaccine called VSV-EBOV appears safe and generates immune response in a small phase 1 clinical trial.

Two independent but coordinated studies, performed at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), explored the safety and immunogenicity of the investigational vaccine when administered at different dosages.

Raj Babbar offers to bear charges of Giriraj Singh’s ‘mental treatment’

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Outraged by Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh’s ‘white-skinned’ remark on Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader Raj Babbar on Thursday offered to bear the charges for the BJP leader’s treatment in any mental asylum in the country.

“I am ready to bear charges of Giriraj Singh’s mental treatment in any asylum. We shouldn’t give his statement too much importance, but in a social context people like him are dangerous for the society,” said Babbar.

BJP downplays Giriraj Singh’s ‘white skinned’ remark on Sonia

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Attempting to downplay Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh’s ‘white skinned’ remark on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said the party MP from Bihar has expressed regret over his statement.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said that an issue which is over should not be unnecessarily dragged.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party has already made its stand clear. An issue which is over shouldn’t be dragged,” said Hussain.

Sonia refuses to comment on Giriraj Singh’s ‘narrow mindset’

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Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday refused to express her opinion on Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and BJP leader Giriraj Singh’s ‘white-skinned’ remark, saying she did not want to comment on a ‘narrow mindset’.

“I do not want to comment on a narrow mindset,” she said.

The Bihar MP’s controversial remark on the Congress president has led to innumerable protests by political parties and social activists throughout the country.

Rajan cautions banks against excessive lending to infra projects

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Cautioning banks against excessive lending to the infrastructure sector, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan today said such loans should not override the overall financial stability, which is “key to national security”.

“The nation has enormous financing needs in infrastructure, and far too many of our banks already have too much exposure. Big corporate infrastructure players have also taken too much debt,” Rajan said at a function to mark

80 years of RBI in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Factory girl turned touchscreen supplier is China’s richest

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Zhou Qunfei, the chairwoman of a Chinese touchscreen glass supplier firm that has clients like Apple and Samsung, has been crowned China’s richest woman, with a fortune of nearly USD 8 billion.

Dubbed as the “Queen of Mobile Phone Glass”, the 25-year-old has ousted Chan Laiwa, founder of Beijing Red Sandalwood Cultural Foundation, who was previously named China’s richest woman with total assets of USD 6.1 billion according to a global billionaire list by Forbes released last month.

Haryana Govt. rules out political motive behind Khemka’s transfer

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The Officer on Special Duty of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Bhupeshwar Dayal, on Thursday said whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka’s transfer to the Archaeology and Museums Department was a routine activity and added that there was no political motive behind it.

“It is a routine transfer. There were other officers, who have been transferred and not only Khemka ji. There is neither political nor official motive behind his transfer,” he told ANI.

Free coaching for TET-cum-TRT to minority candidates

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According to Director CEDM Prof. S A Shukoor, Centre for Educational Development of Minorities (CEDM) Osmania University under the auspices of Minority Welfare Department Govt. of Andhra Pradesh is conducting free coaching for TET-cum-TRT-2015 to be held for recruitment of teachers.

Minor gang-raped in Uttar Pradesh’s Bisva

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A 13-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped when she went to collect fodder from a field near her house in Bisva area.

Three persons raped the minor Wednesday evening. One of the accused, identified as Rohit, has been arrested while efforts are on to nab the other two, police said on Thursday.

They fled from the spot after committing the crime, leaving behind the girl who became unconscious, police said, adding that she was found by family members who went looking for her when she did not return home late in the evening.

The girl has been sent for medical examination, police said.

China presses drones to identify environment polluters

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In an attempt to improve air quality and battle the smog that often engulfs its many cities, China has deployed drones to spy on environment polluters who otherwise attempt to conceal their illegal activities.

During an air pollution inspections in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province and surrounding areas, officials of the Ministry of Environmental Protection deployed the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to check key places.

The UAV’s were responsible for identifying at least one environment norms violator in Hebei’s Handan City, where the air quality ranks among the worst in China.

