Mumbai, Jan 31 (IANS) TV actor and host Karan Wahi is the latest to make a transit to the big screen and is shooting for his first film. However, he cannot reveal any details about the project.
“I am shooting for a film. But I can’t talk about it. If I could tell you about the film, I would have,” the 27-year-old said here during the shoot of the grand finale of dance reality show “Nach Baliye 6.”
“The day I get permission to talk about it, I will invite you all and tell you everything about it,” he added.
Karan has acted in TV shows like “Remix”, “Dill Mill Gayye”, and “Kuch Toh Log Kahenge”, among others.
Meanwhile, Karan is overwhelmed by the amount of love he sees on the sets of “Nach Baliye” every year and says that the participating candidates, who are also real life couples, in the show can not fake on camera.
“Many people ask me if most of the couples are fake but genuinely I can never say yes. The amount of love I see on the sets is amazing. It is just impossible to show so much fake love. I fall sick seeing so much love. May be that’s why I don’t have any girlfriend,” said Karan.
The actor has been the host of “Nach Baliye” for two seasons besides hosting “Nach Baliye Shriman v/s Shrimati”. He also hosted “Indian Idol Junior” last year.
Advanced, specialized clerical work involving the implementation of specific aspects of programs within a division or department. This class is distinguished…
Geneva: A contentious week-long first round of Syrian peace talks ended on Friday with no progress towards ending the civil war and the government delegation unable to say whether it will return for the next round in 10 days.
Darkening the atmosphere further, the United States and Russia clashed over the pace of Syria’s handover of chemical arms for destruction. Washington accused Damascus of foot-dragging that put the plan weeks behind schedule, and Moscow – President Bashar al-Assad’s big power ally – rejected this.
The Obama administration said it was working with partners to ratchet up pressure on Syria to accelerate the process, but stopped short of threatening any action if Damascus did not get the chemical weapons deliveries back on track.
The Russian government said Assad was acting “in good faith” in carrying out last year’s international chemical disarmament agreement and a June 30 deadline for eliminating the poison gas agents remains viable.
UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, who has tirelessly pursued a peace deal that other diplomats consider “mission impossible”, said the opposition delegation would be back on February 10, but President Bashar al-Assad’s delegates had told him they would have to check with Damascus before agreeing to return.
“They didn’t tell me that they are thinking of not coming. On the contrary, they said that they would come but they needed to check with their capital,” Brahimi told a news conference.
Brahimi listed 10 simple points that he felt the two sides agreed on in the talks and said he thought there was more common ground than the sides recognised.
But neither side has budged an inch from their main positions: the opposition wants the talks to focus on a transitional administration it says will remove Assad from power; the government wants to talk about fighting “terrorism” – a word it uses to refer to all its armed foes.
“Progress is very slow indeed, but the sides have engaged in an acceptible manner,” Brahimi said.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem blamed the lack of tangible results on what he called the immaturity and narrow composition of the opposition delegation and their “threats to implode” the talks, as well as blatant US interference.
“There are huge divides between (the opposition delegation)and what happening on the ground in Syria. They are not in touch with what is taking place in Syria … and have no control over anybody on ground,” Moulem told reporters.
The Friends of Syria, an alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab states that back Assad’s foes, faulted the Syrian government for the lack of diplomatic headway.
“The regime is responsible for the lack of real progress in the first round of negotiations. It must not further obstruct substantial negotiations and it must engage constructively in the second round of negotiations,” they said in a statement.
US State Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez said the Syrian government “continues to play games” with its non-committal stance to future talks while the opposition had shown it was serious in pledging to return to the table.
“The people of Syria are watching and will determine who truly has their best interests at heart. The Syrian people – who have suffered so much – deserve constructive engagement now and in the next round,” Vazquez said.
Expectations had always been low for a breakthrough on political issues at the talks, the first between Assad’s representatives and his foes in an almost three-year-old conflagration that has killed 130,000 Syrians and driven a third of the population from their homes.
The sides could not even achieve more modest goals, such as an agreement to allow aid convoys into Homs, Syria’s third largest city, where thousands of civilians are trapped with no access to food or medicine.
“Homs was extensively discussed, although unfortunately there has been no breakthrough yet,” Brahimi said.
Relentless Carnage
Underscoring the relentlessness of the carnage, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said 1,870 people had been killed during the week of talks, including 450 civilians and 40 who died from inadequate access to food and medicine in areas besieged by government troops.
With few achievements on substance, diplomats say the priority now is just to keep the talks process going in the hope that rigid positions can be modified over time.
Brahimi inherited the arduous challenge of convening talks from former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, who bowed out in 2012 saying the job was impossible as long as global powers were at odds. Since then, the task has only grown more difficult and the war bloodier and more fragmented.
