| Patil's presidency smooth but lacklustre |
New Delhi, July 24: Lacklustre, unmotivating and homespun. As Pratibha Patil prepared to walk into history as India’s first woman president, analysts struggled to encapsulate her five-year tenure that was mostly uneventful but ended with the taint of controversy over her foreign visits, clemency petitions and post-retirement home.
The 77-year-old, who assumed office as the country... |
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| Moily: Is Modi confident of regaining power in Gujarat? |
Kolkata, July 24: Reacting to Gujarat Chief Minister Naredra Modi’s assertion that the NDA would come to power after the next Lok Sabha polls, union Minister for Corporate Affairs Veerappa Moily on Tuesday asked the BJP leader whether he was confident of returning to power in his own State.
“First of all, let him say whether he is confident of coming back to power in Gujarat... |
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| BJP takes up Amarnath pilgrims' deaths with Chidambaram |
New Delhi, July 24: A day after the Supreme Court expressed shock over the deaths of more Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation on Tuesday met Home Minister P Chidambaram and sought the Central Government’s intervention in the issue.
The delegation asked Chidambaram to convey their concern to the Jammu and Kashmir government and Governor... |
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| PMO attempts to counter Anna's anti-corruption stir threat |
New Delhi, July 24: With Anna Hazare giving an ultimatum for his team’s Jan Lokpal Bill to be brought in parliament, the government on Tuesday tried to blunt his threat by issuing a lengthy press release listing some of the anti-corruption efforts it has taken in the last one and half years. The prime minister’s office, in a release here, said the group of ministers (GoM) it had set up... |
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| India, Bangladesh to boost counter-terror cooperation, border, Teesta |
New Delhi, July 24: Imparting a renewed momentum to bilateral ties, India and Bangladesh Tuesday held talks to bolster counter-terror cooperation and discussed issues ranging from border management and the stalled Teesta river-sharing pact to trade and investment. Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai held wide-ranging discussions with his Bangladesh counterpart Mohamed Mijarul Quayes. “The two di... |
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| 'Pranab showed leadership even as a teenager' |
Kolkata, July 24: President-elect Pranab Mukherjee had shown sparks of brilliance even as a teenager when he had persuaded a minister to order the renovation of his school’s building that had a “thatched roof” and was in a “very bad shape”, a former classmate of his says.
“During his nearly five decade old political career he has been praised as a gre... |
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| Hazare gives ultimatum on Jan Lokpal bill |
New Delhi, July 24: Reversing his earlier decision, Anna Hazare said he will join his team members on an indefinite fast if the government does not agree to bring Jan Lokpal Bill in parliament within four days of their fast due to begin on Wednesday. “Team Anna members suggested I don’t fast. I will give four days to the government to agree to our demand and if they don't, I will sit o... |
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| Centre ignoring livelihood issues: Jayalalithaa |
Chennai, July 24: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday said the UPA government is suffering from policy paralysis due to internal bickerings and unable to take any decision on livelihood issues of people like the Cauvery river water dispute. In a statement issued here, Jayalalithaa referred to her May letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on convening of the Cauvery Water Disp... |
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| Congress legislators in Maharashtra complain about Chavan |
Mumbai, July 24: Complaining about several “issues” they have with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, over 40 Congress legislators requested the State party chief to intervene. As many as 42 legislators have written to Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre and sought his intervention. They have cited issues like lack of clearances for infras... |
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| NDA discusses strategy for vice presidential election |
New Delhi, July 24: Top leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) met at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani’s residence here on Tuesday to chalk out its strategy for the upcoming vice presidential election and discuss the prospects of its nominee Jaswant Singh. Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav informed that the meeting was held to discuss how the vice ... |
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| Krishna to visit Pakistan |
New Delhi, July 24: With the revelations by 26/11 plotter Abu Jundal casting a shadow on bilateral ties, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will go on a three-day visit to Islamabad to review the dialogue process with his counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. The external affairs minister will go to Pakistan on September 7-9, Syed Akbaruddin, the external affairs ministry spokesperson, told reporters h... |
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| Rashtrapati Bhavan: Viceregal lodge to India's presidential abode |
NEW DELHI, July 24: The magnificent 340-room Rashtrapati Bhavan, that once housed the British viceroy and now the Indian president, is a symbol of continuity from the colonial past and also of change in an evolving nation.
On Wednesday, it will open its grand portals to its latest occupant - India’s 13th president, Pranab Mukherjee, who was born in a West Bengal village and studie... |
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| Hepatitis could kill 5 mn in Southeast Asia: WHO |
NEW DELHI, July 24: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said that over five million people are likely to lose life over the next decade due to viral hepatitis in Southeast Asia region.
The inflammatory disease of the liver affects 100 million with chronic hepatitis B infection in the region, WHO said ahead of the World Hepatitis Day on July 28.
