Month: June 2015

Pre-monsoon rains provided some respite from the blistering heat wave in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where more than 2,200 people died in last two weeks.

Parts of the two Telugu states received rains since Sunday night, slightly bringing down the temperatures.

However, the heat wave conditions continued in Telangana with almost all towns recording maximum temperature of over 40 degrees.

Showers and thunderstorms lashed parts of Andhra Pradesh. Several parts of Rayalaseema and few areas in coastal Andhra Pradesh received rains.

Automobile manufacturer Mahindra and Mahindra on Monday reported a decline of three percent in its sales for May which stood at 36,706
units down from 37,869 units in the corresponding month of 2014.

“The auto industry has been showing signs of recovery and it is important that factors like an interest rate cut if considered, would accelerate growth,” said Pravin Shah, chief executive of the automotive division, Mahindra and Mahindra.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is scheduled to conduct its bi-monthly monetary policy review on June 2, 2015.

A new book has claimed that American singer Judy Garland once stripped to her underwear from her hotel balcony to a group of hooting dockers.

Stevie Phillips, an ex-assistant to the troubled star, asserted that she was paid extra to travel to the Bahamas with Garland in 1963, but the visit turned into “hell” because of the actress’s demands, the Mirror has reported.

Hollywood actor Jean-Claude Van Damme seems to have a change of heart as he is no longer divorcing his wife Gladys Portugues.

The ‘Kickboxer’ star explained the reason for the reconciliation in a video where he said that they are not divorcing for the benefit of their kids, TMZ.com reported.

The 54-year-old actor then got poetic about his love for wife Portugues, who filed divorce documents back in March.

Damme and Portugues were married before between 1987 and 1992 and remarried in 1999. (ANI)

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that the country is ready to send troops to conflict-stricken parts of the world under the support of the United Nations Security Council Mandate.

According to The Daily Star, Hasina also said all necessary steps would be taken to improve the armed forces and police so that they could respond to the UN call with all necessary equipment more effectively.

She also said that Bangladesh had received an offer for some major appointments at the UN headquarters in New York and other field missions.

‘True Blood’ star Alexander Skarsgard and Alexa Chung are reportedly going out.

According to Us magazine, the relationship between 38-year-old Swedish hunk and the TV personality have “heated up” and they were both having fun even though they were busy with their work.

The couple was spotted getiing cozying under a tree in Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Prospect Park, and Chung, 31, had also shared a snap of herself taken by Skarsgard on her Instagram account, writing, “O rose, thou are sick!” (ANI)

Chinese engineers are working on an ATM, which will for the very first time have the feature of facial recognition.

According to the reports, Beijing’s Tsinghua University and Hangzhou-based security company Tzekwan Technology have come up with a prototype, with the aim to cut crime rates committed using the machines, News.com.au has reported.

CEO Gu Zikun said that until now, Chinese ATMs had depended entirely on foreign technology but they will now have access to an exclusively domestic system.

William Fichtner has hopped aboard Fox’s ‘Independence Day 2’ as a top general.

The news comes after the 58-year-old actor joined the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ franchise, and it is said he will go on to play an even larger role in the two films that will follow., Deadline.com has reported.

The film is being directed by Roland Emmerich and his former creative partner Dean Devlin. (ANI)

Reaching out to minorities ahead of Bihar Assembly polls due this year, the Centre has decided to launch a skill development initiative, ‘Nai Manzil’, for minorities from the state.

Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla while speaking at a press conference here today confirmed that the scheme would be launched from Bihar. The date for the launch is yet to be finalised.

It is learnt that the ‘Nai Manzil’ initiative is aimed to bridge the academic and skill development gaps between ‘deeni madrassas’ passouts and their mainstream counterparts.

A musical soiree was recently organized at the Rabindra Centenary Hall here on the occasion of the 116th birth

anniversary of revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Tripura’s Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Cultural Minister Bhanulal Saha and Higher Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty were among those present during the programme held on May 25. They paid floral tributes to the poet along with hundreds of school students and teachers.

A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on an application filed against Union Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani for allegedly furnishing wrong information about her educational qualification in affidavits filed with the Election Commission till June 24.

The verdict on whether the cognizance of the application should be taken or not will be pronounced on June 24.

Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain had earlier adjourned the matter till June 1 after imposing a fine on the complainant for non appearance.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla on Monday said her ministry is considering to link Waqf properties with the Aadhaar numbers of the Mutwallis (manager of Waqf property) for more transparent records, and an accurate and genuine identification of properties.

The Congress Party on Monday said there was a need for the NDA Government to avoid a soft stance towards Pakistan and take the issue of ceasefire violations along the Line of Actual Control up firmly with Islamabad.
“Separatists have been released. Violations across the International Border on the Line of Actual Control is the reality. The Prime

Minister had earlier said that he would look into the eyes and not bend while talking. We want him to take some firm action…. Why Lakhvi, the mastermind of 9/11, is out?” AICC Communications Department in-charge Anand Sharma asked media here.