Assad’s forces have recaptured territory, reducing pressure on him to compromise. Western states that once brandished the threat of intervening against him abandoned such plans last year. The insurgents have become increasingly divided and Islamic militants have gained power on the ground – they refused to attend the talks.
The United Nations invited Assad’s main Middle East ally Iran at the last minute, then reversed and revoked the offer.
The talks began with hardline speeches at a conference last week and repeatedly seemed on the verge of collapse before the two sides even entered the same room. Just getting them there was deemed an achievement.
Still, the sides took a first tentative step forward on Wednesday by agreeing to use a 2012 document as a basis for discussions. Thursday’s final negotiating session began with a rare gesture of harmony when all sides observed a minute’s silence for the 130,000 people killed during the war.
“All stood up for the souls of the martyrs. Symbolically it was good,” opposition delegate Ahmad Jakal told a news agency.
Chemical weapons delay
Last year saw Washington abandon plans for strikes to punish Damascus for using chemical weapons, ending more than two years of speculation that the West might join the war against Assad as it did against Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Instead, Assad agreed to give up his poison gas stocks, a complicated process that has fallen 6-8 weeks behind schedule.
A news agency reported on Wednesday that Syria had given up less than five percent of its chemical weapons arsenal and will miss a deadline next week to send all toxic agents abroad for destruction.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Syria had no excuse for the delays and urged it to move “very rapidly” to allow them to be shipped out of the country.
Russia rejected the US accusations and blamed security on the road to the Mediterranean coast for the delays.
“We see that the Syrians are approaching the fulfilment of their obligations seriously and in good faith,” Russian Foreign Ministry official Mikhail Ulyanov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. “Our American partners, in their usual manner, are betting on pressure even in those cases where there is absolutely no need for it.”
Reuters
First Published: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 04:03
Real Sociedad have agreed a deal to sign former Real Madrid playmaker Sergio Canales from Valencia on a four-and-a-half year deal, Sociedad confirmed on Friday.
“Sergio Canales has already passed a medical prior to signing and will be officially presented on Monday,” said a statement on the Basque club`s website.
The 22-year-old rose to prominence whilst at now stricken Cantabrian club Racing Santander.
His talent prompted Madrid to pay 10 million euros bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2010.
However, after failing to break into the Real first team, he joined Valencia firstly on loan and then on a permanent basis in 2012. ADAG to enhance investment in MP Bhopal, Jan 31 (PTI) The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) will enhance its investment in Madhya Pradesh in the next few years taking the total investment to around Rs 50,000 crore. ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani who arrived here today for a breakfast meeting with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the latter`s residence told him that his group has already invested Rs 30,000 crore in the state, official sources said. He informed that the 4000 MW Sasan`s UMPP set up at an investment of Rs 30,000 crore will be completed soon and the group plans to invest an additional Rs 15,000 crore in the project, sources said. He also said that his group would invest Rs 6,000 crore to set up a five metric tonne capacity cement plant in Maihar, besides a 4000 MW power plant in Chitrangi, investing Rs 2,000 crore, sources said. Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anthony J C DeSa, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Manoj Shrivastava and Energy Secretary Mohammad Suleiman were present on the occasion. After nearly a 45-minute long meeting at the Chief Minister`s residence, Anil Ambani left for the airport, the sources said. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Rajendra Shukla congratulated the Sasan power project`s management for generating power from 660 MW Unit-2, from January 28. Madhya Pradesh will receive 233 MW of power from the project this year at a levelised tariff of Rs 1.19 per unit, an official release said. The Sasan UMPP is a coal-based power project with a total capacity of 3960 MW. PTI
“““ Cyrus loves computer game Guitar Hero (02:00) Los Angeles, Feb 1 (IANS) Singer Miley Cyrus is a fan of computer game Guitar Hero and makes sure to carry it along when she is touring.
The 21-year-old loves the computer game, in which players have to strum their favourite songs on a plastic guitar, reports contactmusic.com.
“My tour rider used to ask for Guitar Hero and (breakfast cereal) `Frosted Flakes`. Now I just kind of want the `Guitar Hero`,” Cyrus told Bang Showbiz.
She has asked for the game waiting for her during her upcoming Bangerz tour.
AFP
First Published: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 02:16
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London: Actress Sienna Miller said on Friday that she had a “brief encounter” with James Bond star Daniel Craig, but insisted a British tabloid misconstrued the nature of the relationship based on a hacked voicemail message.
Miller told Britain’s phone-hacking trial that she probably did leave a message for Craig that ended “I love you”. But she said she always signed off to family and friends that way.
“The thing that’s been slightly misconstrued about this voicemail message is the fact that I said I love you and that this was some incredibly important declaration of love,” Miller said.
“I had always ended my phone calls to Daniel ‘I love you’; it was a declaration of friendship.”
Miller testified by video link to the London court from New Orleans at the trial of two former News of the World editors, and five others, over phone hacking and other wrongdoing at the now-defunct tabloid.
