Month: February 2017

Respect the actress’ privacy, requests Prithviraj

Kochi: While lauding the decision of the actress to return to the film world despite being subjected to attack by a gang of men in Kochi last week, actor Prithviraj urged media not to encircle her with cameras when she arrives at the shooting location here. Popular South Indian actress Bhavana who underwent a two-hour kidnap attempt last week has resumed her work, her co-star Prithviraj confirmed.

Muhammad Ali Jr., mother detained at Florida airport, attorney says

LOUISVILLE, KY – Muhammad Ali’s son was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigators at a Florida airport earlier this month, his attorney confirmed on Saturday. Muhammad Ali Jr. and his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, were arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Montego Bay, Jamaica on February 7 when they were directed to secondary inspections, Chris Mancini said.

Scottish nationalism is same as racism, London mayor claims

The Labour mayor of London has likened Scottish nationalism to racism, insisting that there is “no difference” between them and those who try to “divide us on the basis of our background, race or religion”. He wrote in the Daily Record newspaper: “The last thing we need now is to pit different parts of our country or sections of our society against each other – or to further fuel division or seek separation.”

Australia hammer India

Spinner Steve O'Keefe finished with 12 wickets as Australia ended India's 19-Test unbeaten streak with a crushing 333-run triumph within three days in Pune. Australia 1st Inns 260 Steve O’Keefe finished with 12 wickets as Australia ended India’s 19-Test unbeaten streak with a crushing 333-run triumph within three days in Pune.

Locally produced food and drink on the menu at new Holiday Inn restaurant

BENNETT’S ice cream from Worcester and ales from the Wye Valley Brewery near Bromyard are just two of the local products to be found at the newly opened Cow on the Hill restaurant at Bromsgrove’s Holiday Inn hotel. The new restaurant offers a steak and grill menu with the emphasis on provenance of ingredients – all the steaks are from beef matured and grass fed on organic pastures in Northern Ireland’s Glenarm Estate.

Standing while eating could eventually make you fat

That’s what nutritionists and doctors say about eating big meals upright – that shameless habit you have of feasting on takeout over your kitchen counter, or at trendy new standing-only restaurants. At Ikinari Steak, a Japanese joint that opened its first U.S. location in the East Village last week, customers eat the steakhouse’s grub standing up.

Protesters mark Philippine revolt by condemning killings

Protesters clench their fists while displaying a black banner to protest last year’s hero’s burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos as they mark the 31st anniversary of the near-bloodless People Power revolt that ousted the Marcoses from 20-year-rule of the country Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, in suburban Mandaluyong city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte, who expressed his support for the Marcoses, skipped the celebration, the first time by a sitting president.

Iranian director sends video to message to US rally

In this Oct. 10, 2016 file photo, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi poses for a photo during the premiere of his film, “The Salesman, in Paris. The Oscar-nominated Iranian film director has sent a video message to a rally attended by celebrities and top talent agents to thank the Hollywood community for its support during his boycott of the awards ceremony.

ACP wants continued strong relations with UK after Brexit

BRUSSELS, Belgium Secretary General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Dr Patrick I Gomes says while the grouping is supportive of a strong Europe, it has no desire of neglecting its relationship with the United Kingdom following its decision to leave the EU. Speaking at the launch of the book Brexit Securing ACP Economic Interests, in London last week, the Guyanese-born diplomat noted that eight months have passed since the British voted in a referendum to leave the European Union.

Zimbabwe’s Mugabe marks 93rd birthday in opposition area

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is celebrating his 93rd birthday amid granite hills where ancient spirits are said to dwell, defying calls to resign after nearly four decades in power in a region known for opposing the man who says he’ll run again in 2018 elections. Thousands of government supporters, some wearing clothing adorned with Mugabe’s image, converged in Matabeleland on Saturday for a birthday bash and show of strength for the ruling ZANU-PF party, beset by squabbling in the past year as the elderly president weakened and factions, one including his wife Grace, sparred ahead of an expected power vacuum.

David Miliband: Labour is ‘further from power than any time in my life’

Speaking to The Times , 51-year-old Miliband – who narrowly lost out on the Labour leadership in 2010 – said: “I’m obviously deeply concerned that Labour is further from power than at any stage in my lifetime.” Miliband was interviewed by the newspaper after Labour’s humiliating defeat to the Conservatives in the Copeland by-election , which marked the first time a sitting party has gained a seat in a by-election since 1982.

Twin attacks on Syrian security buildings kill at least 32

Twin attacks on two Syrian security offices in the central city of Homs Saturday killed at least 32 people, including a senior security official who heads the feared Military Intelligence services, state media and officials reported. An al-Qaida-linked insurgent coalition known as the Levant Liberation Committee claimed responsibility for the attacks, which also left another high-ranking officer seriously wounded.

LETTER: President Trump might be traitor

Some members of the CIA and other intelligence community don’t trust their commander-in-chief with sensitive information because he is careless about security. Also some believe he willingly used the Russian secret service to help him win the election.

