Politics

Maharashtra seat sharing row: Politicos react over BJP-Shiv Sena tussle

New Delhi, Sept 22 (ANI): As the 25-year-old saffron alliance in Maharashtra is at the verge of a break up over seat sharing, ahead of the assembly elections to be held on 15 October, politicos from rival parties took a dig at the BJP and Shiv Sena. An aggressive Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday made a final offer of 119 seats while the state BJP leaders told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they would rather go alone than accept this. Meanwhile, in a bid to salvage his party's alliance in Maharashtra, BJP president Amit Shah on Monday telephoned Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to insist that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance must continue.

Sep 22, 2014

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar's bat, tie and t-shirt auctioned for orphan children

Pune, Sep 22 (ANI): Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar's bat, tie and t-shirt were auctioned for Rupees 15 million in bid to raise funds for orphan children in Pune. The money earned by the auction went to the NGO SOFOSH (Society of Friends of the Sassoon Hospitals) which runs an orphanage. Speaking at the event, Tendulkar said, everyone is gifted with a talent, which must be recognized and put in the right direction. The orphan children had made an audio-book on Sachin Tendulkar and it was presented to him. Moved by the gesture of the children, Tendulkar said the grit and determination of the kids to present him with an audio book was an unforgettable moment for him. Sachin Tendulkar became the first sportsperson to receive a, India's highest civilian honour.

Sep 22, 2014

Dalai Lama terms 21st century as age of peace and compassion

New Delhi, Sep 22 (ANI): Tibetan spiritual leader, his holiness the Dalai Lama shares a vision of peace, compassion and action at his public talk on inter-religious harmony in New Delhi, and says all spiritual leaders should come together to make the 21st century as the age of peace and tranquillity. Outlining a past century rife with war and violence, the Dalai Lama challenged future generation to turn the 21st century into "a peaceful century" through dialogue, respect, mindfulness and fostering oneness with humanity. The Dalai Lama said the need of the hour is to look beyond the key element of divide, political conflict, violence and self-cantered attitudes. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju said that to curb religious clashes education by such spiritual leaders is a critical first step in nurturing those seeds of peace and tranquillity as well as achieve peace of mind.

Sep 22, 2014

Villagers wait for relief and help in flood-hit Kashmir

Pulwama, Sep 22 (ANI): People waited for relief and help as dozens of houses have collapsed in a village that was devastated by the worst flooding seen in more than a century in Jammu and Kashmir. Both the Indian and Pakistani sides of the disputed Himalayan region have seen extensive flooding this month, with Srinagar particularly hard hit. Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands are homeless. Authorities say the cost of damage in Jammu and Kashmir may run into crores of rupees. Villagers in Pulwama district of the state said they have still not received any help from the government. Many houses have collapsed and the entire village presented a sad picture.

Sep 22, 2014

Alliance with Shiv Sena to continue, decides BJP core panel

New Delhi, Sep 22 (ANI): Core panel of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided that alliance with Shiv Sena will persist in the upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra. In-charge of BJP's Maharashtra wing, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said that the 25-year-old coalition will continue in the upcoming assembly polls in the state. According to media reports, Shiv Sena chief, Uddhav Thackeray, on Sunday offered "the last formula" to its senior partner, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), giving it 119 seats in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and leaving 18 seats to the allies. Thackeray has said the Shiv Sena would contest on 151 seats.

Sep 22, 2014

Navratri Festival empowers women in Gujarat

Vadodara /Surat, Sep 22 (ANI):'In a bid to empower women State government of Gujarat provided free stalls for sales of handmade items and goods at venues of Hindu festival of Navratri, the nine-day celebration honouring goddess Durga. District Magistrate of Vadodara city of Gujarat, Avantika Singh said the outlets are being provided to the women to sell their merchandise and earn their livelihood, and added that a similar exercise was conducted at the time of Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan. The idea to empower the women and make them financially independent was a brain-child of the state's first woman Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, a strong advocate of the cause of women empowerment. Mayor of Surat city, Niranjan Zanzmera said that the earnings made by women will entirely go to them and the State government will not be charging any fee for the installation of stalls.

