Category: India

Sukhbir fights a bruising battle, with hands tied by his rebel MP

It’s not going to be a cakewalk for Shiromani Akali Dal president and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal who won this seat in 2012 elections by over 50,000 votes. Badal too appears to have sensed this, going by the timed release of the sleaze tape against dissident SAD MP Sher Singh Gubhaya, to whom thousands of Rai Sikh voters here owe community allegiance.

Analysts feel Shiv Sena didn’t calculate risks involved in going solo for BMC election

The Thackeray cub’s move to fight the BMC polls solo has put Shiv Sena on the brink of another edgy contest. This time, the script demands a victory Leaders of the saffron alliance seen during a seat-sharing meet at BJP leader and state education minister Vinod Tawde’s official residence earlier this month A 25-year-old coalition witnessed another round of bad weather this week when Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray announced that his party was opting out of the alliance with old friend BJP for the upcoming BMC elections.

President launches Pulse Polio Programme

New Delhi, Jan 28 – President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday launched the Pulse Polio Programme for 2017 under which about 17 crore children of less than five years age will be immunised. The drive is a part of the government’s efforts to sustain polio eradication from the country.

Pakistan hopes to host postponed Saarc summit soon

Amritsar: Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz at the inauguration of the 6th Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar on Sunday. PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore Pakistan has expressed the hope that the Saarc summit, scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November last year and postponed due to the boycott by India, will be organised soon.

BSP’s major minority problem: Few known Muslim campaigners

Party chief Mayawati has been trying hard to forge a Dalit-Muslim combination in support of the BSP. Despite fielding 99 Muslim candidates -a record high for the party – and basing its gameplan to a large extent on the Dalit-Muslim plank, the BSP does not have many popular Muslim faces to take on the heavyweights campaigning, and contesting, for its rivals, especially in the Samajwadi Party -Congress alliance.

Arvind Kejriwal storms Captain Amarinder Singh bastion of Patiala with huge road show

On a day when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi announced Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh as the chief ministerial candidate of the party in Punjab, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief stormed Amarinder’s bastion of Patiala by putting up an impressive road show despite the rain. Starting from the bus station, the road show with Kejriwal atop an open vehicle, accompanied by party MP Bhagwant Mann and Patiala candidate Dr Balbir Singh, painted the town in party’s colour as countless flags, buntings and AAP’s signature caps and bunches of brooms were seen on the road.

There was a time when Barelvis used to assert themselves peacefully

Governor Taseer’s son, Shaan Taseer, has been speaking out on social media against the persecution of non-Muslims in the name of blasphemy. In the first week of 2017, Lahore was paralysed by roadblocks set up by the government to deny entry to mobs opposed to the observance of the day Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by his police guard.

Now it’s 10+6: Govt names more BJP members to PSU boards

A fresh list of independent director-appointees to central public sector enterprises, released Friday by the Department of Personnel and Training , comprises at least six more members of the BJP. This comes a day after The Indian Express reported that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had on January 24 approved at least 10 BJP members to be on the boards of state-owned companies.

Lone teacher to sign Kashmir petition quits Ashoka University

Dr Rajendran Narayanan, the only teacher at Ashoka University who signed a petition which condemned the violence over militant Burhan Wani’s death and called for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, has resigned from the Sonepat institution’s mathematics department citing “ethical reasons”. Narayanan quit on December 15, a day before the semester ended.

Alex Hales blow gives England’s Sam Billings chance to shine on West Indies tour

Sam Billings has been handed a golden chance to ink his name into England’s Champions Trophy team after Alex Hales’ broken hand ruled the opener out of next month’s trip to the West Indies. The Twenty20 series in India may have only just begun, England winning the first of three matches handsomely in Kanpur on Thursday, but thoughts are already turning to the Caribbean and preparations for the global tournament on home soil in June.

Valley woes: Prolonged rains, snowfall throw normal life out of gear in JK

Srinagar , Jan. 27 : In Jammu and Kashmir, the latest spell of rains and snowfall has thrown normal life out of gear, as the surface and air links remained suspended between the Valley and the rest of the country for the past three days. In view of the rain and snowfall at various places along Jammu-Srinagar national highway no traffic will be allowed on the road today.

Nabha jailbreak: Harminder Mintoo to be produced before court

New Delhi , Jan. 27 : Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist Harminder Singh Mintoo will be produced before a Delhi court on Friday in the Nabha jailbreak case. The court earlier on January 3 re-issued production warrant against Mintoo after the Punjab Police failed to produce him before it in connection with the case.