The defendants deny a variety of charges, including phone hacking, bribery and obstructing a police investigation.
In recent days the trial has focused on evidence from Dan Evans, a former reporter who says he hacked Craig’s phone and used the “I love you” message as the basis of 2005 stories about an affair between Craig and Miller. She was then dating actor Jude Law, while Craig was in a relationship with film producer Satsuki Mitchell.
Evans has pleaded guilty to phone hacking, and says top editors were aware of his actions. Defence lawyers have questioned his credibility as a witness, suggesting the affair story could have come from sources other than phone hacking, such as associates of Miller and Law.
Miller, 32, said Evans’ description of her voicemail for Craig rang true, and she could see why it would have caused excitement among journalists who heard it.
Miller, who sat beside an FBI agent as she gave evidence from the United States, said she had “absolutely never” courted media attention and regretted that her relationship with Craig her co-star in the 2004 movie “Layer Cake” had been turned into “a titillating piece of information” for the press.
“Whether or not I was in a relationship with Daniel Craig at the time, it was a very brief encounter,” she said. “He was my best friend. My saying ‘I love you’ was nothing new.”
After Miller finished her evidence, judge John Saunders thanked her and said: “I am very sorry what has gone on in this court and reported in the press has caused you distress.”
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 03:17
San Diego: Switzerland took advantage of Novak Djokovic`s absence to open a 2-0 lead over last year`s runners-up Serbia in their Davis Cup tie on Friday with Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka winning their singles rubbers.
Two months after their defeat by Czech Republic in the final, Serbia fielded a second-string team who were quickly put under pressure in their World Group first round clash.
Federer beat 268th-ranked Ilija Bozoljac 6-4 7-5 6-2 while Wawrinka, fresh from winning his maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open, eased past Dusan Lajovic 6-4 4-6 6-1 7-6(7). France got off to a flier against Australia with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beating gutsy veteran Lleyton Hewitt 6-3 6-2 7-6(2) after Richard Gasquet outclassed Nick Kyrgios 7-6(3) 6-2 6-2.
The Czechs, who retained the Davis Cup in November, were losing 1-0 to the Netherlands in Ostrava, with Radek Stepanek going down in five sets to Robin Haase before Tomas Berdych plays Igor Sijsling later on Friday.
Reuters
First Published: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 02:27
Bhopal: The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) will enhance its investment in Madhya Pradesh in the next few years taking the total investment to around Rs 50,000 crore.
ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani who arrived here today for a breakfast meeting with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the latter’s residence told him that his group has already invested Rs 30,000 crore in the state, official sources said.He informed that the 4000 MW Sasan’s UMPP set up at an investment of Rs 30,000 crore will be completed soon and the group plans to invest an additional Rs 15,000 crore in the project, sources said.
He also said that his group would invest Rs 6,000 crore to set up a five metric tonne capacity cement plant in Maihar, besides a 4000 MW power plant in Chitrangi, investing Rs 2,000 crore, sources said.Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anthony J C DeSa, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Manoj Shrivastava and Energy Secretary Mohammad Suleiman were present on the occasion.
After nearly a 45-minute long meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence, Anil Ambani left for the airport, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Rajendra Shukla congratulated the Sasan power project’s management for generating power from 660 MW Unit-2, from January 28.
Madhya Pradesh will receive 233 MW of power from the project this year at a levelised tariff of Rs 1.19 per unit, an official release said.
The Sasan UMPP is a coal-based power project with a total capacity of 3960 MW.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 02:43
Citing insufficient documents,the law ministry has refused to give legal opinion to the CBI on whether sanction is needed to prosecute Intelligence Bureau officers in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case.
The government’s legal arm has told CBI to bring sufficient documents before a legal opinion can be provided on whether prior sanction is required to prosecute Special Director Rajinder Kumar (now retired), and three other officers — P Mittal, M K Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede. CBI had recently approached the Law Ministry through the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) seeking a legal opinion.
It is learnt that when the Law Ministry demanded documents, the CBI informed it that it would share the documents with the Attorney General but cannot give copies as the papers were sensitive in nature. Law Ministry had then suggested that a CBI officer can bring the documents to allow its officers to examine the papers before they can move further. The Law Ministry would also prefer the Home Ministry -the administrative ministry of Intelligence Bureau – to give its views on the questions raised by CBI on sanction to prosecute.
CBI says it has gathered enough evidence about the role of IB officers in the conspiracy behind the encounter but there are contrary views on whether sanction from Home Ministry is needed to prosecute them. One view holds that since Kumar was in active service at the time of the alleged crime, sanction for his prosecution is needed from Home Ministry, which is the cadre controlling authority.
Another opinion was that since he retired from service in July this year, the agency could go ahead with its charge sheet without any need for a sanction to prosecute. If Law Ministry says that a nod from the Home Ministry was needed, CBI would send a request seeking sanction to prosecute the officers.
