“The new Passport Seva Kendra at Puducherry is in the pipeline. The Puducherry government has identified a building and given it to us. At present the renovation work is going on and would be established in two to three months,” Regional Passport Officer C Senthil Pandian told reporters here.
Once the Kendra commences operations, customers residing in Puducherry and neighbouring Cuddalore and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu can avail services there, avoiding a travel of over 100 km to Chennai, he said.
The Regional Passport Office in Chennai has issued over 3.90 lakh passports in 2014, achieving the target of 3,83,700 passports set by the Ministry, he said.
The appointments given to customers every day at three PSKs in Chennai has been increased from 1,850 to 2,730, Pandian added. – See more at: http://thefirstmail.in/news/news-details/49363-passport_kendra_at_puducherry_in_two_months#sthash.oGLQ0ewp.dpuf
More than half of the Indian girls would cancel their wedding if their would-be in-laws demand dowry, according to a new survey.
When single Indian women were asked in a survey by Shaadi.com about what they would do if they learnt about a dowry demand made to their parents, 51.4 per cent women said they would call off their wedding.
Another 48.6 per cent women said they would name and shame the would-be in-law’s family by publicly humiliating them, as per the survey.
The online poll received 5,680 responses from single Indians in the age group of 24 to 35 years.
When single Indian men were asked how dowry seekers should be treated, 59.8 per cent of them said such persons should be instantly jailed, while 40.2 per cent said those making the demand should be socially humiliated.
More than 75 per cent respondents felt dowry could be prevented, the survey said.
Commenting on the survey, Gourav Rakshit, COO of Shaadi.com said the website was working towards making India a dowry-free society. PTI
Chandigarh: Drug menace in Punjab reached alarming proportions in 2014, even becoming a key poll issue and engaged the Opposition Congress and the SAD-BJP government in a bitter war of words throughout the year.
While Congress accused the SAD-BJP government of indulging in “patronising drug suppliers”, the ruling dispensation rejected these charges, vowing to eliminate drug abuse from the state.
How serious the drug problem in the state can be gauged from the fact that drugs, liquor and other narcotics worth Rs 800 crore were seized from Punjab by poll authorities ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
Narendra Modi in his first election rally at Pathankot in April spoke of the drugs problem, saying the country’s enemies now resorted to “narco terrorism” route as part of their nefarious designs to destroy youth.
“Every mother, especially every mother of Punjab is worried that her son may get addicted,” he had then said referring to the drug menace in the state.
Modi had even promised voters to put a lid on the drugs being pushed into Indian territory from across the border if BJP-led government came at the Centre.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi took on SAD-BJP led regime, charging the Akali regime with indulging in illegal activities including drug smuggling, sand mining etc.
She further accused the Punjab government of failing in curbing “growing drug” menace in state, saying drugs were destroying youth in the state.
Facing “vitriolic” attack from several quarters on drug issue, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced the launch of an elaborate anti-drug drive and crackdown against the drug abuse.
Simultaneously, the state government also announced massive programme of drug de-addiction in the state and free medicines to drug-addicted youths in these centres.
As part of measures to control flow of drugs, a ‘Punjab State Narcotics Control Bureau’ was also set up which was headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Badal promised to take action against any politician involved in drug trade.
Senior Akali leader and state minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur had to even resign on moral grounds when his son’s name figured in drug trade in May.
Alliance partner BJP said drug menace, among other issues such as property tax, VAT refund, rising prices of sand and gravel in the state was a reason that led to SAD-BJP’s “below expectation” Lok Sabha results in Punjab.
Despite sentiments in favour of BJP at the national level, the SAD-BJP alliance could win just six of the 13 seats in Punjab while senior BJP Arun Jaitley lost to Amarinder Singh from Amritsar.
Singh also called for formation of a National Drug Policy to “comprehensively” address the problem of drug addiction across the country and Punjab in particular, saying where the problem is “assuming dangerous propositions”.
The state’s anti-drug drive, however, earned the wrath of chemists and drug shop owners who even shut down their shops in protest against the alleged harassment caused by state police in its state-wide drive against drug menace.
In the state Assembly in July, Congress even tried to maintain pressure on Akali regime on drug issue and sought white paper from the state government pertaining to cases registered against drug smugglers.
The Opposition party was up in arms against SAD-BJP regime when it accused the state government of muzzling its voice by deliberately dragging the name of Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Amarinder Singh Raja Warring in a drug racket.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said in the assembly that the state government never indulged in political vendetta.
In a drive against drugs, Punjab government seized several types of drugs including heroin, opium, poppy husk, synthetic drugs from smugglers in the state, saying these come from other states.
With the government contending that the state was used as transit point for supplying drugs like heroin to other states, Punjab Police arrested 10,538 persons till July as against arrest of 16,821 persons in 2013 under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Besides other drugs, it also seized 382.84 kg of heroin and 1212 kg of mixture to make methamphetamine (synthetic drug) till July.
