Page 114 - Human Interest

Indian-American Sikh presented with Rosa Parks Trailblazer award

An Indian-American philanthropist and entrepreneur, Gurinder Singh Khalsa, has been presented with the prestigious Rosa Park Trailblazer award for his campaign that forced US authorities change their policy towards headgear of the Sikh community. Indianapolis-based Khalsa, 45, was presented the award for his continued demonstration of courage and compassion. In 2007, Khalsa was refused access to board an airplane because of his turban, organisers of the event said. Thereafter Khalsa mobilised more than 67,000 people nationwide for petitions and took the issue to all the way to the US Congress, which forced Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) to change its headgear policy towards the Sikh community. As a result, Sikhs can now wear their turban through airport security in the US. "I was prevented from boarding the flight because I refused to remove my turban. I took this stand for all those who believe in religious liberty and freedom of faith," Khalsa, who also heads the .

WCD Ministry registers FIR against ICCW for financial fraud

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) registered an FIR against Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) for alleged financial fraud.The Ministry explained that this step had to be taken after the ICCW's financial integrity was questioned by the Delhi High Court during the hearings of a writ petition.The court alleged that the ICCW had been working in clear violation of financial rules of the Government of India while utilising the funds received. It has been ascertained that the ICCW has not refunded the unspent balance of rupees Rs 5,44,002 for the year 2015-16 and Rs. 83,99,852 and Rs 2,19,70,197 for the year of 2014-16 and 2015-16, respectively.In view of this, the government dissociated itself from the ICCW and revamped the scheme of National Awards for children in 2018 to include bravery as an additional component in the Pradhan Mantri National Children Awards.The WCD Ministry said bravery awards were organised by an NGO named ICCW. However, the government supported .

Art is a beautiful, poignant byproduct of artists' lives: British artist Sacha Jafri (IANS Interview)

Art, for long, has been a commodity manipulated by select czars of the space, but for British artist Sacha Jafri, works of art are "beautiful, meaningful and poignant" byproducts that spill out of artists' lives.

'No injuries of concern' for Prince Philip, 97, after car crash

Queen Elizabeth II's 97-year-old husband Prince Philip visited hospital for "a precautionary check-up" on Friday that found "no injuries of concern" after a car crash the previous day that rolled the Land Rover he was driving. "On doctor's advice the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Queen Elizabeth hospital... this morning for a precautionary check-up," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman told AFP. "This confirmed his royal highness had no injuries of concern," she added, without specifying the extent of any minor injuries. This contrasted with a statement from Buckingham Palace on Thursday that stated the prince "was not injured". The queen has issued no public comment about the crash. The accident occurred near the queen's Sandringham Estate in south east England, where the couple spend much of the winter. A nine-month-old baby who was in the back seat of the other car, a Kia hatchback, was also uninjured, while one woman in the vehicle broke her wrist and the other cut her knee, local ...

Aditi Rao Hydari to walk the ramp for charity

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari will be walking the ramp at a fashion show here to raise funds for charity intiatives.

Gurugram: Rape victim shot dead by accused

A man working at a night club as a bouncer allegedly shot dead a 22-year-old woman on Saturday for not withdrawing a rape case filed by her against him.The victim's body was found lying near Khusboo Chowk situated on Gurgaon-Faridabad expressway by some commuters who informed the police control room.Police said the accused, Sandeep Kumar, murdered the woman just a few hours before she was to record her statement in court.Speaking to ANI, the victim's mother said, "The accused came to our house situated in Nathupur early morning and requested to speak to my daughter in his car. Later, my daughter along with her friend sat in the car. Around 6 am in the morning, Sandeep came to me and started pressurising me to take the case back, failing to do which he said he would kill my daughter."The deceased's mother further said that an FIR was registered in March 2017 against Sandeep for allegedly raping her daughter, who was working with him in the same night club. "Gurugram police arrested ...

You shouldn't let fashion hurt your feelings: John Mayer

Singer John Mayer feels people should not let fashion hurt their feelings.

Australian Open: Nadal breezes past de Minaur to enter pre-quarters

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal defeated 19-year-old Alex de Minaur in the Australian Open to enter the pre-quarters round of men's singles event here at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday.The 32-year-old registered an impressive 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory over his Australian counterpart in the match that lasted more than two hours.The 2009 champion and three-time runner-up, Nadal started down one break point in his opening service game, then moved his opponent around the court with powerful groundstrokes. Three break points came and went for De Minaur. However, Nadal, who was through two sets, proved too strong and dominated the encounter and wrapped up his victory over de Minaur."I know I have to play aggressively. I know I have to play with the right determination. But every day is a test. Maybe every day is tougher. I have to be ready for it," Australian Open quoted Nadal, as saying.The second seed Nadal will next challenge Tomas Berdych of CzechRepublic.