Mumbai, Jan 31 (IANS) TV actor and host Karan Wahi is the latest to make a transit to the big screen and is shooting for his first film. However, he cannot reveal any details about the project.
“I am shooting for a film. But I can’t talk about it. If I could tell you about the film, I would have,” the 27-year-old said here during the shoot of the grand finale of dance reality show “Nach Baliye 6.”
“The day I get permission to talk about it, I will invite you all and tell you everything about it,” he added.
Karan has acted in TV shows like “Remix”, “Dill Mill Gayye”, and “Kuch Toh Log Kahenge”, among others.
Meanwhile, Karan is overwhelmed by the amount of love he sees on the sets of “Nach Baliye” every year and says that the participating candidates, who are also real life couples, in the show can not fake on camera.
“Many people ask me if most of the couples are fake but genuinely I can never say yes. The amount of love I see on the sets is amazing. It is just impossible to show so much fake love. I fall sick seeing so much love. May be that’s why I don’t have any girlfriend,” said Karan.
The actor has been the host of “Nach Baliye” for two seasons besides hosting “Nach Baliye Shriman v/s Shrimati”. He also hosted “Indian Idol Junior” last year.
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The Supreme Court on Friday expressed satisfaction with the response of the Delhi Police and its handling of the two-day dharna by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Jan 20-21.
Accepting the response of Delhi Police, an apex court bench of justices RM Lodha and Shiva Kirti Singh said, “They have acted reasonably fast, and did not remain simply dormant.”
“Having regard to the statement made by the DCP headquarters with regard to the action taken once the dharna started on January 20, 2014, at 12.00am, we are satisfied that no further order needs to be passed in the present petition and the same is disposed of,” the court said, while accepting the response from Delhi Police to the queries the court posed in the last hearing.
Kejriwal sat in protest demanding the suspension of four police officers who had refused to act on the orders of his ministers. The issue of full statehood for Delhi and control of Delhi Police by the state rather than the central government also came up during the dharna.
Dubai: An Indian national, who bludgeoned his neighbour’s maid to death in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been sentenced to death by a court.
The man killed the maid, with whom he had a relationship after she told him that she was pregnant and threatened to slap a rape charge on him, The National reported Thursday.
He believed her claim despite the fact that they had never had sex.
The defence lawyer described him as “the most stupid man I have seen in 40 years”.
The man, who worked as a cook for an Emirati government official, lived in a villa near the place the maid stayed.
They met as they were depositing rubbish outside the house.
A few days later as the cook was working on the roof the maid, whose nationality was not mentioned, signalled him to come over to the house of her employer, who was away on holiday at the time.
The defence lawyer said his client went there and they had some “romantic time on the roof which did not exceed hugging”.
A week later, when he visited her again, she told him he had made her pregnant and threatened to slap a rape charge on him.
Following the threat, he hit her on the head three times with a stone which was lying outside the woman’s employer’s house, killing her.
He placed her body in a bathtub filled with water and set the villa on fire to get rid of the evidence.
The villa was reduced to ashes but the body in the bathtub was unharmed because it was filled with water.
The convict was arrested after he asked his employer to help him flee the country.
But his employer reported him and offered to pay the defence expenses.
The defence lawyer argued that his client could not be charged with premeditated murder because it was not a premeditated crime.
The case had been on hold since 2010 because the court could not trace the maid’s family. And though the family of the maid has not yet been found, the judge decreed the death penalty.
IANS
First Published: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 00:35
Sydney: Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe`s handlers on Friday denied he was in rehab for depression and alcohol abuse and said he instead entered hospital for shoulder surgery.
It followed a front page splash in The Sydney Daily Telegraph that the 31-year-old was injured in a fall this week leading his family to seek medical help for the swimmer, with Thorpe reportedly admitted to hospital on Wednesday for depression and alcohol abuse.
“Ian is not in rehab,” his management firm SEL said following the report.
“Ian was in hospital for an operation on his shoulder and is pleased to let his friends and fans know that he is now out of hospital and on the mend.”
The five-time Olympic gold medallist, one of Australia`s most recognised sporting figures, has struggled to adjust to life after swimming and with the disappointment of a failed effort to reach the 2012 London Olympics.
And he has been open about his battle with depression and alcohol in the past.
The newspaper quoted broadcaster Alan Jones, one of Thorpe`s closest associates, as saying: “Yes, it`s serious but there`s not a lot I can or want to add.
“Ian is a beautiful person but he has difficulty recognising his problems.”
Thorpe, who came out of retirement in 2011 in a bid to make the team for London but failed to qualify, released an autobiography in 2012 in which he admitted a struggle with depression and alcohol.
“Not even my family is aware that I`ve spent a lot of my life battling what I can only describe as crippling depression,” he wrote.
“It`s a terribly dark place in which to hide.”
