Page 83 - Human Interest
CISF creates longest single line moving bicycle parade to set new Guinness World Record
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Sunday created a new Guinness World Record for the longest single moving line bicycle parade at the Yamuna Expressway.The 1,327 bicycles parade covered 3.2 km distance non-stop with a uniform distance between bicycles in a single line. Earlier the record was held by Hubballi Bicycle Club, India, with 1,235 bicycles in a single chain.Guinness World Records chose Ahmed Gamaleldin Ahmed Gabr from Egypt as the adjudicator for the event.After creating the feat, a certificate was presented to the paramilitary force which was received by Additional Director General--Headquarters (ADG) A K Pateria in the presence of other senior officials of the force.
Kumbh enters Guinness Book of World Records
The Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 has secured place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest crowd management, largest sanitation drive and largest painting exercise of public sites, the government said here on Sunday.
Want India to become sports-playing nation: Tendulkar
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar said Sunday that he wants to transform India into a sport-playing nation from a sports-loving one. "On number of occasions I have mentioned that India is a sports-loving nation but not a sports-playing nation. That is why my aim is to transform India into a sports-playing nation," he said, talking to reporters at a function in South Goa district. When it comes to health, there is always scope for improvement, he said. "I know we all like to feel fit. But the statistics, the numbers, do not say so. There is plenty of room for improvement. That is the message I want to give to everyone," he said. He noted that when it comes to picking a career, the mindset is changing. "Parents are open-minded now. You have so many celebrated chefs and professional dancers. India is slowly, slowly changing," he said. "Today the choice is not just confined to whether you want to be a doctor or an engineer," Tendulkar said.
Here's how Justin Bieber celebrated his birthday
Singer-songwriter Justin Bieber, who turned 25 on March 1, celebrated his birthday by spending some quality time with his wife Hailey Baldwin and his friends.Apart from Hailey, other people who were present for Justin's special day included his stylist and road manager Ryan Good, and Hillsong Church Pastor Carl Lentz with his wife Laura Lentz, among many others, reported E! News.The 'Sorry' singer and his friends enjoyed a day in the snow where they rode around in ATVs and wore matching jerseys with "Bieber 25" printed on the back of it. Interestingly, Hailey designed the jackets. They also took Polaroid photos, ate nachos and enjoyed a night out together. Ryan shared pictures from the celebration, which happened in Stratford, Ontario. On Friday, Justin thanked his fans for the birthday wishes and love. Hailey too posted beautiful pictures featuring her with the birthday boy along with a sweet caption, wishing him on his special day.The 22-year-old model took to Instagram and shared a
Names of 82 Punjab sportspersons for state honour approved
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has approved names of 82 sportspersons to be conferred the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, the state's highest sports honour.
CISF creates Guinness world record in single line bicycle parade
Troops of the CISF Sunday created history by achieving a Guinness world record feat in 'single line bicycle parade' to mark the 50 years of the paramilitary force, an officer said. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was raised in 1969 and it has about 1.80 lakh personnel in its ranks. The record was created at the Yamuna Expressway in Noida when personnel of the central force rode a total of 1,327 bicycles "non-stop with uniform distance between bicycles in a single line," the official said. "The bicycle parade covered 3.2 km distance non-stop. Earlier, this record was held by Hubballi bicycle club of India which had 1,235 bicycles in single chain," a CISF spokesperson said. It was an attempt requiring high degree of discipline as entire formation has to be moving, keeping in mind that the distance between two cycles should not exceed the length of three cycles for the world record to be broken, he added. The Guinness World Record presented a certificate to CISF Director ...
Elephant crushes mahout to death in freak incident
: In a freak incident, a mahout was crushed to death when he slipped and fell under the elephant when he ordered it to lie down for its bath, police said here Sunday. Arun Panicker (40) allegedly beat the elephant and ordered it to lie down, and as it did so, he lost his balance and got sandwiched between the animal and the ground, the police said. Panicker died on the spot, they said. His body has been sent for a postmortem. The elephant is owned by a hospital group in the city.
