Month: June 2015

British comedian Russell Brand, who is currently in India, shared his experience in India saying that people in India are more sophisticated in auditorium rather than on roads.

The 40-year-old stand-up comedian said before his performance at the 2015 edition of the Comedy Central Chuckle Festival jokingly said that Indians honk so much, as if devastation is coming.

Brand has been to India thrice earlier and his 2015 India tour will end with a performance in Mumbai on June 28. (ANI)

Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris has insisted that he is fit for the upcoming Ashes series while saying that he is competing to secure a Test spot in the team’s much-vaunted bowling attack in order to defend the title at Cardiff on July 8.

The 35-year-old fast bowler, who has battled a succession of knee injuries in his international career, was the Australia’s leading wicket-taker during England’s 3-0 series win in the 2013 Ashes series.

Earlier, coach Darren Lehmann had said that Harris was ‘short of a gallop’, referring to his declining pace.

Opposing Supreme Court’s ruling on homosexual marriage, one of the America’s prominent evangelical leaders Franklin Graham has recently issued a dire warning for the nation.

The 62-year-old evangelist said that he believes that God could bring judgment upon America, reported Fox news.

Warning the nation, he asked people to be prepared because it’s coming and there will be persecution of Christians for their stand.

In China, new trend of using candy-flavored e-cigarettes to get kids hooked on smoking is catching on.

As per Fox News, the e-cigarettes are sold to kids for as little as 3 dollars in China, where the average age for first-time smokers is under 11 and sale of e-cigarettes is unregulated.

Some campaigners worry that e-cigarettes are gaining popularity in China before awareness of tobacco’s dangers has become widespread, an Economist report said.

A new study has suggested that consumers are unclear about the risks or benefits of e-cigarettes.

The Scotland study suggested that while some smokers consider electronic cigarettes a potential aid in quitting, some people who have already quit see them as a temptation to resume a habit they fought hard to ditch, Fox News reported.

Accusing the Congress of politicising everything, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday showered praise on Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme and said that he speaks on subjects which are in the interest of the nation.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi through ‘Mann ki Baat’ not only reaches out to the citizens but at the same time also speaks on subjects that may be relevant to them. He shares many things that are in the interest of the country,” BJP leader Nalin Kohli told ANI here.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur on Sunday said the crime rate is not increasing in the state due to alcohol consumption.

“The crime rate doesn’t go up by consuming alcohol. It increases when a person begins to lose control over himself after drinking,” Gaur told the media here.

“One must drink in limits and not indulge in overdose. Drinking has become a status symbol these days,” he added.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Sunday rescued over 1,000 pilgrims from the Ghangaria-Hemkund Sahib route in Uttarakhand.

The pilgrims were stranded as various bridges on the rivers were washed away due to heavy rains that lashed the area this week.

Heavy rains in the state have also triggered landslides at various places, thereby, affecting the vehicular movement of the pilgrims.

The ITBP also rescued a dog from Lakshman Ganga river in Uttarakhand’s Ghangarial district. (ANI)

Key defender Deepika’s injury sustained in the match against Australia is a concern for the fast-improving Indian women’s team ahead of the knock-out rounds of the Hockey World League Semifinals at the KHC Dragons Stadium here.

Deepika’s fine show in the last preliminary league game against World Cup silver medalists Australia yesterday was marred by the nasty blow she received on her hand in the fourth quarter of the contest that India lost 2-4 after putting up their best show of the tournament.

Narendra Singh Tomar, an accused in the high-profile MPPEB scam, has died under mysterious circumstances in an Indore jail, adding another murky chapter to the scandal in which 24 accused and witnesses have died so far.

29-year-old Tomar, a veterinarian, complained of chest pain last night and was rushed to Maharaja Yashwant Rao Hospital where he was declared brought dead, official sources said on Sunday.

Congress on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Lalit Modi controversy, saying calls will be made for his resignation if he continues to remain silent and not take immediate action against those involved in corruption.

“It is in the interest of the Prime Minister to take immediate action against those involved in corruption.

Otherwise nationally and internationally, it is going to haunt him wherever he goes,” Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters.

Actress Kangana Ranaut has emerged as a formidable talent in Bollywood, where she found herself “trapped” when she first stepped into the industry. Now, she is fearless and confident.

The actress, who made her film debut with “Gangster”, and went on to feature in films like “Woh Lamhe”, “Life in a… Metro” and “Fashion”, told IANS: “When I came in this industry, I was trapped. I was dying in all my films. So, to come out of it was not easy for me.”

“I think it was my destiny and I have worked really hard to make a mark in this industry.”

President Pranab Mukherjee has expressed deep concern over the terrorist attacks in Kuwait and Tunisia.

In a message to the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Mukherjee said: “It was with shock and sadness that I learnt of the heinous attack at a mosque in Kuwait yesterday (Friday), resulting in the loss of innocent lives and injury to many worshippers.”