He added: “I suppose it was inevitable that I`d turn to other, artificial ways of managing my feelings, and I found alcohol.”
Thorpe is Australia`s most decorated Olympian with five gold medals at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, with his extraordinary success attributed partly to his abnormally large feet and hands.
He became the first person to win six gold medals at one world championships, in 2001, among 11 world titles overall — along with 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals.
But the demands of a celebrity lifestyle and grinding training sat uncomfortably with Thorpe and he quit in 2006, dabbling in jewellery design and television after his retirement, before the failed comeback.
Fellow Australian Kieren Perkins, considered one of the greatest distance swimmers ever, said a lot of sportspeople struggled after retiring and urged more help.
“I was not surprised at all, I think it happens far more than we know, it`s just that Ian is famous and getting attention,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Perkins, who is now in banking, said he also had trouble with the transition.
“I think there needs to be some cultural change to better support people through this and recognise that the fundamental change that someone goes through in their life when they retire from elite competitive sport is significant and is very difficult for all of us to contend with,” he said.
“There would be many of hundreds, if not thousands of athletes that don`t have the notoriety who are at any one time contending with the same things.”
First Published: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 00:37
New Delhi: Retail inflation for industrial workers eased to 9.13 percent in December compared to 11.47 percent in November and 11.17 in the same month in 2012 on account of softening of prices of foods items.
“The year on year inflation measured by monthly CPI-IW (Consumer Price Index-Industrial Workers) stood at 9.13 percent for December 2013 as compared to 11.47 per cent for the previous month and 11.17 percent during the corresponding month of the previous year,” a Labour Ministry statement said.
According the press release, the food inflation stood at 11.49 percent in December against 16.17 percent in previous month and 13.53 percent during the corresponding month of 2012.
The all India CPI-IW for December 2013 declined by four points and pegged at 239 points. On one month percentage change, it decreased by 1.65 percent between November and December compared with the rise of 0.46 percent between the same months a year ago.
The downward pressure to the change in the current index came from food group contributing (-) 4.96 percentage points to the total change.
At item level, onion, ginger, chillies green, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, tomato, potato and other vegetable items, sugar etc. Are responsible for the decrease in the index.
However, this neutralised to some extend by fish, eggs, poultry, milk, pure ghee, garlic, fire wood, ESI (employees’ state insurance) contribution, etc, putting upward pressure on the index.
At the centre level, Giridih recorded maximum decline of 12 points, while Ahmedabad, Chhindwara, Varanasi, Munger, Jamalpur, Nagpur and Bhavnagar (10 points), Jamshedpur (9 points) and Rourkela, Ludhiana, Tripura and Angul Talchar (8 points each).
However, Sholapur and Puducherry centres recorded increase of four points and two points respectively and the index remained stationary in 37 centres.
Milk prices in Delhi and the National Capital Region have risen once again, with the Mother Dairy raising the prices of all variants of milk.
“We have been compelled to raise the retail prices because of the ongoing rise in the prices of raw milk in the last few months coupled with the need to ensure availability of milk in the consumer market,” said a Mother Dairy spokesperson on Friday.
The price of one litre of full cream milk has increased from Rs. 44 to Rs. 46, while a litre of toned milk has gone up from Rs. 34 to Rs. 36 and that of double toned from Rs. 30 to Rs. 32.
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Karachi: Departing Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore today called on the PCB to appoint a full-time professional batting coach with the national team.
Whatmore is leaving his post after heading the Pakistan side as chief coach for two years and helping them draw their previous Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE earlier this month.
“I wouldn`t know what to say about who should be appointed as head coach but definitely I would say the board needs to have a fulltime batting coach with the players,” Whatmore told reporters in Lahore.
The 59-year-old Australian ruled himself out as a candidate to have another term with the Pakistan team.
“No, I am not in the run because I have taken my decision. I am leaving Pakistan with pleasant memories but with a heavy heart. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the team although it was a challenging task at most times,” he said.
Describing Umar Akmal as an exceptional talent, Whatmore said the young batsman has the potential to become a great batsman.
Asked about the changes being proposed in the ICC governance and financial models, Whatmore said, “The way I look at it, such things are not brought up in the ICC without thought and whatever decision is made by the PCB on this issue I am sure it will benefit Pakistan cricket.”
He also insisted that his two year tenure should not be judged by results but statistics alone.
“Sometimes these things don`t tell the whole story. I would say we had some brilliant highs but yes the failure to win a single match in the Champions Trophy and the test loss to Zimbabwe last year are big disappointments for me and Pakistan cricket,” he said.
Los Angeles, Jan 31 (IANS) Actress Jennifer Lawrence will essay Joy Mangano, the inventor of the Miracle Mop, in an upcoming project.
The untitled biopic will be directed by David O. Russell, reports variety.com.
Mangano, who invented the Miracle Mop and Huggable Hangers, is the president of Ingenious Designs and appears regularly on the Home Shopping Network.
