Month: June 2015

Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan visited Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on June 25-26.

During the visit he reviewed the various oil and gas projects in the state of Telangana; marketing of petroleum products and LPG; proposed pipeline projects; Coal Bed Methane projects and performance of Bhagyanagar Gas Ltd.

The Minister reviewed the performance of private companies and Joint Ventures who are operating in exploration and production of oil & gas including CBM in the region.

Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that the baton of urban transformation in the country is now in the hands of the States and Urban Local Bodies after the launch of the three new urban missions by the Prime Minister yesterday.

“It is for you to take it forward. The Central Government has done its bit by formulating the new Missions after extensive consultations with you and based on your views and suggestions,” Venkaiah Naidu said.

A 28-year-old girl committed suicide when her application for US Visa got rejected.

According to KPHB police, the deceased, Ch Swati, had recently completed her B Tech and was trying for a US Visa. However, she went into depression after her application for US Visa was rejected. Consequently, she resorted to the extreme step by hanging to the ceiling at her residence in KPHB on Thursday night. (INN)

A 27-year-old gold polish worker died after getting electrocuted in Mahankali police limits.

The deceased, Hafizur Rahman, was electrocuted on Friday morning while he was doing some work at his residence in General Bazar of Secunderabad. He was immediately rushed to Gandhi Hospital where he was declared brought dead. (INN)

A 28-year-old man died on the spot after he was hit by a train.

The incident occurred on Friday morning when N Praveen was hit by a train while he was trying to cross the railway tracks near his residence in Ramakrishnapuram, according to Secunderabad Railway Police. (INN)

A 24-year-old man was killed while his friend got injured when the motorcycle they were riding on was hit by a car near Tolichowki crossroads.

According to Golconda police, the accident occurred on Thursday evening when P Sukhdev was going on a bike along with his friend Gowtham. Sukhdev died on the spot while Gowtham sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital. Sukhdev was a worker in Shalimar Sweet House at Tolichowki and native of West Bengal. (INN)

A 50-year-old watchman died after falling down from an under-construction building.

According to Jawahar Nagar police, the deceased, K Ashok, fell down from height while water curing an under-construction building in Damaiguda, where he used to work as a watchman. He died on the spot. (INN)

A two-year-old boy died after falling from the second floor of his house in Charminar police limits.

The victim, Sandeep Mallik, was fell down while playing on the balcony of second floor of his house in Char Kaman near Gulzar House on Thursday evening. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. (INN)

Shaolin Kung Fu has found a welcome partner in ‘Kalaripayattu’, the classical martial arts from Kerala.

Six performers of ‘Kalaripayattu’ joined hands with Shaolin exponents at a rare fusion of the two traditional art forms in the Chinese capital on Friday, said a statement here.

The occasion was a ‘Kerala Evening’ organised at the Indian embassy in Beijing by Kerala Tourism, which is making a foray into China, a vast market with 107 million Chinese tourists travelling worldwide, according to figures available for 2014.

The BJP on Friday demanded explanation from the Congress over former IPL chief Lalit Modi “bumping” into Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra in a London restaurant last year.

“Happy to meet the Gandhi family in London. I had run into Robert (Vadra) and Priyanka separately in a restaurant,” tweeted Lalit Modi, who is embroiled in a row over alleged financial irregularities.

Reacting over the issue, Bharatiya Janata party national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said the Congress owed an explanation.

Indian Super League (ISL) team Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) co-owner Sourav Ganguly said on Friday that it was yet to decide on the marquee player for the upcoming season.

Spanish football legend Luis Garcia was ATK’s marquee player last season but he was not retained for the new season. ISL is scheduled to begin on October this year.

“The team is almost ready, we have signed a few good players but are yet to decide on the marquee. Besides Spain we are also looking into other countries to see from where we can get one,” Ganguly said.

Stepping up attack for resignation of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Congress on Friday alleged that she had “financial dealings” with former IPL chief Lalit Modi but the BJP’s state unit continued to defend her strongly.

With the allegations faced by Raje threatening to derail the monsoon session of parliament beginning next month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah on the issue.

The Indian parliamentary visit to Brussels came at a critical time when efforts are being made to reinvigorate the European Union-India relationship.

The first visit of a Lok Sabha speaker to Brussels in nearly two decades was a sign that both the EU and India were keen on strengthening their relationship.