Five Belgian Shepherd dogs inducted in Mumbai police

Five Belgian Shepherd dogs have been inducted into the Mumbai police force to help in investigation and detection of crime, an official said Friday. The canines will be part of the police's Dog Squad, he said. "Five new Belgian Shepherd breed dogs have been inducted by the city police. They are going to help police in their investigation and detection efforts," said police spokesperson DCP Manjunath Singe. He said five lady constables have been deployed for handling these canines. The constables will be responsible for their training and day-to-day operations, the DCP added.

Guv suggests making Constitution available in mother tongues

Goa Governor Mridula Sinha Friday suggested that if the Constitution is made available to people in their mother tongues, it will help them live their lives with honour. She was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 'Constitution Week' held at the Goa University here. "Every citizen should invest their duty on their rights and the result will be fruitful. If a citizen is aware of the Constitution in their language, they can live their life with honour," Sinha was quoted as saying in a release. Expressing her happiness over the celebration of the Constitution Week, the governor said the event will help create awareness about the Constitution among the people. As part of the Constitution Week, being observed between January 18 and 26, several programmes are being organised across various schools, colleges and talukas across.

Raj ex-royal Diya Kumari says will accept any role given by BJP

Former BJP legislator and erstwhile royal family member Diya Kumari said Friday she will accept any responsibility given to her by the party. "I will go with the decision of party. If any responsibility is given to me, I will definitely accept her," she told reporters at a public function here. Kumari was elected on BJP ticket in 2013 from Swai Madhopur. She had cited personal reasons for not contesting in 2018 assembly election. Replying to a question whether she will contest Lok Sabha polls, she said, "Whatever responsibility will be given, I will serve it." It was her first public appearance after divorce from husband Narendra. She had married him in 1997 after going against the family. She has a son and a daughter.

Australian police arrest man over Israeli student's death

Australian police arrested a man Friday for questioning over the death of an Israeli student in Melbourne, while the victim's tearful father visited the flower-strewn crime scene where her body was found. Aiia Maasarwe was slain at 12:10 am on Wednesday shortly after she got off a tram in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora. A 20-year-old was taken into custody on Friday morning in the neighbouring suburb of Greensborough, a police statement said. Police did not say if any charges have been filed. The 21-year-old victim was studying at La Trobe University in Melbourne as an exchange student from Shanghai University in China. Her father Saeed Maasarwe arrived in Melbourne on Thursday to bring her body home. He cried Friday when he saw an impromptu floral memorial arranged by members of the public at the site where her body was found behind a hedge not far from the tram stop. "This is the last place my daughter was here," the father told reporters. "I had many dreams to be with her." The .

10 year challenge photo: Jessica Simpson pokes fun at swollen foot

Pregnant Jessica Simpson poked fun at her extremely swollen foot in a 10-year challenge photo.

Divers spot giant white shark off Hawaii coast

An enormous great white shark -- believed to be one of the biggest on record -- has been spotted off the coast of Hawaii by divers who took a swim with the predator. The 20-foot (six-meter) female shark -- bearing similar markings as "Deep Blue," the largest great white shark recorded -- made its surprise appearance on Tuesday, joining other sharks feasting on a sperm whale carcass off Oahu. "We saw a few (tiger sharks) and then she came up and all the other sharks split, and she started brushing up against the boat," said Ocean Ramsey, one of the divers, recounting the extraordinary encounter to the Honolulu Star Adviser. "She was just this big beautiful gentle giant wanting to use our boat as a scratching post," added Ramsey, who swam with the shark all day and captured stunning pictures. "We went out at sunrise, and she stayed with us pretty much throughout the day." Ramsey said the animal, believed to be at least 50 years old and weighing an estimated 2.5 tonnes, was "shockingly ..

