Month: June 2015

After Maggi controversy, Indo Nissin today announced withdrawal of its instant noodles brand ‘Top Ramen’ from the Indian market on orders from central food safety regulator FSSAI.

Earlier this month, Nestle had to recall Maggi noodles, while Hindustan Unilever also withdrew its Knorr instant noodles brand over safety and regulatory issues.

On June 8, FSSAI had come out with the advisory on product safety testing of all instant noodle products in India after lead beyond permissible limits in Maggi noodles along with taste enhancer Monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and activist Anjali Damania on Tuesday criticized Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde for awarding contracts without proper tenders and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs have off late been busy in collecting the funds spent during the assembly polls.

“BJP MLAs are busy in collecting the expenses that they incurred in the polls. How did Vinod Tawde order 62105? Fire extinguishers without tenders? It is absolutely wrong,” said Damania.

Tawde is facing allegations of irregularities in a contract awarded by him.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders, on Monday said he did not meet former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi in London.

The 49-year-old actor was asked whether he met Modi, embroiled in a row after it came to light that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had facilitated travel documents for him in London and that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had reportedly favoured Modi’s immigration plea in a London court.

Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, as well as ace India cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni have made it to the Forbes annual Celebrity 100 rankings of the world’s highest-paid celebrities.

Both Bachchan and Salman share the 71st rank with earnings of $33.5 million each, while Akshay with $32.5 million is placed 76th. Dhoni with $31 million is ranked 82nd. This year’s list ranks the world’s 100 highest-paid celebrities, regardless of nationality.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly set up command centres across the United States to monitor any potential terror threats around its Independence Day on July 4, a federal law enforcement source said.

The source added that while no credible, specific threats surrounding the holiday had been received, its symbolic significance could make it a potential target for terror groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reported Fox News.

Impressions and perceptions have a way of changing with the passage of time. Sixty-six days ago, Nepal was in the news for all the wrong reasons, or so it seemed, given the wide and largely negative media coverage of the devastation and ravage caused by the April 25 earthquake.

Then, it was conveyed through various mediums of communication that one of the world’s less well off economies was spiraling downward due to a natural calamity striking the nation after 81 years.

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale struck Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning at 3.37 am.

According to reports, the epicentre of the quake was in the Hindu Kush region.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday alleged that Arvind Kejriwal does not practice what he preaches, adding that the Delhi Chief Minister only looks to target rival politicians.

The BJP’s reaction came after an RTI enquiry revealed that Kejriwal’s power bill for a period of two months was in excess of Rs one lakh.

India and 49 other founding countries, have signed an agreement which provides a legal framework for the China-led ‘100 Billion’ US Dollar, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The 60-article agreement specified each member’s share as well as governance structure and policy-making mechanism of the bank, which is designed to finance infrastructure in Asia.

The delegates from over 50 founding countries gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the signing ceremony yesterday.

Seven more countries are due to sign by the end of the year.(ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government has decided to continue the cleanliness drive in all central government offices up to August 15.

These will include public sector institutions such as banks and other departments.

The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation said in a circular issued to all secretaries that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his desire to continue the cleanliness drive till 15 August 2015. (ANI)

Australia and New Zealand have received a significant boost to their local economies as a result of co-hosting the ICC World Cup 2015 while generating a staggering 1.1billion Australian dollars (843.59 million dollars).

The findings of an economic impact and benefits analysis carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers show that the tournament generated more than 1.1 billion Australian dollars in direct spending, created the equivalent of 8,320 full time jobs, and had a total of 2 million bed nights across the two countries.

The debate whether coffee is healthy or not has going on for long, but a century’s worth of research proves that coffee’s effects on human health is marginal at most unless a person belongs to some particularly sensitive group.

The choice to drink or abstain will neither shorten nor lengthen a person’s life in a noticeable way, reported Slate magazine.

8 million people visited Grand Mosque during first 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, an increased by 49% from last year, confirmed the Haj and Umrah Public Administration in the governorate of Makkah region.

Saqr, Director of Hajj and Umrah department said the transportation plan adopted and monitored by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah and adviser of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and chairman of the Central Haj Committee.

AIADMK workers started celebrating as early reports indicated that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was leading by 20,000 votes in the counting of the RK Nagar by-polls.

The counting is still in progress.

The RK Nagar seat fell vacant following the resignation of P. Vetrivel.

