Page 72 - Human Interest
Man surrenders Mumbai flat won in lottery citing bad 'vaastu'
The winner of a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) lottery has surrendered his prize-winning costly flat in Mumbai citing bad 'vaastu'.Vinod Shirke, the shakha chief of Shivsena in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had in December last year won two flats valued at Rs 4.99 crores and Rs 5.08 crores each, the costliest flats in history to be ever sold in a MHADA lottery.The BMC official said he decided to relinquish the costlier flat on the suggestion of his 'vastu' consultant.Speaking to ANI, Shirke said, "I had won two flats in the same building and as per the guidelines of MHADA, I can establish a claim on any one of them. After seeking advice from my Vaastu consultant, I have decided that I won't be accepting the costlier flat which is worth of 5.80 crores."My Vaastu consultant has suggested some mandatory alterations to be made in the flats to ensure a better career in politics and social life for me. But the suggested amendments cannot be undertaken .
Major Surendra Poonia joins BJP
Army veteran and international sportsman Major Surendra Poonia on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.He was inducted into the party fold in the presence of BJP general secretary JP Nadda and senior leader Ram Lal.Poonia joined the BJP just a day after former cricketer Gautam Gambhir joined the party.After joining the party, Poonia tweeted stating, "I have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party to serve the nation and our people. It is a great honour for me to support and stand with the idea of 'Nation First' against the idea of 'Family First' from party's platform which is led by the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Major Surendra Poonia is a recipient of Vishisht Seva Medal. He has also won numerous international awards and has also served as a Special Forces Officer in the Indian Army.He had contested in the 2014 parliamentary election from Sikar Lok Sabha of Rajasthan.
Ivory smuggler held with 13 tusks
The police Saturday arresed an ivory smuggler carrying 13 tusks at a place near Bangladesh border in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. Suspicious movement by the accused who was on a motorbike was spotted by policemen during a routine check in Dalu area. Police said they stopped the motorbike, searched his bags and found the tusks inside them. The 33-year-old arrested man is a resident of Gasuapara area in South Garo Hills district. A man from Assam was supposed to receive the tusks but he might have fled, police said.
Kohli to open as CSK put RCB to bat
Chennai Super Kings opted to field against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening encounter of the 12th edition of Indian Premier League on Saturday. RCB skipper Virat Kohli indicated that he will be opening the innings while AB de Villiers, Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali and debutant Shimron Hetmyer will comprise the overseas list. CSK are playing three foreigners in Imran Tahir, Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo. Chennai Super Kings: Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain and wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (captain), Parthiv Patel, Moeen Ali, Shimron Hetmyer, AB de Villiers, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini.
World boxing chief Rahimov resigns
International Boxing Federation (AIBA) president Gafur Rahimov has resigned on the eve of the decisive IOC executive meeting on Sunday,
SuperSport Park honours batswoman Mignon du Preez
The SuperSport Park in Centurion unveiled a 'Mignon du Preez Gates' in honour of South Africa's batswoman and Northerns senior women's player.Du Preez, who started her career at Northerns Cricket Union (NCU) 20 years ago, has scored nearly 5000 runs across both ODI and T20I formats. She has made 208 appearances, leading the side on 97 occasions."To be completely honest, I'm lost for words. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine something would be named in my honour and to have it at a stadium like SuperSport Park, that I've seen as my 'home ground' since I fell in love with cricket as a four-year-old, is truly special," du Preez said."I wouldn't be the person or player I'm today if it wasn't for the Union, which provided me with the necessary opportunities to become a national player," she added.The middle-order batswoman's performances at the highest level earned her contracts in the KIA Super League in England and Australia's Women's Big Bash League.SuperSport Park Chief ...
3 killed, 18 injured in road accident in Jharkhand
Three persons, including a woman, were killed and 18 others injured when a pick-up van fell into a roadside ditch in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharswan district in the early hours Saturday, police said. The incident happened on National Highway 33 under the jurisdiction of Chandil police station when the pick-up van was travelling to Nargadih from Silli in Ranchi district, the senior police officer said. The pick-up van fell into the ditch after the driver lost control over the wheels, the Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Chandil, D N Banka, said. The victims were returning home after attending a marriage party in Silli, he said. The injured were admitted to M G M Hospital and Tata Main Hospital here, the police officer said.
Reese's daughter's b'day wish to 'gorgeous mama'
Actress Reese Witherspoon's mini-me daughter Ava Phillippe has wished her "gorgeous mama" a happy birthday.
79th Pakistan Day celebrated with zeal, fervour
The 79th Pakistan Day was celebrated across the country on Saturday with traditional zeal and fervour.
Rare albino penguin makes debut at Polish zoo
A rare three-month-old albino penguin made its first public appearance at a zoo in the Polish Baltic port city of Gdansk, where its keepers claim it is the only one of its kind in captivity. The all-white African black-foot penguin was born on December 14, but zoo staff decided to keep its arrival secret as they were unsure the vulnerable newborn would survive. Zoo staff are waiting until they are able to determine its sex to name the youngster. "As far as we know, there is no other such specimen alive (in captivity) in the world," Michal Targowski, director of the Gdansk Zoo, told the TVN24 commercial news channel. "The baby is active, in good health, eats well and, what's very important, its parents are taking very good care of it," Targowski said. To ensure its safety, the youngster is being kept with a small group of six adults, including its parents, part of a group of 70 penguins living at the Gdansk Zoo. "We're really doting on him so that nothing bad happens to him," ...