Low blood pressure rather than high blood pressure is an independent risk factor for death before an operation, researchers, including those of Indian-origin, have found.

Despite numerous years of study, the influence of preoperative blood pressure (BP) on perioperative risk remains controversial, researchers said.

In the study, researchers investigated the relationship between preoperative BP and 30-day mortality following non-cardiac surgery.

They used data from 252,278 patients from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink to perform their analysis.

Shakira rewarded her long-term partner Gerard Pique with a kiss after his big win on the soccer field recently.

The ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ hitmaker stepped on the field and showed her full affection as while the Barcelona centre-back footballer was celebrating his historic Spanish Cup victory with teammates with the giant trophy, E! Online has reported.

The Colombian singer even shared her PDA picture on Instagram and wrote, “Campeones campeones oe oe oe!!! Shak”.

An office has found an adorable and unique way to relieve their stressed out workers. Borrow a fluffy little kitten from their parlour.

All the kittens are put in a huge condo by a local animal shelter in the lobby of a local government building, and the employees could pick one and spend time them for an hour, the Daily Star has reported.

Previous researches had found that owning a cat could cut risk of heart attacks and strokes by over 1/3rd.

A government worker said that the kitten library has been there for almost a year and over 100 cats and kittens have been adopted.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today alleged that Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani was misleading people by saying the Centre has not slashed development funds for Assam.

“A responsible minister should not mislead the people without verifying facts by asserting that the Centre had pumped huge funds into Assam for development,” Gogoi said in a statement here today.

“There is vast difference between what the HRD Minister said and the actual picture on the ground. The Centre has slashed development funds under centrally sponsored schemes,” he said.

Amber Rose flaunted her bra tan lines as she posed topless in a pool, showing off her hourglass figure again.

The American reality star posted a picture clad in just a pair of tiny neon G-string bikini bottoms on Instagram, and captioned it saying “F-k yo Tan #MILFIN,” Us Magazine has reported.

The 31-year-old model has been getting pretty frequent on social media with her sexy shots lately. (ANI)

Adam Levine knows how to get all eyes on him! The singer has gone butt naked for Maroon 5’s latest music video, ‘This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like a MotherF***ker’.

The ‘Sugar’ singer is seen stepping out of a shower with only a towel on, and gives a clear view of his butt as he takes his towel off to reach for his clothes to get ready for performance, E! Online has reported.

Levine also announced the release of the video by sharing its link on Twitter. (ANI)

Australian fast bowling legend Glenn McGrath believes India’s flamboyant batsman and Test skipper Virat Kohli is the right person to lead the team and his aggressive approach both on and off the field is a positive sign as long as he is scoring runs.

“I think it is a positive. Because you want a leader who is strong, who wouldn’t take a backward step, who would lead by example. But you don’t want to go too far or go overboard crossing the line,” McGrath, who is on a three-city tour as Hardy’s brand ambassador for Sula Selections, told IANS in an exclusive interview here on Monday.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said that “political secularists” should desist from creating an atmosphere of fear among the minorities in the country.

“The political secularists should desist from creating an atmosphere of fear among the minorities and misguiding them for furthering their political interests,” Naqvi said while speaking after inaugurating the Central Wakf Bhavan here.

American activist Elizabeth Smart’s father has said that his daughter welcomed her baby girl three months ago.

Smart’s father told one website that her daughter is great, she just had a little baby girl three months ago, Us Magazine reported.

He continued that they wanted all of those people who have been victimized out there to be survivors, to be thrivers, to find their dreams, to find that new hope in life.

The 27-year-old activist married her longtime love Matthew Gilmour in February 2012. (ANI)^

Impressed by Varun Aaron’s speed, Australian legend Glenn McGrath today said he was disappointed at the fast bowler’s omission from India’s World Cup squad and predicted that the pacer will be around on the international scene for a long time.

According to the New South Welshman, who finished his career with a staggering 563 wickets in 124 Tests at just 21.64 per victim, both Aaron, whom the Australian had tutored for a while, and Umesh Yadav should always be part of the Indian team as they can both bowl in excess of 150 kph.

Amitabh Bachchan has faced the camera with conviction for over four decades, but the megastar says he still experiences stage fright.

“Appearances before the public are even more frightening. Particularly when asked to perform or present or speak on occasion. The thought of not being misjudged, of not making error, of wanting to engage and leave soon, is what creeps into the mind,” Big B posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.

Model Kendall Jenner is frustrated with her having to rely on technology and social media, and says she thinks it’s “sad” how much young people use them.

“I think social media has taken over our generation. It’s a big part of our lives and it’s kind of sad.

“I hate it sometimes… like, I literally want to throw my phone so I can’t look at it. It’s all a made-up world if you think about it. Social media, everything, this interview, everything. It’s not real. It’s pretty crazy,” Kendall told Style magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.