The DMK, PMK and VCK have boycotted the by-election for various reasons.

A total of 28 candidates are in the fray in this assembly segment. (ANI)

European Commission head Jean Claude Juncker today urged Greece to vote “yes” in a referendum on bailout proposals or leave the euro as a bank shutdown ordered by Athens left the Greeks desperately scrambling for cash.

A visibly emotional Juncker launched a blunt attack on Greek premier Alexis Tsipras, saying he felt “betrayed” by the leftist government’s behaviour and adding it was time for them to tell voters “the truth”.

Greece’s regional neighbours took measures today to protect their banks and economies from the escalating financial crisis there and the possibility of a Greek exit from the euro.

Athens yesterday announced capital controls following a collapse in bailout negotiations with its creditors, which will see banks closed temporarily and international transfers vetted.

In Serbia, the central bank said it had put into place temporary measures on banks with Greek owners.

French authorities took two Uber managers into custody for questioning today over “illicit activity” involving its low-cost service.

The detentions came amid rising tensions between the government and the ride-hailing company, which culminated last week in a violence-marred taxi strike that blocked roads around the country.

French authorities are frustrated that Uber doesn’t pay the same taxes and social charges as traditional taxis, whose drivers have lashed out against what they see as unfair competition.

US President Barack Obama recently sent a private message to Iran’s leadership via Iraq’s prime minister, an Iranian newspaper reported today on the eve of a deadline for a nuclear deal.

Hamshahri, Iran’s highest-circulation daily, citing a lawmaker, said “one of the leaders of a neighbouring country” took the message from Obama to officials in Tehran.

The subject discussed was the nuclear talks between Iran and world powers led by the United States it said, without giving further details on its content.

A man who beheaded his boss in France has denied any religious motivation, investigative sources said today, muddying efforts to pin down the reasons for an attack which bore the hallmarks of a jihadist act.

Yassin Salhi, 35, yesterday confessed to decapitating his employer and pinning his severed head to the fence of a gas factory in eastern France in a macabre display that included two Islamic flags.

However according to a source close to the investigation, Salhi, who was known to security services for radicalisation, “denies any religious motivation to his act”.

Goa would be one of the six centres in the country that are provisionally selected to host forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 matches.

There will be four training grounds and one main stadium where the matches would be held,” Javier Ceppi, Tournament Director, local organisation committee (LOC) FIFA U-17 World Cup told reporters today.

FIFA has provisionally shortlisted other centres like Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai and New Delhi besides Goa as the venues.

Ceppi said this is for the first time India would host for the football World Cup.

The Indian women’s hockey team needs to plug the gaps in its defensive structure when going into attack, ahead of their quarterfinal clash against reigning World Cup and Olympic champions The Netherlands in the World League Semifinals here tomorrow.

In their enthusiasm, the Indian eves are allowing the defensive structure to fall apart when going into the attack and such lapses could prove terribly expensive against The Netherlands.

The Hyderabad High Court today rejected a public interest petition seeking a direction to the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to exercise special powers under a section of the Reoganisation Act that has become a bone of contention between the two States.

The Section 8 of Andhra Pradesh Reoganisation Act gives powers to the Governor on maintaining law and order in Hyderabad, the common capital of the two states for 10 years starting June 2, 2014.

The Commerce Ministry will take a host of measures in the coming days to further improve ease of doing business and make international trading paperless.

Also, Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher today launched two mobile applications which provide access to most of the services of Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

The DGFT is focusing on steps to simplify procedures for traders, Kher said while launching the mobile apps.

India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Romanian partner Florin Mergea began their campaign at the Wimbledon championships with a hard-fought win over over Tim Smyczek and Jiri Vesley in the men’s doubles, here today.

The ninth-seeded Indo-Romanian pair eked out a 6-3 7-6(1) 6-1 win over the unseeded American-Czech team in one hour and 26 minutes at court no. 19.

They next face winner of the first round match between pairs of Radek Stepnek/Mikhail Youzhny and Tomas Bellucci/Guillermo Durn.

The US Supreme Court today upheld the use of a controversial drug that has been implicated in several botched executions.

Meanwhile, two of the justices said for first time that death penalty itself probably is unconstitutional.

The justices voted 5-4 in a case from the state of Oklahoma that the sedative midazolam can be used in executions without violating a constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.