Sep 22, 2014

Elephants damage huts fields and fodder in Jharkhand

Lohardaga, Sep 22 (ANI): A herd of about sixteen elephants created havoc in a village of Lohardaga district in Jharkhand as they rampaged through huts and fields, forcing people to flee out of fright. A resident, Shadik Khan, said that the villagers, especially children are scared. The herd comes in the evening and people run out of their homes for their lives. The elephant menace is giving villagers sleepless nights, he added. Meanwhile, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Ashok Kumar Singh, said they would assess the damages done to get the villagers compensated by the government.

Sep 22, 2014

Sunflower crops wilting in conflict-hit east Ukraine

Sunflower farmers in Ukraine, the world's biggest sunflower oil producer, are beginning to harvest their crops. But in the east of the country fighting between government and separatist forces is threatening production. Duration: 00:52

Sep 21, 2014

Afghan presidential rivals sign unity deal after long dispute

Afghanistan's presidential rivals sign a power-sharing deal, ending a prolonged standoff over disputed election results at a pivotal moment in the war-weary nation's history. Duration: 01:29

Sep 21, 2014

Prince William attends mass during Malta independence festivity

Prince William attended mass on Sunday in Malta's capital Valletta where he is taking part in celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the island's independence. Duration: 00:35

Sep 21, 2014

Muslims and Christians throng Albania streets to greet Pope

Christians and Muslims thronged the Albanian capital Sunday to greet Pope Francis who arrived in the mainly Muslim country for a one-day visit to praise it as a model of religious harmony. Duration: 00:51

Sep 21, 2014

2 French trekkers remain untraceable in HP, fifth search operation called off

Dharamshala, Sep 21 (ANI): Police called off the fifth unsuccessful search operation to trace the two French trekkers who went missing last year in the mountains of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and remain untraceable. Valentin Marcel Gorges and Francois Xavier Camille trekked to Tirund Hill in the city on August 22 last year with a group of 32 members. The two went missing after they decided to trek further to scale Moon Peak and separated from the group. Several teams of the state police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army helicopters conducted a month-long massive manhunt and scoured the Dhauladhar hills but remained unsuccessful in tracing the missing duo. The search was resumed on September 16 by a 27 member team comprising mountaineering experts, state police, local trekkers and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

Sep 21, 2014

Subramanian Swamy slams Nalini Chidamabaram, questions on payment of Rs 1 crore for legal consultati

New Delhi, Sep 21 (ANI): Even as CBI is examining Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s wife Nalini Chidambaram in connection with the alleged multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday said that Nalini had taken Rs 1 crore as her legal fee, which is extraordinary and puts her in suspicion. He added that CBI needs to even investigate her relations with the north-east television station. He further said that it’s not surprising that Nalini Chidambaram is being investigated by the CBI and that the whole family of P Chidambaram has been involved in scams.

Sep 21, 2014

Mud rally to promote safe driving thrills Bike lovers in Bhopal

Bhopal, Sep 21 (ANI): Wheels smoked, brakes screeched, engines thundered and the crowd roared on Sunday (September 21) as some of the best bikers passed through the mud water obstacle during the Mud Challenge Bike Rally in Bhopal city of Madhya Pradesh. More than 70 bikers from across the country participated in the rally the theme of which was safe driving. The race was organised in three categories beginners, expert and open riders. Hundreds of spectators gathered to witness the gruelling rally and to cheer the dare devil rally riders. A participant, Syed Azam, said that mud bike rally is a tough competition as the participant faces many hurdles to pass through the muddy track. With series of rallies being conducted every now and then, India is soon becoming a global motor-sports destination.

Sep 21, 2014

Three die after falling in cesspool in UP

Moradabad, Sep 21 (ANI): A couple along with their rescuer died as sewer water washed them away after they fell into a cesspool in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh. The couple landed in trouble as their bike fell into an under construction slurry sewer pit filled with rain water. A resident, Amit Kumar said on Sunday that a construction company had left the pit open, which had become large due to heavy rains. Rescue operation is underway to recover the bodies from the slurry pit. Residents were quizzed by police officials while ambulance service has been put in action.

Sep 21, 2014