Rahul Gandhi pays surprise visit to Punjab

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Chandigarh, April 19 (IANS) Paying a surprise visit to Punjab, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Friday expressed his desire to correct the system within the party, saying the problems of grassroots level workers did not reach its top officials due to a communication gap.

Reaching Khanna town in Ludhiana district Friday morning, Gandhi held a closed-door meeting with party leaders and activists. Instead of addressing them from the dais, he kept moving from one table to another to listen to them.

Yusuf Pathan is a match-winner: Trevor Bayliss

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Yusuf Pathan may be going through a lean phase in his career, icluding in IPL 2013, but Kolkata Knight Riders coach Trevor Bayliss has no doubt about big-hitting all-rounder’s ability and said he is a match-winner.

“Having watched him at the nets, I think he’s striking the ball better than last year. He looks more confident than last year,” said Bayliss on the eve of Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings IPL match here.

“He is a match-winner when he comes off, there’s no doubt about it. I’m trying to work with Yusuf to find what’s the best way to go for him and score runs.”

Toddler given HIV-infected blood by mistake

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Russian tMoscow, April 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A 16-month-old girl in Russia’s St. Petersburg city was given an HIV-infected blood transfusion as a result of negligence of a hospital’s staff, prosecutors said Friday.

“Due to negligence on the part of the hospital’s staff and specialists from the city’s blood transfusion centre, and the shortcomings of a computer programme, the child was given blood from an HIV-positive donor,” a statement said.

Home Min seeks report from Delhi Police on minor’s rape

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The Union Home Ministry today sought a report from the Delhi Police on the rape of a five-year-old girl who was held captive for four days by her neighbour.

Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar will brief Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on the developments in the case, police sources said.

The girl was rescued yesterday from Gandhi Nagar area, four days after she went missing.

Home Secretary R K Singh said the ministry had taken note of media reports about the incident.

Briton jailed for 16 years for killing man with hammer

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London, April 19 (IANS) A 48-year-old Briton has been told he will serve a minimum of 16 years in jail for beating a man to death with a hammer, BBC reported.

Paddy Harkin, 49, from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was killed in his flat in February 2011. He died from head injuries.

Paul Greatbanks, originally from Kent, England, pleaded guilty to the murder.

He also admitted trying to kill Paul Mythen, from Letterkenny, in the same incident.

Mythen was left permanently disabled.

I am always available to you, want to change the system: Rahul tells Cong workers

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Rahul Gandhi today said he wanted to ‘correct the system’ within Congress as problems of grassroots level workers did not reach its top brass and assured partymen that he was available to them at any time.

In a closed-door interaction with delegates as part of organisation building exercise here, the fourth such meet in Punjab, the Congress Vice President told partymen that he wanted to ‘correct the system’ within the party.

Acting CJ asks banks to be cautious while granting to industrialists

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Acting Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Friday suggested to the commercial banks to take utmost care while sanctioning loans to the industrial managements.

The Chief Justice observed that it was not proper for the bankers to give away thousands of crores of public money to the industrial managements by merely scrutinizing property documents. Because of this, the banks were not only being cheated, but also there was no security to the public money, he observed.

Two Prisoners die of heart attack

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An under-trial prisoner in Charlapalli Central Jail, who complained of severe chest pain, died while being shifted to Gandhi Hospital at Secunderabad on Friday.

According to Jail Superintendent K.L. Srinivasa Rao, the deceased Mangali Kistaiah, 60, was an accused in an assault case. He was lodged in Parigi sub-jail earlier. As he was suffering from ill-health, Kistaiah was shifted to the Charlapalli Central Jail which has all the medical facilities for prisoners.

Boston Marathon blasts suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s web page venerates Islam

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Boston Marathon blasts suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev posted links to Islamic websites and others calling for Chechen independence on what appears to be his page on a Russian language social networking site.

Abusive comments in Russian and English were flooding onto Tsarnaev’s page on VK, a Russian-language social media site, on Friday after he was identified as a suspect in the bombing of the Boston marathon.

Police launched a massive manhunt for Tsarnaev, 19, after killing his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a shootout overnight.

Sikh devotees return from Pakistan, complain about poor state of shrines

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Amritsar, Apr. 19 (ANI): Sikh devotees who had recently visited Pakistan to offer prayers and pay homage at gurdwaras across the border, have returned home and complained about the poor upkeep of the shrines by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).

They claimed that several Sikh shrines, including the historic Gurdwara Panja Sahib needed urgent repair and upkeep.

The Sikh Jatha of about 2000 Sikh devotees returned to India after celebrating the Basakhi festival at Nankana Sahib.

12-year-old US girl survives four-story plunge

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New York, April 19 (ANI): A 12-year-old girl survived after falling four stories from her bedroom window in Queens.

Kaylan Watson, toppled from her bedroom window at the 73rd St. building in Jackson Heights at about 3:50 p.m. and landed in a patch of grass inside a courtyard, sources and witnesses told the New York Daily News.

Breanna Borano, whose apartment window faces the back courtyard, said that she saw the girl lying on the floor and she had banged her head really bad.

Borano asserted Watson looked as though she was daydreaming because her eyes were wide open.

Heather Locklear credits semen for youthful look

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Washington, April 19 (ANI): Heather Locklear has revealed that the secret to her great skin is ‘semen’.

When asked if she had any recommendations for anti-aging skincare products, Locklear told TMZ.com that “You just put semen on your face,” Huffington Post reported.

It’s unclear if the 51-year-old was talking about a cream product or just an ingredient.

Meanwhile, researches have proved that semen may have anti-aging benefits.

Semen as an anti-aging treatment saw a spike in popularity around 2009.