“WHO estimates th... |
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| CRPF personnel pedal away in Kashmir |
SRINAGAR, July 24: Ninety CRPF personnel on Tuesday began a 120-km cycle ‘yatra’ from here, a dramatic development in a State where security forces would not dare to ride bicycles until recently. Inspector General BN Ramesh of the Central Reserve Police Force flagged off what was dubbed a “petrol free patrol” from Pantha Chowk in Srinagar to Nunwan in south Kashmir&rsquo... |
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| SC bans tourism in core areas of tiger reserves |
NEW DELHI, July 24: Coming to the rescue of tigers in the country, the Supreme Court on Tuesday banned tourism in core areas of the over 40 tiger reserves.
A bench of Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla said that till final directions were issued by the court, the core zones in the tiger reserves will not be used for tourism.
The apex court was hearing a pet... |
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| Ramayan to be back on small screen |
NEW DELHI, July 24: Popular mythological story Ramayan is set to be retold on the small screen. Zee TV has announced the re-creation of the classic and it is already on the lookout for faces to play the epic’s central characters Ram and Sita. With a fresh version of Ramayan, the channel hopes to “foster the concept of the whole family engaging in a joint TV viewing experience and to... |
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| Sarah hit by stone during film promotion |
NEW DELHI, July 24: Actress Sarah Jane Dias was “ashamed” after a crowd member pelted a stone at her face, during a promotional event of her forthcoming film Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum in Faridabad. The 29-year-old was with the rest of the film’s cast when someone from the crowd threw a stone on Monday. She took to Twitter to share her angst, and wrote: “A stone was thrown at ... |
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| Sherlyn Chopra lashes out at Mamata Banerjee |
MUMBAI, July 24: Controversial starlet Sherlyn Chopra, the first Indian woman to be featured on the ‘Playboy’ cover page, took potshots at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for suggesting that girls who wear short clothes provoke rapes. Sherlyn said, “It is not true that short clothes provoke rapes and that women with full clothes don’t get raped. Rape has got noth... |
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| 'Save Goa' campaign attracts 9,000 at British Goan fest |
LONDON, July 24: A record crowd of an estimated 9,000 British Goans attended the annual British Goan Festival in Hounslow, the organizers said. Two British MPs, Keith Vaz and John McDonnell, were among the VIPs at the event organized by The Goan Association (UK).
Keith Vaz, of Goan origin, with his family put in a brief appearance. Among the celebrities was Miss India 1966 Rita Faria Po... |
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| Not doing Shankar's film: Deepika Padukone |
MUMBAI, July 24: Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone says she is not part of southern filmmaker Shankar’s next film. Denying rumours that she might star in the director’s movie opposite southern actor Vikram, Deepika said: “I got a Google alert about it, but they are all rumours. I am not doing Shankar’s film.” Produced by Aascar Ravichandran, Shankar’s film feat... |
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| Sunny's Singh Saheb The Great role based on Dharmendra's film characters |
MUMBAI, July 24: ‘Like father, like son’, goes the popular adage and Bollywood macho man Sunny Deol is all set to prove this true with his upcoming film Singh Saheb The Great, in which he plays the role of a Collector. Sources claim that director and good friend Anil Sharma has asked writer Shaktiman to model Sunny Deol’s character in the film on the lines of roles played by Dhar... |
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| Nine heroines in Anees Bazmee's No Entry Mein Entry |
MUMBAI, July 24: Anees Bazmee is gearing up for the release of his upcoming flick No Entry Mein Entry, which is a sequel to his 2005 hit comedy No Entry, which featured Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Lara Dutta, Bipasha Basu and Esha Deol, in the lead roles. And while the director is all set to repeat the male leads, the second edition of the franchise will see not one, not two, but a tot... |
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| Prakash Jha to launch online comics to promote Chakravyuh |
MUMBAI, July 24: Possibly being inspired by the graphic novels launched to promote Saif Ali Khan starrer spy flick Agent Vinod, filmmaker Prakash Jha, known for making hard-hitting social dramas, is gearing up to launch an online comic series to promote his upcoming film Chakravyuh. Sources claim that as his movie deals with socio-political issues of India, Jha will be highlighting such issues in ... |
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| Zanjeer remake to be re-written to avoid comparisons with Singham |
MUMBAI, July 24: The 1973 Amitabh Bachchan blockbuster Zanjeer and the 2011 Ajay Devgn starrer Singham both have many similarities in the sense that both stories involve around an upright police officer who fights a corrupt system and it seems that Apoorva Lakhia, who is directing the Zanjeer remake, is planning to re-write some portions of the flick after considering such similarities. Sources cl... |
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| Leone's Jism 2 to unfold Bipasha's Raaz 3 |
MUMBAI, July 24: Sunny Leone is all set to illumine the silver screen with her bold Bollywood debut Jism 2, however she won’t be the only scorcher to set the screens ablaze on August 3. Bengal belle Bipasha Basu will give her company by sharing the platform. The trailer of Basu’s upcoming horror flick Raaz 3, will be unveiled with Pooja Bhatt’s Jism 2. Raaz 3 stars Emraan Hashmi ... |
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