Get your act together: Key anti-Brexit campaigner tells MPs

- Gina Miller may be one of Britain's most prominent anti-Brexit campaigners, but even her enemies agree with her on one point: the woeful inability of British politicians to find a way out of this mess. The businesswoman, who shot to fame for successfully challenging Theresa May's government in court, sees little cause for optimism in one of the most tumultuous weeks since the 2016 referendum. Britain, she fears, is hurtling towards a crash-exit from the EU without an agreement after parliament overwhelmingly rejected May's divorce deal on Tuesday. "It is a historic moment, but I'm afraid I don't think anything has changed," Miller told AFP during a visit to Paris on Thursday to address the French Senate's Brexit committee. "As much as you celebrate the fact that Mrs May's deal has managed to unite both leavers and remainers against it, there is still no option that appears to have enough of a majority to get through parliament," she said. It was Miller, a Guyana-born former model ..

Will reach out to YouTube to ascertain authenticity of video of Deepak Kalal's assault: Poilce

Police Thursday said it will reach out to YouTube to ascertain the authenticity of a video purportedly showing comedian Deepak Kalal being assaulted by a man near Delhi-Gurgaon toll plaza. The incident occurred on Tuesday night Rajokri border and a video of the incident was shared widely on social media. In the video, Kalal can be seen pleading for his life with folded hands as the man abuses him for posting content on social media and thrashes him. Later, he is made to apologise to his social media followers for his posts. The man makes Kalal promise that he wouldn't share such posts again. The video was being shot by a person who was allegedly accompanying the man who assaulted the comedian. "We have not received any complaint from Kalal in this matter. We are in a process of taking statement of toll plaza employees and will watch CCTV footage to verify facts," Gurgaon Police PRO Subhash Bokan said. "The police will reach out to YouTube to ascertain the authenticity of the video," ..

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver dies at 83

Mary Oliver, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet whose rapturous odes to nature and animal life brought her critical acclaim and popular affection, has died. She was 83. Bill Reichblum, Oliver's literary executor, says she died Thursday at her home in Hobe Sound, Florida. The case of death was lymphoma. Author of more than 15 poetry and essay collections, Oliver wrote brief, direct pieces that sang of her worship of the outdoors and disdain for greed and other human crimes. One of her favourite adjectives was "perfect," and rarely did she apply it to people. Her muses were owls and butterflies, frogs and geese, the changes of the seasons, the sun and the stars.

Spectator dies during jallikattu, many bull tamers injured

A spectator died of heart attack near here while more than 40 bull tamers were injured in the bull taming sport of Jallikattu which was held across Tamil Nadu Thursday as part of Pongal festivities which began on January 15. At the bustling hamlet of Alanganallur, a popular venue for the sport, a 45-year-old man in the spectators' gallery died of heart attack, police said. About 40 bull tamers were injured, they said. A total of 729 bulls were used in the event which was watched by tourists from abroad also. About 1,500 police personnel maintained vigil, police said, adding that a Indo-Tibetan Border Police team was also deployed at the venue for the first time. Tamil Nadu minister R P Udhayakumar inaugurated the event by flagging off the release of a bull from its pen. Jallikattu remained banned following a Supreme Court order in May 2014 before the state government in 2017 brought in an ordinance to facilitate its conduct at the height of a massive protest held at ...

Here's how Meghan Markle could soon return to the stage

Thanks to Meghan's new royal role recently handed down to her by Queen Elizabeth, the Duchess of Sussex may land back in show business.At least, that is the opinion of leading royal historian Robert Lacey, reported People magazine.Lacey says Meghan's new patronage of the National Theatre, one of the four key causes will be backing in her royal capacity, presents acting opportunities for the former Suits star.Lacey, a consultant for the Netflix show The Crown told People that it is a "canny and shrews [assignment] on the Queen's part."He added, "If Meghan is ever missing the excitement of acting, this will put her back in touch with show business in a very creative way. It is tailor-made for her and she will throw herself into it."He believes the royal mum-to-be, 37, might even take an active part at some point. "I can see her getting involved with productions or even directing something," he said.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards

Ace Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has become the first Indian to receive a nomination in the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards to be held here on February 18. The 24-year-old Indian, who made a sensational comeback after battling a long injury lay-off to win a gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and Jakarta Asian Games, has been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year. The Haryana wrestler, who was stretchered off after dislocating her knee during the quarterfinals of 50kg freestyle event at the 2016 Olympic Games, has been nominated alongside US Tour Championship winner Tiger Woods, who won his first tournament in five years. Also nominated are four inspirational Winter Olympic athletes; Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, US ski racing legend Lindsey Vonn and Dutch Paralympic champion Bibian Mentel-Spee. The last time an Indian sporting feat made its way to the Laureus World Sports Awards was in 2004 when the Indian