Pulitzer-winning photojournalist Yannis Behrakis dead at 58
Yannis Behrakis, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, has died. He was 58. His death Saturday was confirmed by his employers, Reuters, where he had worked since 1987. Behrakis had long been ill with cancer. Born in Athens in 1960, Behrakis studied photography at a private school and worked at a studio before fulfilling his lifelong dream to become a photojournalist. Since early 1989, he had been on assignments across Europe, the Mideast, Asia and Africa, often in conflict zones. In 2000, he was ambushed in Sierra Leone, likely by rebels, and barely escaped along with Reuters' co-worker Mark Chisholm. Their Reuters colleague Kurt Schork, Behrakis' close friend, and AP cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno were killed. Behrakis led a team of Reuters photographers to the 2016 Pulitzer Prize, covering the refugee crisis. One of his photos from that assignment, a Syrian carrying his young daughter in his arms during a storm and kissing her, was one of his favorites. He used it as a background ..
Reuters star photographer Behrakis dead at 58: press body
Award-winning Reuters photographer Yannis Behrakis has died aged 58 after a battle with cancer, Greece's foreign press association said Sunday. Athens-born Behrakis, who worked at Reuters for more than 30 years and died on Saturday, was "one of the best photographers of his generation", the press body said in a statement. "His pictures shaped the very way in which we perceived events, from the war in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone to the refugee crisis and the Arab Spring." Prestigious awards included the World Press Photo in 2000, Bayeux-Calvados in 2016, and Photographer of the Year by the Guardian in 2015. The married father of two also led a Reuters team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 for coverage of the migration crisis, which erupted the previous year. "Few people abandon everything to capture the truth. Yannis Behrakis defended truth in the four corners of the world," Greece's junior minister for media Lefteris Kretsos said in a statement. In 2000, Behrakis had narrowly ...
Indian parents more open to alternative careers: Tendulkar
Indian parents are now more open-minded and allow their wards the liberty to pursue alternative careers in dance, culinary arts and not just the hackneyed medicine and engineering, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar said on Sunday.
9-year-old girl donates savings to police dept for CCTVs
: A nine-year-old school girl has donated her savings of Rs 1.50 lakh to the city police for setting up CCTVs here. Srihita was appreciated for the gesture by the city police commissioner A K Viswanathan, who invited her to his office, a press release said Sunday. The girl came to know of the benefits of surveillance cameras from a seminar organised by the police at her father's workplace, the release said.
Genes may play role in happy marriage
Happily married? Thank your genes, say scientists who have identified a genetic variation in the 'love hormone' oxytocin that influences long-term happiness in a marriage. Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the study examined the role of a genetic variation that affects oxytocin, a hormone that plays a role in social bonding. Lead author Joan Monin, associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health in the US, and her team studied 178 married couples ranging in age from 37 to 90 years old. Each participant completed a survey about their feelings of marital security and satisfaction, and also provided a saliva sample for genotyping. The research team found that when at least one partner had a genetic variation known as the GG genotype within the oxytocin gene receptor, the couple reported significantly greater marital satisfaction and feelings of security within their marriage. Those couples had greater satisfaction compared with other couples who had different genotypes. While ...
Italy arrests Camorra 'superboss' after 14 years on run
Italian police on Saturday arrested top mafia fugitive Marco Di Lauro, the fourth son of ex-Camorra boss Paolo Di Lauro, after over 14 years on the run. Di Lauro, 38, was arrested without a fight at a modest apartment where he lived with his wife in the Chiaiano district in southern city Naples, police said. He was sitting with his two cats and eating pasta when police arrested him in an operation involving around 150 officers. Police allowed Di Lauro to change his clothes and freshen up before taking him away, local media reported. He voiced concern for the fate of his cats. Naples police chief Antonio De Iesu told a press conference that "unusual activity" had led police to the suspect, previously convicted of criminal association. Police found no weapons and a small sum of money in the flat. An international arrest warrant was issued for Di Lauro in 2006, and he was one of Italy's four most-wanted criminals, according to the interior ministry website. Italian media said he was ...
Shatrughan Sinha meets jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad at hospital in Ranchi
Cine star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha Saturday called on jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here to enquire about his health. "I have come to make a courtesy call and enquire about the health of a family friend, Lalu Prasad," Sinha told reporters when asked about his visit. He chose to keep mum when he was asked whether he would contest the approaching parliamentary elections from the Patna Sahib constituency in Bihar. "I am cool, calm, composed and relaxed," Sinha said when asked why there is a suspense over his candidature.