Russell, who directed Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle”, has indicated that he is looking forward to cast the 23-year-old in the movie.
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New Delhi: Tata Power on Friday announced sale of its 30 percent stake in Indonesian coal company PT Arutmin for USD 500 million (Rs 3,150 crore) to cut its debt.
The development comes in the wake of the company’s Mundra UMPP project facing under recovery challenges.
The company, however, does not see any fuel supply shortage after exiting Arutmin as it will continue to hold its interest in another Indonesian coal company Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC).
Tata Power through its wholly-owned subsidiary has signed an agreement to sell its 30 per cent stake in Arutmin and associated companies in coal trading and infrastructure to a Bakrie Group entity, a company statement said.
Tata Power, India’s largest private power producer, had bought 30 percent stake each in PT Arutmin and KPC for USD 1.1 billion in 2007.
“Tata Power is facing under recovery challenges at its Mundra UMPP operations and cash flow concerns and therefore decided to exit PT Arutmin Indonesia to get additional cash flows and reduce its consolidated debt,” it said.
“The aggregate consideration of Tata Power’s 30 percent stake is USD 500 million (Rs 3,150 crore), subject to certain closing adjustments,” the statement added.
The current coal price scenario has presented a challenge to the entire coal mining sector and the proceeds from the sale of Arutmin will provide cash to meet the company?s current challenges, Tata Power MD Anil Sardana said.
“We do not expect any impact on coal supplies to our plants since we stay invested in KPC mines and our coal supply agreement continues as it is,” he added.
The statement said in the current price scenario Arutmin Indonesia has started posing production and cost viability challenges in its operations.
The statement said that the stake sale is subject to certain conditions and restructuring actions which its targets to complete in the next three months.
“Tata Power, however, continues to hold its equity stake in PT Kaltim Prima Coal which owns one of the largest thermal coal producing mines in the world,” it added.
KPC will also continue to be a part of the supply chain for Tata Power Group’s coal off-take requirements, it added.
Tata Power shares today closed 2.71 percent up at Rs 73.95 on the BSE today.
The company’s 4,000 MW ultra mega power project at Mundra in Gujarat was facing trouble due to increase in the price of Indonesian coal.
Tata Power approached the electricity regulator CERC seeking a hike tariff for Mundra project.
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) last year had said that since there had been a rise in the price of imported coal from Indonesia the private power utility should be compensated.
A panel set up by the regulator reportedly suggested nearly 50 paise hike in tariff of the Mundra plant.
New Delhi: The slanging match between P Chidambaram and Arun Jaitley refuses to end with the BJP leader on Friday taking a dig at the Finance Minister saying he appears to be planning a life after retirement and practicing writing columns which will make “excellent” reading.
“Finally my friend Mr P Chidambaram, the Union Finance Minister appears to be planning life after the North Block. He is an extremely competent lawyer. Parliament’s loss will be Supreme Court’s gain.
“From the kind of statements he is making and the academic questions he is posing to his opponents, I suspect that he is practicing to get back to column writing. I am sure his columns will make an excellent reading,” Jaitley said today.
He was responding to posers by Chidambaram over the knowledge of economics possessed by BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, an issue which has been a subject of spat between the two senior lawyers.
Jaitley, however, did not answer the queries posed by Chidambaram yesterday when he sought to know “Why has Shri Modi said nothing about the fiscal deficit, nothing about the Current Account Deficit and nothing about monetary policy.”
Chidambaram had raised such questions earlier also and Jaitley had attacked him saying he thought he is the “principal repository of all economic wisdom” even when the country’s growth story is being turned into a “nightmare”.
The Finance Minister had earlier slammed Modi saying that his knowledge of economics was so much that it can be written on the backside of a postage stamp.
BSP MP Dhananjay Singh has been chargesheeted by Delhi Police in a court here for allegedly repeatedly raping a 42-year-old railway employee for nearly four years. Zee News : India National
Capital One, a Fortune 500 company and one of the nation’s top 10 banks, is one of the largest, most analytically sophisticated Financial Services providers in…
Frankfurt: A five-year-old boy ran over a woman and her two-year-old son when he accidentally started his mother’s car parked in front of a creche in the German city of Fulda, police said on Friday. The boy had been sitting in the car while his mother, 36, chatted with the other mother outside the creche yesterday afternoon.
Police believes that he turned the ignition key, causing the car to jump forward and push the 32-year-old woman and her toddler into a nearby hedge, trapping them under the vehicle.
Both were taken to hospital, but their injuries were not said to be life-threatening, police said.
The Delhi government is likely to clear the draft of the much-awaited Jan Lokpal bill in a cabinet meeting on Friday. While a go-ahead from the cabinet will be a cakewalk, the real hurdle would be getting it passed in the Assembly.