The Latest: Malaysia says airport safe, no trace of toxin

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Latest on Malaysia’s investigation into the apparent assassination of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un : Malaysian police have completed a sweep of the airport terminal where the exiled half-brother of North Korea’s leader was attacked and say they found no trace of the nerve agent that was suspected to have been used to kill him. Senior police official Abdul Samah Mat, who is leading the investigation, declared the budget terminal at Kuala Lumpur’s airport a “safe zone” after the sweep detected no hazardous material.

Pence pledges to ‘keep our end of the bargain’ with top Jewish supporters

Vice President Mike Pence delivered an ode on Friday evening to the Republican Jewish establishment that once was deeply skeptical of his boss, effusively praising several GOP luminaries such as billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Speaking before a Shabbat dinner at Adelson’s landmark Venetian hotel and casino, Pence shared his administration’s platform on Israel with several hundred members of the Republican Jewish Coalition, including a pledge to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and to combat the “endless bias” of the United Nations.

.com | Czech FM to press Sudan to free jailed missionary

Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek will travel to Sudan on Sunday to try to free a Czech Christian aid worker sentenced to 24 years in prison on charges including spying and inciting hatred. The 53-year-old missionary, a member of a small Protestant Czech church called Cirkev Bratrska, had gone to Sudan to help local Christians, according to Czech media reports.

Pak Prez warns delay in Kashmir dispute could spell disaster

Muzaffarabad [Pakistan], Feb. 25 : Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has warned that delay in the settlement of the Kashmir dispute could ‘spell disaster for regional peace’. “The occupation forces have employed every brute tactic to suppress the Kashmiris…so much so that the pellet guns meant for hunting wild animals have also been ceaselessly used by them on the innocent and unarmed people of KashA mir,” Pakistan daily Dawn quoted Hussain who was speaking at a function held for the birth anniversary of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

UN reports more than 300 migrant deaths on Mediterranean crossing in first two months of 2017

New York, Feb 25 : An estimated 366 migrants died at sea during their Mediterranean journey to Europe in the first 53 days of 2017, down from 425 of the comparable period of last year, the United Nations migration agency said on Friday. International Organization for Migration has reported that 13,924 migrants entered Europe by sea through 22 February, sharply down from 105,427 a year earlier.

UN envoy and Church leaders in DR Congo condemn attacks against Catholic facilities

New York, Feb 25 : The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the National Episcopal Conference of Congo, known as CENCO have called for an immediate end to the spate of violent attacks against Catholic facilities in several parts of the country. The UN Organization Stabilization Mission and CENCO, along with the Apostolic Nunciature said they are deeply concerned about recent attacks on parishes and other Catholic facilities.

Chessmaster Nigel Short squares up to 23 opponents at former school

CHESS grandmaster Nigel Short proved he still had all the right moves when he went back to his old school – and took on 23 pupils simultaneously in a match. The Bolton School old boy was aiming to inspire the next generation of chess players, so he challenged pupils from the junior and senior school, age from eight to 18. Three junior boys, six junior girls, ten senior boys and four senior girls took their seats in the Arts Centre main hall to play against Mr Short.

India lobbies Trump admin to avert visa threat

US President Donald Trump is interviewed by Reuters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, February 23, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst India has stepped up its lobbying effort against moves in the US Congress to impose curbs on visas for skilled workers that threaten the South Asian nation’s tech sector, which employs more than 3.5 million people.

Tributes being paid to victims of BDR carnage

Today is the 8th anniversary of the atrocious carnage at Pilkhana the then headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles in Dhaka that left 74 people, including 57 army officers, killed in 2009. In the photo, at Banani Graveyard this morning the chiefs of the three forces are paying their tribute to the people who were killed in the BDR carnage.

Authoritative and Volunteered Geographical Information in a…

With volunteered geographic information platforms such as OpenStreetMap becoming increasingly popular, we are faced with the challenge of assessing the quality of their content, in order to better understand its place relative to the authoritative content of more traditional sources. Until now, studies have focused primarily on developed countries, showing that VGI content can match or even surpass the quality of authoritative sources, with very few studies in developing countries.

Wellington photographer wins silver medal in Japan.

Amber Griffin Photography Amber Griffin, of Amber Griffin Photography Wellington, has been awarded a silver medal in the commercial category of the World Cup of Photography in Yokohama. This award validates Amber as a world-class commercial photographer as she was awarded the gold medal for the same category in Montpellier, France two years ago.

AP Explains: What chemical weapons N. Korea possesses

North Korea may have found a new use for its large stockpile of chemical and biological weapons, which are meant to attack South Korean and U.S. troops in case of another war. Malaysian police said Friday that a chemical weapon – the toxic VX nerve agent – was used to kill the estranged half brother of Pyongyang’s absolute leader at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. If North Korea’s involvement is confirmed, this would be an unusual and extremely high-profile use of its chemicals in an assassination.