OIC resolution calls for restraint between India, Pak
A day after hosting External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as Guest of Honour, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday adopted a resolution containing certain critical remarks against India while advocating de-escalation between India and Pakistan.The resolution adopted at the end of the two-day conference of ministers also called for restraint between India and Pakistan and advocated the need for resolving outstanding issues through peaceful means.The document recognised "the need for early resumption of dialogue process between Pakistan and India, which is a prerequisite for development, peace and stability in South Asia.""Let's look at it from a positive angle. The OIC had sent a very clear and positive sign to the people of India that the OIC appreciates the relationship with India and looks forward to strengthening our relationship to a point where we can embrace India in the OIC. I know we are not there yet, due to obvious reasons, but having India as a Guest .
Here's what Kate Middleton calls Charlotte
Turns out the UK royals too have cute nicknames. Prince Harry is really Henry and Kate is Catherine. So it should not come as a surprise that Princess Charlotte too has a homely moniker.According to People magazine, Belfast-based blogger Laura-Ann brought her 2-year-old son George to Windsor Park Stadium hoping to catch a glimpse of Kate and Prince William during their two-day visit to Northern Ireland.Luckily, not only did Laura-Ann get to have a chat with the royal mum-of-three, but she also learned what Kate calls Charlotte.According to Laura Ann, who recounted the interaction on her Instagram handle later, Kate asked, "Hello - what's your name?" adding, "Hi George, what a cool name you've got, and you look very smart in your bow tie. It's very nice to meet you."Laura-Ann then explained that Kate asked how old her other son is - and then unexpectedly dropped 3-year-old Charlotte's cute nickname."And I said is he is 4 and she said, 'Oh, he's the same age as Lottie' - she calls her .
Kumbh Mela sets Guinness World Record by undertaking massive sanitation work
The Prayagraj Mela Authority on Saturday set one more Guinness World Record by undertaking massive sanitation works. Two earlier records were about 'handprint painting' and 'largest parade of buses.' A large number of people wearing masks and brooms in their hands descended on the streets and cleaning them, a rare sight in the holy city of India, famous for the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. The new record was created in view of the ongoing Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a nation-wide campaign in India for the period 2014 to 2019 that aims at cleaning streets, roads, and other infrastructures in cities, towns, and rural areas.Only on Friday, the Prayagraj Mela Authority (PMA) had set a Guinness World Record for "most contribution to a handprint painting on the theme of 'Jai Gange' in eight hours.A part of 'Paint My City' initiative, the handprint community activity saw the participation of 7,664 people from all age groups. The earlier record was held by Seoul in ...
52 couples tie knot at mass wedding
Fifty-two couples belonging to the differently-abled and economically weaker sections tied the knot at a mass wedding here on Saturday. Chosen from different states of the country by charitable organisation Narayan Seva Sansthan (NSS), these couples tied the knot in the two-day-long gala ceremony. "The couples got household routine appliances and gifts as 'kanyadaan' (marriage ritual) to start their new married life," Prashant Agarwal, president of the NSS, said. They also got skill development training from the NGO, Agarwal said. Among those who married are Jaya and Deepak from Dhulia in Maharashtra. Similarly, Surajmal and Eitri, Lalita and Ganesh and Nakkalal and Kripa from Rajsthan; Gulab and Bibi from Uttar Pradesh and Bankim and Kavita from West Bengal were among the couples who got married, he added.
Novel talks of love, Great Bengal Circus and tiger woman
A historical novel places a tragic love triangle in an era of patriotism, as the Great Bengal Circus becomes a metaphor for a frustrated social revolution, while also shedding a light on the first female trapeze player. "Tiger Woman" by Sirsho Bandopadhyay and translated by Arunava Sinha from the Bengali version "Shardulsundori" is set in the Calcutta of the 1880s. Nationalism is on the rise and Bengali intellectuals are leading the protest against British rule in India. In this charged climate, ardent patriot Priyanath Bose prepares to set up the first Bengali circus. Soon he discovers an exceptional young girl, Sushila, and trains her to be a trapeze artist. As the circus flourishes and big animal acts are introduced, Sushila and the tigers become the star attractions. But the prize Sushila craves is unattainable, as Priyanath, a married man, is forced to reject her love for him. Jilted, she begins a relationship with a fellow circus artiste, but he may not be as loyal as Sushila ...
Sanitation workers set Guinness record at Kumbh
Sanitation workers in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday set a Guinness World Record when 10,000 of them got together for a three-minute cleaning drive at Kumbh here, officials said.