The next beer frontier: the moon

If a team of UC San Diego engineering students has its way, we may soon be sipping Sea of Tranquility Saison and Waxing and Waning Wheat Ale. The undergraduates at the Jacobs School of Engineering hope to answer an age-old scientific riddle: Can beer be brewed on the moon? Finalists in the Lab2Moon competition, the local scholars want to test the viability of yeast in space, equipping an Indian spacecraft with tiny canisters of unfermented beer, known as wort, and yeast.

Amazon has an India problem

After pouring more than $5 billion dollars into India over the past three years, the company has run into trouble in recent weeks for selling products that have angered many Indians. Two weeks ago, Amazon was forced into a hasty apology for selling a doormat bearing the Indian flag.

NSG’s ‘Black cats’ debut at Republic Day parade

In a first, ‘black cat’ commandos of elite counter-terror force National Security Guard participated in the Republic Day parade at Rajpath in New Delhi. A contingent of about 140 personnel in black overalls, balaclava headgear and carrying special assault rifle MP-5 added dashing sheen to the parade.

In pictures: 68th Republic Day Parade

India celebrated its 68th Republic Day on 26 January 2017 at Rajpath in New Delhi. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the guest of honour of the occasion and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present.

Simarjit Singh v. Sally Yates

Simarjit Singh is a native and citizen of India who entered the United States in 2010 without inspection. He applied, unsuccessfully, for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture .

Joshi, Pawar, Sangma to get Padma Vibhushan

File pictures of Sharad Pawar and Murli Manohar Joshi who have been selected for Padma Vibushan, the second highest civilian award this year. – PTI File pictures of Sharad Pawar and Murli Manohar Joshi who have been selected for Padma Vibushan, the second highest civilian award this year.

PSA joins hands with CK Birla group to re-enter India7 min ago

New Delhi, Jan 25 European auto major PSA Group today announced a partnership with the CK Birla group to re-enter the Indian market and earmarked an initial investment of 100 million euros to set up vehicle and powertrain manufacturing in Tamil Nadu. “As part of the first agreement, the PSA Group will hold a majority stake in the joint-venture company being set-up with HMFCL for the assembly and distribution of PSA passenger cars in India,” the two firms said in a joint statement.

UPDATE 1-Peugeot returns to India with Birla manufacturing deal

Jan 25 PSA Group will return to India by 2020, the French carmaker said on Wednesday after unveiling a modest production investment with CK Birla Group, the New Delhi-based conglomerate. PSA, maker of Peugeot, Citroen and DS cars, said it will build cars in Tamil Nadu under an initial 100 million-euro joint venture investment with Birla-owned HMFCL, with an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles.

For you, always: CRPF jawans brave bone-chilling weather conditions in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar, Jan 24: At a time when entire North India is battling severe cold conditions, the soldiers on borders, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir and other cold regions are braving bone-chilling temperatures and high velocity winds to ensure the security of the nation. Amid the cold wave and deep sheath of snow, CRPF jawans in Kashmir perform round the clock duty in the valley to maintain the law and order in the region.

After Tamil Nadu allows Jallikattu, Karnataka and Maharashtra appeal…

New Delhi, Jan 24: After a bill to Jallikattu was legalised in Tamil Nadu by the Tamil Nadu Assembly, and the Centre too lifted the ban on the bull-taming sport in the state, a similar progress seems to be preparing to get notice in states, Karnataka and Maharashtra. As per the reports, the Karnataka and Maharashtra governments are now pressurising the Centre to lift the ban on buffalo races in the two states.

Rupee recovers 12 paise in early trade6 hours ago

Mumbai, Jan 24 The rupee gained 12 paise to 68.08 against the dollar in early trade today at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market on increased selling of the US currency by exporters and banks amidst higher opening in the domestic equity market. Forex dealers said that besides selling of the American greenback by exporters and banks, weakness in the dollar against other currencies overseas supported the rupee.

Pentagon chief vows ‘unshakeable commitment’ to NATO:spokesman28 min ago

New US Secretary of Defence James Mattis reassured his British counterpart that Washington has an “unshakeable commitment” to NATO, despite President Donald Trump previously casting the military alliance as obsolete. During a phone call with Michael Fallon on his first full day in office, Mattis “emphasized the United States’ unshakeable commitment to NATO,” Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement.

Germany to finance strategic infrastructure project in India

Berlin, Jan 24 – The German Cabinet is set to finance long term strategic projects in India particularly in the railway, infrastructure and smart cities sectors, a top official said here. According to an official statement issued by the Indian embassy in Berlin, the remarks were made by Matthias Machnig, State Secretary of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy in a meeting here on Monday with a visiting Indian CEO delegation led by the Confederation of Indian Industry .