Priyanka Chopra loves sexting husband Nick Jonas
Indian actress Priyanka Chopra says she enjoys "sexting" with her pop-singer husband Nick Jonas when they have some time apart.
Rajasthan Royals unveil pink jersey for IPL XII
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Saturday changed their colour from blue to pink as the franchise unveiled the new jersey for the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 12 starting Saturday.
Udhampur: Villagers bid emotional farewell to Rifleman Yash Paul
Villagers and Army men on Friday bid an emotional farewell to Rifleman Yash Paul of the Indian Army who died in Pakistan firing along the LoC yesterday.Several army and civilian officers paid their last respects to the deceased who was cremated with full military honours."We are sad. His mother, brother, wife -- all of them are very sad," Yash's father Desh Raj said while demanding strong action against Pakistan.One of his friends said, "While the country was playing with colours, Yash was playing Holi with bullets. When his family used to call him, he used to say don't worry, as long as I am here Pakistan won't be able to do anything.
Hailey Baldwin feels frustrated by Justin Bieber's "possessive" fans
Model Hailey Baldwin recently opened up about her marriage with singer Justin Bieber and how it has changed the way she sees the world.In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine cited by E! News, the 22-year-old model spoke at length about her marriage and how there has been no shortage of critics who are keeping a watchful eye for any sign of a split between the couple."They just really want to see you fail, for whatever reason," she lamented in the interview."I don't know if it's because they want to be able to say, 'I told you so' or because they want to be right, I don't really know what the idea is behind trying to tear some body's relationship down, or person down, whatever it may be," an emotional Hailey added.Although she's a seemingly optimistic person, she said, "I guess it's just kind of an evil world, at the core of it, and humanity is just struggling."It isn't just the media that gives the model grief over her marriage to the singer. It turns out that Justin's young fans .
Priyanka Chopra, Meghan Markle are 'still close'
Amidst the rumours of actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle's feud, there are new reports which claimed that everything is fine between the two.
Sumitra Mahajan pays condolence visit to Parrikar family
Outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan met late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's family during a condolence visit on Friday.
#KuToo: Japanese women revolt against high heels at the workplace
Taking differential rules for men and women in the workplace head-on, women in Japan have launched an online movement against workplace dress codes which necessitate heels.While both men and women are supposed to wear suits while job hunting and to their workplace, heels are the de facto dress code for working women in Japan as flats are usually frowned upon for females, reports Japan Today.'#KuToo', which borrows its writing style from the #MeToo movement, is the hashtag under which Twitter users have been calling for a change in formal dress codes for women.Calling it the modern version of foot-binding, female Twitter users have expressed rage at the socially ordained practise of wearing heels at the workplace."I want them to get rid of pumps for job hunting. Pumps are the modern equivalent of foot-binding. It's a mistake to force women to wear them. They say it's proper manners to wear them? It's a medical injury!" a Twitter user said.Another woman tweeted in Japanese, saying: ...
Tom Ford calls out fake quote targeting Melania Trump
Tom Ford denied making degrading comments targeting US First Lady Melania Trump, after a tweet where he allegedly called Melania a "glorified escort" went viral."Tom Ford refuses to dress Melania Trump: 'I have no interest in dressing a glorified escort who steals speeches and has bad taste in men," the tweet at the centre of the controversy read.The statement - which has since been decried as fake - was shared through an anonymous Twitter account, having garnered more than 3,000 retweets and 13,000 likes, reports The Washington Post."This is an absolutely fabricated and completely fake quote that somehow went viral. Mr Ford did not make this statement; it is completely false," a spokeswoman for the top-notch designer stated in a bid to calm the media frenzy.The Twitter account has since apologised and removed the tweet."My sincere apologies for the Tom Ford post I posted," the same account later tweeted.Ford has previously been known to have distanced himself from the Trumps, ...
Kadu's party gives LS ticket to farmer widow Vaishali Yede
Vaishali Yede, a farmer's widow who shot into limelight after making inaugural speech at the annual Marathi literary meet, is set to contest Lok Sabha election from Yawatmal-Washim constituency in Maharashtra. Yede's husband had committed suicide due to indebtedness some years ago. She works as an assistant at a local 'Anganwadi' (child care centre). "We have decided to field Vaishali Yede from Yawatmal Washim. She had given a good speech at the inauguration of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan," Prahar Party chief and MLA Bachhu Kadu told reporters. Yede was chosen to make the inaugural speech at the literary meet after some local groups opposed invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal for making the speech. Organisers were forced to withdraw Sahgal's invite, drawing criticism.
Holi 2019: B-town extends colourful wishes to fans
The nation on Thursday celebrated the festival of colour and joy-- Holi. Like every festival, Bollywood celebrities sent out their good wishes to fans before getting drenched in colour and going all out to celebrate the fun festival.From Akshay Kumar to Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt and Madhuri Dixit, among many others took to their respective social media accounts to send heartfelt wishes to their fans.Deepika Padukone, on the occasion of Holi, wished her fans good health and good fortune. She wrote, "good health (mental & physical), good fortune, love and positivity... wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Holi."Alia Bhatt wished her fans on behalf of the team of 'Kalank.' She posted a small clip featuring all the characters from the upcoming film and wrote, "Let the colors of eternal love fill the air Team #Kalank wishes you #HappyHoli."Madhuri Dixit posted a happy family picture and wrote along with the adorable picture, "Happy Holi!!"Karan Johar too extended his good .