Video of Dhoni meeting his daughter goes viral, but the baby is not Ziva

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Oops! A video showing MS Dhoni meeting his daughter has gone viral on social media platforms of late. However, the baby in the video is not the captain cool’s daughter Ziva.

Amidst the speculations, Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Dhoni took to Twitter to clear the air that the baby in the video is a fans’s daughter and not their daughter Ziva.

Dhoni was holding the baby for getting a picture clicked.

Team India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his wife Sakshi Dhoni became proud parents of a baby girl on February 6, this year.

Ajay Devgn will not cut the cake on his b’day

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‘Singham’ star Ajay Devgn has turned a year older today. However, the actor won’t be bringing in his birthday by throwing a lavish birthday party or cutting a birthday cake like the other celebs.

Well, the actor doesn’t like the ritual of cutting cakes and thus, his kids will be cutting his birthday cake for him, according to a DNA report.

The king of action movies will be celebrating his birthday at his abode in Juhu with his sisters, cousins and close buddies.

Ex-defence contractor guilty of sending US data to India

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A 49-year-old former owner of defence contracting businesses in the US has pleaded guilty to illegally sending sensitive military technical data to India as part of a conspiracy in which she worked with an Indian resident.

Hannah Robert, 49, of New Jersey pleaded guilty before US District Judge Anne Thompson to charges that she conspired to violate the Arms Export Control Act by exporting to India military technical drawings without prior approval from the US Department of State.

Mission Kakatiya begins at Shamsabad

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Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy began Mission Kakatiya today at 9 am at Malkaram village of Shamsabad. Present on the occasion were Rajendranagar MLA T Prakash Goud and other officers.

Siasat news

Crime In Hyderabad (2.4.2015)

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Ex-CRPF constable kills wife

(Siasat News): An ex-constable of CRPF killed his wife at Singareni Officer’s Colony in Saeedbad. It is said that the accused S Ravinder, 43, was an alcoholic and used to fight with his wife Samantha under the influence of alcohol and had beaten her many times.

Yesterday, the same thing happened but this time Ravinder attacked her with a kitchen equipment killing her on the spot. Not only this, he also got himself injured with the same.

Lal Masjid case: arrest warrant issued against Musharraf

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A non-bailable arrest warrant was issued today against former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf by a court here for repeatedly failing to appear in the 2007 murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi.

An Islamabad district and sessions court judge rejected Musharraf’s pleas for exemption from appearance and issued the non-bailable arrest warrant against the former president. The court adjourned the hearing till April 27.

71-year-old Musharraf is living with his daughter in Karachi where he underwent a medical check-up yesterday.

Brendon McCullum receives Sir Richard Hadlee Medal

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New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been awarded Sir Richard Hadlee medal, the country’s highest cricketing honour, for his inspirational leadership and exemplary batting at a glittering ceremony, here.

McCullum, 33, led the Kiwis to their first World Cup final where they did lose to Australia by seven wickets at a packed MCG on March 29 but won a million fans with their entertaining show throughout the 50-over showpiece event.

With 328 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 188.50, McCullum led by example to be named captain of the ICC’s team of the tournament.

Two policemen killed in Telangana

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Two policemen were killed and two others injured when a gang of criminals opened fire in Telangana’s Nalgonda district in the early hours of Thursday, police said.

Those killed have been identified as constable Lingaiah (36) and home guard Mahesh (35).

The incident occurred just after midnight when policemen were checking a few buses at a bus station at Suryapet in Nalgonda district, about 130 km from here.

Two suspects who were being questioned by police opened fire killing a police constable and a home guard. A police inspector and a home guard were also injured.

Gunmen attack Kenyan college

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Masked gunmen on Thursday attacked a university in central Kenya near the Somalian border, police said.

Witnesses said explosions and heavy gun-firing began in the morning in the Garissa University College, located in the town of the same name, some 150 km from the Somalian border Xinhua reported.

Kenyan security forces have surrounded the compound.

–IANS