A major confrontation is in the offing between the AAP-led Delhi government and the Centre as the chief minister is looking at ways to bypass the Central government. As per law, the Centre’s approval is required to clear the bill.
Government sources said that the law department is of the opinion that the bill should be sent to the home ministry before clearing it in the special assembly session of the government.
But the state government fears that if it sends the bill to the home ministry through the Lt-Governor, there are chances it would get stuck. “If it is sent to the home ministry, it is very unlikely it will be tabled in the special assembly session in February,” said a senior Delhi government official.
The assembly session is likely to be held from February 13 to 16. “On February 16, the session is likely to be held at Ramlila Maidan to pass the Jan Lokpal bill. On the remaining days, it will be held at Vidhan Sabha,” said an official.
The government has sought legal opinion from various experts to bypass the Centre. “The government maintains that a bill for the final assent of the president to turn it into a law is required to be sent according to the constitution once the assembly passes it. This is based on opinions sought from eminent constitutional experts,” said a government spokesperson.
Government sources said that this would adversely affect the relations between the Congress and AAP, which is already on shaky ground. The Congress has extended outside support to the AAP government in Delhi.
Another major issue of contention is the fact that the draft Delhi Lokayukta Bill 2014 proposes to bring the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Delhi Police under its ambit.
“Under transaction of business rules, the permission of the Lt-Governor is required to be obtained by the department concerned. Under the assembly rules, the secretary will list the legislative proposal only after minister has put the L-G’s recommendation.
The L-G too will send it to the home ministry to check if the provisions of the existing law are not in conflict with the one that is proposed to be cleared. Hence, bypassing both is not possible in any circumstances,” SK Sharma, former secretary of the Lok Sabha and Delhi assembly.
According to the draft, all public officials, including the chief minister, ministers and all MLAs of the Delhi government will fall in the purview of the investigation of the Lokayukta. Public officials will be required to furnish annual declaration of assets.
Mumbai, Jan 31 (IANS) Actress Priyanka Chopra, who recently saw the first copy of her forthcoming film “Gunday”, is thrilled with how the movie has turned out.
The actress took to Twitter to thank all those who have made the film possible.
“Just got done watching the first copy of ‘Gunday’. I’m so proud of everyone who made this film possible…pat on the back,” Priyanka posted on the microblogging site Friday.
The film also features Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh and will hit the screens Feb 14.
Description POSITION SUMMARY The Service Center Analysts will respond to user requests for technical assistance with computer systems, software, and other…
Kiev: Ukraine’s armed forces on Friday urged embattled President Viktor Yanukovych to take “urgent steps” to ease the crisis in the ex-Soviet country, entering the fray on the political crisis for the first time. “Servicemen and employees of Ukraine’s armed forces… have called on the commander-in-chief to take urgent steps within the limits of existing legislation with a view to stabilising the situation in the country and reaching consent in society,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Yanukovych is the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces.
“The servicemen and employees of the armed forces called unacceptable the seizure of state offices, preventing representatives of state and local authorities from fulfilling their duties,” the statement said.
They “noted that a further escalation of the confrontation threatens the country’s territorial integrity,” the statement added.
Since November, Yanukovych has battled protests against his sudden decision to scrap a key pact with the European Union under the pressure from Russia.
These have since spiralled into an uprising seeking the president’s removal.
Turmoil in Ukraine has shown no signs of abating and Yanukovych yesterday took indefinite sick leave after savaging the “irresponsible” opposition for inflaming tensions.
In a rare show of contrition, Yanukovych also admitted mistakes yesterday, promising to show “more understanding for the demands and ambitions of people”.
The opposition and their supporters in the streets have refused to budge however, with leaders of the protest movement including boxer-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko preparing to meet top EU and US officials in Germany this weekend.
New Delhi: India will open their campaign against Belgium in the men`s Rabobank Hockey World Cup to be held at The Hague, Netherlands from May 31 to June 15.
According to the competition schedule announced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) today, India are placed in a tough Pool A and will face Belgium on May 31, followed by matches against England (June 2), Spain (June 5), Malaysia (June 7) and reigning world champions Australia (June 9).
It will only be the second time that both the men`s and women`s World Cups will be held at the same time and at the same location.
The tournament, consisting of 76 matches, will see six games take place a day in the pool phase running until June 10, and reducing to four during the knock-out phases.
The semifinals of the men`s competition are scheduled for June 13 at the Kyocera Stadium. The women`s final will be held on June 14 followed by the men`s on June 15.
“Today is a very exciting day for hockey. After a fantastic Hockey World League Final in Delhi, we are here in Holland, a massive hockey nation to announce the schedule of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup,” FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather said.
“With 120 days to go, the tournament really starts to come alive. Hockey fans all over the world can plan their diaries whilst players and coaches focus their minds. This World Cup promises to be our biggest yet,” he added.
Bangalore: Public sector lender Canara Bank’s net profit has dropped sharply by 42.39 percent at Rs 409.35 crore for the third quarter ended December, hit mostly by higher provisioning for bad loans.