“We believe that the progress of humanity lies in unity, peace, brotherhood and non-violence. We stand by the people of Kuwait and reaffirm our full support to the global fight against terrorism.”

Google’s smart contact lens that will measure glucose levels in diabetics by analysing their tears may be on the market before 2019.

In a recent patent application, Google showed off potential designs for how it could package a smart contact lens, suggesting the project could be further along than thought.

Last year, the company announced that it was working on a lens that would be able to measure a wearer’s glucose levels by analysing their tears.

The lens could potentially remove the need for diabetics to prick their fingers and draw blood to check their blood-sugar levels.

Taking note of the fatigue factor, India are likely field a second string team for the tour of Zimbabwe and senior players such as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni might be given a break when the selectors meet here tomorrow to pick the squad for the limited-overs series.

The Indians have just finished a disappointing tour of Bangladesh, losing the ODI series 1-2, completing seven months of continuous cricket.

An ITI aspirant was in for a shock when he found a photo of a dog on his admit card. Soumyadip Mahato (18) downloaded the admit card for the ITI entrance exam from the official website to find the dog’s photo on it with his address and other details yesterday.

Mahato, who passed higher secondary examination this year, soon contacted the nodal officer for conducting the examinations in the area and was assured of assistance.

Later in the evening the dog’s photo was removed from his admit card.

Sanskrit scholars from 60 countries began a five-day conference on Sunday with an inaugural speech by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who suggested that Sanskrit should be propagated so that “it purifies the minds of the people and thus sanctifies the whole world.”

Speaking entirely in Sanskrit to over 600 Sanskrit experts, Swaraj called it a “modern and universal” language and said its tradition is comparable to the river Ganga.

In a first amidst the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, 129 people have been fined in the last three days for allegedly urinating in public in the city of Taj.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) officers caught 129 people for publicly urinating and slapped them with fines ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500, officials said.

GRP officers targeted regions like the Agra Cantt railway station, Agra Fort, Raja ki Mandi, Mathura, Idgah, Tundla and 12 other stations in the division.

The campaign will continue as part of the ‘Swachch Bharat Mission’, Gopoesh Nath Khanna, SP railways, said.

Canberra was on Sunday is attempting to verify whether an Australian Islamic State group fighter, notorious for being photographed with severed heads, had survived a drone attack after a report said he was still alive.

Australian media last week reported that two of the country’s most wanted IS jihadists, Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar, were believed killed in a drone strike in Syria.

The CPI(M) is ready for issue-based cooperation with Congress but ruled out any alliance outside Parliament saying it will have “nothing to do” with a party which still follows neo-liberal policies.

“What we are saying is on specific issues we can unite with other political forces in Parliament and outside Parliament, against the policies being brought out by the Modi government. Outside Parliament, we went to the President along with the Congress on this land acquisition bill issue. On specific issues we are ready to cooperate with other political parties,” he said.

A Dalit woman was on Sunday allegedly gangraped by four men near Karisath village in Bhojpur district, police said.

The incident took place after the woman got down from a train at Jagjivan halt where the four accused took her in an autorickshaw before gangraping her in a field, Deputy Superintendent of Police Vinod Rawat said.

The victim later reached Ara where she narrated the incident to a mobile police patrol party, he said.

An FIR was lodged based on her statement and three of the four accused were arrested, he said.

A local train today rammed into the dead end at Churchgate railway station here, leaving a woman seriously injured and disrupting suburban train services on the Western line.

The fast train coming from Bhayander rammed into the dead end on platform no.3 of Churchgate station at around 11.25 AM when the motorman could not stop the local.

As a result, the first coach of the train jumped onto the south-end concourse of the platform and was seen lying in a tilted position.

The reason for the motorman not being able to halt the train was yet to be ascertained.

Two Indians were among 26 people killed in a ISIS suicide attack at a mosque here, according to Indian Embassy, which asked the Indian nationals to take precautions for their safety and security in Kuwait.

“The Embassy regrets to inform about the death of two Indian nationals in the bomb blast at Imam Sadiq Mosque in Kuwait on June 26,” the Indian mission said in a statement.

Both the victims – Rizwan Husain (31) and Ibne Abbas (25)- were taking part in the prayers when they died, it said.

At the age of 63, Veteran TV writer and producer Chris Thompson passed away after long illness on June 26.

Talking about the tragic death of the comedy series ‘Shake It Up!,’ ‘Action,’ ‘The Naked Truth’ and ‘Ladies Man’ creator, Jim Vallely said that he and everyone who knows the producer is devastated with the news, reported Deadline.com.

British comedian Russell Brand, who is currently touring India, admitted that he can definitely “fall in love with” Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone.

The 40-years-old English stand-up comedian, who performed in Delhi on June 26 for the first time at the 2015 edition of the Comedy Central Chuckle Festival, said before his act that the person with whom he could potentially fall in love with and marry while in India was ‘Ram-Leela’ actress as she’s popular.