Beatles `reunite` for dinner date with wives

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London, April 19 (ANI): Beatles band members Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr seemed to be having a gala time when they met up for a spot of dinner at the courtyard of Cecconi’s with their wives in Los Angeles.

The former band mates, who have had a love-hate relationship since their Beatles heyday, greeted each other warmly and were joined by their respective wives Nancy Shevell and Barbara Bach for the meal, the Daily Express reported.

Deputy Chief Minister lobbying in Delhi for Home portfolio

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While the fate of the “tainted ministers” in the State Cabinet continues to hang fire, they seemed to have got a breather with the Congress High Command withholding permission to Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to revamp and reshuffle his ministry at least till the completion of elections in the neighbouring Karnataka State due in the first week of May.

US man describes `night wife cut off penis`

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New York, April 19 (ANI): A Californian man, who has filed a case against his estranged wife for severing his penis and putting it in a garbage disposal, has revealed that it was as though his life ended the evening of the attack.

The unnamed man said on the first day of the trial of Catherine Kieu, 50, that it was like she had murdered him that night, the New York Daily News reported.

Arshad Warsi attends special screening of `The Croods` in Mumbai

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New Delhi, April 19 (ANI): Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi along with his family was spotted having a great time at the special screening of 3D animated movie `The Croods` in Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, Warsi, who was seen clicking pictures with the animated character and the kids present at the screening, said that he finds animation as funny and full of excitement.

“Animation is always fun, my kids love it, I like it and I always enjoy it. Energy level is great, its bizarre, its funny, its exciting so I always enjoy it.” he said.

Devotees throng temples to celebrate Ram Navami

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Ayodhya/New Delhi, April 19 (ANI): Hindu devotees across North India thronged temples and celebrated Ram Navami- the day which marks the birth of Lord Rama.

Devotees bathed in River Sarayu in Ayodhya on Friday.

Devotees were seen offering special prayers on the riverbank other than taking holy dip in order to seek the blessings of Lord Rama.

Ayodhya- as regarded by Hindus is the birthplace of Lord Rama, thousands of devotees from far and near also visited the famous Kanak Bhavan temple to offer prayers on the occasion of Rama Navami.

Jewellery my weakness: Sridevi

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Actress Sridevi, who recently shot for a Tamil ad for jewellery brand Tanishq, admits she goes berserk upon seeing ornaments.

“Jewellery is my weakness. Whenever I see any jewellery, I am unable to control myself. My daughters or somebody has to cool me down,” the 49-year-old said here while shooting for the ad.

“I had called them (daughters) here also, but when I looked for them, they had left before I could demand anything,” added the actress, who seen as a simple housewife in her comeback movie “English Vinglish”.

Florida county embarrasses sex offenders by putting ‘sexual predator’ signs outside homes

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Washington, Apr. 19 (ANI): Florida police has drawn out a new plan to crackdown on sex offenders by posting ‘sexual predator’ signs outside their homes.

Cops in Bradford County are posting these signs outside the homes of convicted rapists and child molesters in a bid to alert neighbors.

According to the New York Daily News, Sheriff Gordon Smith told First Coast News that if the move prevents one more victim in the community, he has done his job.

The signs cost 10 dollars each and, so far, 18 have been put on display across the area.

Security beefed up in southern India after Bangalore bomb blast

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Bangalore, April 19 (ANI): Security has been beefed up at railway stations and crowded places in southern India after the recent blast outside the office of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bangalore, in which at least 16 people were injured. Police inspector in Chennai, Sekar, told yesterday that the security is on high alert in the railway station. “After the Bangalore blast incident, we have beefed up the security in Chennai Central. We have organized a five-step security; the railway staff and police have combined together to enhance the security.

US Senator warns drone battles over America possible in future

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A US lawmaker has warned that as the global drone boom unfolds in the next few years America could eventually see science-fiction style warfare in skies.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, during a Senate subcommittee hearing on the Federal Aviation Administration’s fiscal 2014 budget, said that he could envision drone fights in the air, drones cracking into each other.

PM deeply disturbed over five-year-old girl’s rape

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“Deeply disturbed” over the “shameful” sexual assault on a five year-old girl in Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday urged society to “look within and work to root out the evil of rape”.

“The prime minister is deeply disturbed over the shameful incident in which a five-year-old child in Delhi was sexually abused and is now fighting for her life in hospital,” said an official statement here.

The prime minister told Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna to ensure that appropriate medical care was being provided to the victim, it said.

Man jailed for insulting Russian flag in court

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A man accused of insulting the Russian flag in a court has been sentenced to a year and three months in jail, prosecutors said Friday.

Andrei Stupnikov, 28, from Kirov region, “removed the tricolour national flag from a flagpole and threw it outside from a window”, the court said.

The incident occurred Dec 1, 2012, when Stupnikov attended a court session “while drunk”.

He insulted the national flag “due to his personal hostile attitude to Russian justice” after the judge made a decision which Stupnikov said was “unjustified”.

Knight Riders may drop Yusuf Pathan against Chennai

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Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Friday hinted at dropping misfiring big gun Yusuf Pathan for explosive batsman Brendon McCullum in their crucial encounter against Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens Saturday.

When asked if the team management was thinking of including McCullum, Knight Riders coach Trevor Bayliss said there is a strong possibility that the New Zealand skipper will get a look in. McCullum has been warming the benches after missing the initial few games due to injury

“There is a possibility, it has been on my mind,” Bayliss told reporters.

Witch doctor arrested for raping woman in Rajasthan

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A self-proclaimed witch doctor was arrested in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district Friday for allegedly repeatedly raping a woman over six months on the pretext of exorcising an evil spirit that he claimed possessed her, police said.

According to police, the incident occurred in JNV area of the town, 400 km from Jaipur.

A 30-year-old woman had approached witch doctor Chunni Mali in November last year.