The city-headquartered bank had clocked profit after tax at Rs 710.51 crore in the October-December quarter of 2012-13.
Total income of the bank increased to Rs 10,935 crore during the quarter, from Rs 9,390.29 crore in the same period a year ago, Canara Bank Executive Director P S Rawat said Friday.
Income from the loans and advances for the quarter increased to Rs 7,360 crore with year-on-year growth of 23.5 percent and non-interest income for the quarter stood at Rs 851 crore, Rawat said.
“Total expenses for the quarter was Rs 9,344 crore compared to Rs 7,874 crore for third quarter of FY’2013 and the operating expenses for the quarter stood at Rs 1,488 crore compared to Rs 1,317 crore for third quarter of FY 2013.”
The net interest income for the quarter increased to Rs 2,227 crore with 12 percent year-on-year growth, he said.
The bank’s gross NPA stood at Rs 8,074 crore, with a gross NPA ratio of 2.79 percent compared to 2.77 percent as in December 2012, Rawat said.
The banks net NPA stood at Rs 6,870 crore with a net NPA ratio of 2.39 percent compared to 2.35 percent as in December 2012, he said.
Total provision made for the quarter was at Rs 1,182 crore compared to Rs 799 crore for second quarter and Rs 1,106 crore for the first quarter in FY14, he said.
The provision for NPAs during the quarter was Rs 543 crore and provisions made for depreciation on investments was Rs 157 crore, Rawat said.
Gross NPA ration was at 2.79 percent compared to 2.77 percent as in December 2012, despite spike in stressed assets at the industry level, Rawat said.
“Upgradation was of Rs 2,061 crore in nine months of this year compared to Rs 779 crore in the same period last year,” he said.
The bank also registered record cash recovery at Rs 3,135 crore compared to Rs 2,477 crore as in December 2012.
Net Interest Income increased to Rs 6,409 crore with year-on-year growth of 10.7 percent and non-interest income was at Rs 2,863 crore, up by 33.4 percent year-on-year.
Ratio of E-transactions increased to 44 percent compared to 22 percent as in December 2012, he said.
The bank registered total deposits of Rs 4.09 lakh crore, up by 26.2 percent year-on-year and advances at Rs 2.88 lakh crore, up by 31.8 percent year-on-year, he added.
The bank has declared an interim dividend of 65 percent, Rawat said, adding that global advances recorded 31.8 percent growth to reach a level of Rs 28,7,700 crore compared to Rs 218242 crore as the in December 2012.
The bank’s overseas business constituted six percent of the total business and the total business of five overseas branches increased to Rs 39788 crore from Rs 26276 crore a year ago, Rawat said.
He said the advances under agriculture portfolio increased to Rs 45,703 crore with a growth of 29.2 percent year-on- year, achieving 19.88 percent to ANBC (Adjusted Net Bank Credit) as against mandated target of 18 percent. Advances to micro, small, medium enterprises reached Rs 47678 crore with a year-on-year growth of 46.2 percent, he said.
Talking about future goals, Rawat said the bank aims to reach an aggregate business figure of more than Rs 7 lakh crore, with deposit growth of more than 17 percent and advances growth of more than 21 percent.
The bank also aims to take the number of branches to more than 5,500 and ATMs to 10,000 by March 2015, he said.
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Areas in East and Central Delhi face blackout risk as state-run NTPC rejected Delhi Government`s plea not to stop electricity supply to BSES Yamuna Power Ltd for defaulting on payments. Zee News : India National
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Tokyo: Tepco, the operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, said today it booked a whopping USD 7.54 billion April-December profit owing to an electricity rate hike and its massive government bailout.
Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) was teetering on the brink as cleanup and compensation costs stoked huge losses and threatened to collapse the sprawling utility until Tokyo stepped with a multi-billion dollar rescue.
The company at the centre of the worst nuclear accident in a generation said it earned 772.9 billion yen (USD 7.54 billion) in the nine months to December, compared with a net loss of 2.2 billion yen in the same period a year earlier.
Sales rose 10.8 per cent to 4.8 trillion yen. A rate hike helped offset a decline in the amount of electricity Tepco sold owing to warmer-than-usual weather that cut demand for heating.
It also booked a special gain of nearly 1.8 trillion yen based on funds the company received from a government-backed bailout fund.
Pressuring its bottom line, Tepco said it faces rising fuel costs as it relies on fossil fuel-powered thermal plants after all off Japan’s nuclear reactors were shut in response to the Fukushima Daiichi alert that was caused by the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster.
The plant’s cooling systems were swamped by monster waves, sparking reactor meltdowns and radiation leaks.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from around the plant with decommissioning of the site expected to take decades.
Karachi: Departing Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore today called on the PCB to appoint a full-time professional batting coach with the national team.