Sumitra Mahajan, who led a group of Indian parliamentarians concluded her four-day visit on Friday after holding discussions with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and Belgian lawmakers.

Italy on Friday said it had decided to seek international arbitration within the framework of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) with India over a case relating to two Italian marines who are accused of shooting two Indian fishermen in 2012, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The two marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off India’s southwestern coast while assigned to anti-piracy duty aboard an Italian cargo ship.

The NDA government is all set to request Interpol to issue a red-corner notice against former IPL chief Lalit Modi who is wanted for financial irregularities, it was reliably learnt.

The decision was taken at a meeting on Friday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, said informed sources.

Jaitley also met Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah later in the day.

A female tourist from Kolkata who came to visit the Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir here died on Friday due to altitude sickness, an official statement said.

According to a press statement by the Sikkim Tourism Department, Jainti Sen, 40 died at the Sikkim Manipal Referral Hospital from altitude sickness developed while travelling to the temple.

“Rahul Sen, the husband of the deceased, has volunteered to donate the body to the Sikkim Manipal Hospital,” it said.

(IANS)

The Reserve Bank of India said on Friday that state-run banks are adequately capitalised, but would need additional funds to comply with international capital adequacy norms in the future.

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith finds the reports about her troubled marriage as “good news” because it means there’s no other drama she needs to worry about.

The “Magic Mike XXL” actress admits it is frustrating to read constant claims that she and Will Smith, with whom she has kids Jaden, 16, and Willow, 14, are getting divorced, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“You’d think people would be rooting for you to stay together not to break up, you know?

Pressure continued on Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to quit following charges of “financial dealings” with Lalit Modi but the BJP decided to defend her even as the controversy also shifted to Congress on Friday with the former IPL chief tweeting names of some top party personalities he had “met” recently.

Congress made fresh demands for Raje’s resignation citing an election affidavit of 2014 in which she had mentioned holding shares in company owned by her son Dushyant Singh alongside Lalit Modi.

The US on Friday condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia, the White House said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these heinous attacks, their loved ones, and the people of all three countries,” said the statement by the Press Secretary of the White House, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The President has discussed with his French, Kuwait, and Tunisian counterparts in recent weeks, we are resolute and united in our shared effort to fight the scourge of terrorism.”

At least 37 people, mostly foreigners, were killed and 36 others injured on Friday when gunmen opened indiscriminate fire in Tunisia’s resort town of Sousse, the country’s interior ministry said.

Tunisia’s Interior Ministry told NBC News that most of the victims were foreigners and that at least 37 people had been injured in the attack on the beaches of Sousse.

The ministry said one gunman had been killed and a second captured following a security-forces operation in the popular seaside resort.

A Nigerian drug smuggler has been arrested by Shillong-based customs officials from New Delhi, where he was under detaintion after his visa lapsed, an official said on Friday.

Samnneji Chukwuemeka alias Moses Jeffery was wanted in Meghalaya for trying to smuggle drugs from the state to Holland in 2011.

“He (Chukwuemeka) has under security radar for nearly four years after we foiled his attempt to smuggle 645 grams of brown sugar from Shillong to Holland way back in August 2011 through a courier agency,” Superintendent of Customs (Preventive) Shillong, D. Bhattacharjee, told IANS.

Gavie Chahal has replaced “Buddha” fame actor Himanshu Soni in film “Ye Hai India”.

Gavie told IANS that he was “specially fascinated by films that contain some message as you get a feeling that you’re contributing to the society in a way”.

“India has such a rich heritage since decades but we don’t give it much importance and even foreigners consider us a third world country. I think anybody who listens to this virgin script with such an amazing patriotic character will instantly do the film.”

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic will face German Phillip Kohlschreiber on Monday in the first round of Wimbledon, media reported on Saturday.

The world No. 1, who is playing on grass for the first time this year, will debut in front of the world No. 33, who plays very well on grass.

Djokovic may play the quarterfinals against Japan’s Kei Nishikori, ranked fifth in the world.

The southwest monsoon has covered the entire country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its bulletin released on Friday.

The IMD had predicted deficit rain during the monsoon this year and despite making a late entry – hitting the Kerala coast on June 5, a delay of four days – the monsoon has made rapid strides to cover the entire country ahead of the scheduled date of July 15.