The conviction rate under NDPS Act filed against accused by Punjab police rose from 70.8 per cent in year 2010 to 80.5 per cent in 2013, it said.
– See more at: http://freepressjournal.in/drug-menace-reached-alarming-proportions-in-punjab/#sthash.iwEfqVE2.dpuf
Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will open in cinemas in December 2015.
A close-up look at the spacecraft in the ‘Star Wars’ universe Millennium Falcon has been revealed. The images, which will feature in Fortune magazine, include Disney CEO Bob Iger posing alongside the famous spacecraft, according to media reports.
The images were taken by Wesley Mann for Fortune, with a composite scene created by Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic.
’Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will open in cinemas in December 2015.
New Delhi: From Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s ambitious film ‘Shamitabh’, Ranbir Kapoor’s first ever period drama ‘Bombay Velvet’ to Salman Khan’s Eid outing ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan’ and Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Fan’, the upcoming year will see some major releases at the box-office.
If everything goes as per the plan, Bachchan will have three releases in 2015, starting from ‘Shamitabh’ in which the megastar has reteamed with ‘Paa’ director R Balki. The film, to be released on February 6, also stars ‘Raanjhanaa’ actor Dhanush and will see Kamal Haasan’s younger daughter Akshara, making her acting debut.
Veteran actress Rekha is slated to make a guest appearance in the film, however, it is not clear whether she will share the screen space with Bachchan after ‘Silsila’ in 1981.
Bachchan’s ‘Piku’ is another big release of the coming year. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the film brings Bachchan and actress Deepika Padukone together as father-daughter for the second time on screen after ‘Aakarshan’. The movie, extensively shot in Kolkata, has Irrfan as the third lead.
Big B is slated to have his third release in ‘Wazir’ sometime next year. The Bejoy Nambiar-directed film stars him and Farhan Akhtar. Salman will look to recreate success of ‘Bodyguard’ with Kareena Kapoor Khan in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan’, which is said to be a love story between a Brahmin woman and a Muslim man. Also starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the movie is directed and co-produced by Kabir Khan. It releases on July 16.
The superstar’s return to Rajshri Productions after 16 years makes ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ a film to watch out for in November this year. The fresh pairing of Salman and Sonam Kapoor, who is 20 years younger to him, is an interesting feature about it.
Anurag Kashyap’s most ambitious project ‘Bombay Velvet’ is one of the biggest movies of 2015, not only for its budget but also for Ranbir’s return in a lead role after his forgettable ‘Besharam’ in 2013.
The actor was seen in cameo roles lately in ‘Bhoothnath Returns’ and ‘PK’. He has an extended role in ‘Roy’. ‘Bombay Velvet’ is based on historian Gyan Prakash’s book ‘Mumbai Fables’. Set in Bombay of the 1960s, the film tells the story of a boxer, Johnny Balraj, and an aspiring jazz singer, Rosie, and how their hopes and dreams collide with their individual realities.
It also stars Anushka Sharma, Raveena Tandon, Kay Kay Menon and Siddharth Basu. The film marks full fledged acting debut of filmmaker Karan Johar in the role of an antagonist. It is scheduled for release in May, next year.
PTI
Pakistani police have detained the alleged Mumbai attacks mastermind in an unrelated kidnapping case, a day after a court ordered his release.
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi has spent six years in jail awaiting trial for the 2008 attacks, in which 165 were killed.
The government has been fighting a court decision to grant him bail.
Indian officials say Mr Lakhvi led the Pakistani militant group that carried out the attack, and have reacted angrily to the decision to free him.
Mr Lakhvi is among seven suspects who have been in jail awaiting trial for six years. Nine others have been charged in absentia.
Pakistan has not convicted anyone suspected of planning the attacks.
On Tuesday, the authorities registered a case of abduction under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law against Mr Lakhvi.
He was produced in a court amid tight security and later police took him into protective custody.
Analysts say the Pakistani government, which has promised to crack down on militancy, does not want Mr Lakhvi to be freed.
The government is challenging and earlier decision to grant him bail, and imposed a three-month detention order in an effort to keep him in prison.
But the Islamabad High Court quashed the detention order on Monday, forcing the authorities to bring new charges to keep him detained.
Mr Lakhvi was accused of heading the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
The charges brought against Mr Lakhvi and other suspects were mainly based on a confession given by Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the only gunman captured alive after the attacks.
India executed Qasab in 2012.
The attacks severely strained relations between India and Pakistan.
MS Dhoni has retired from Test cricket with immediate effect following the drawn Test against Australia in Melbourne. Virat Kohli will take over as India captain for the final Test of the series, which India have already lost, in Sydney.
Dhoni was batting on 24 when the Test was called off early at the MCG – four overs were left and India had four wickets in hand – and he made no mention of his retirement during the customary captain’s press conference at the end of the match. The announcement was made via a BCCI press release shortly after and it cited “the strain of playing all formats” as the reason.
“One of India’s greatest Test captains under whose leadership India became the No. 1 team in the test rankings, MS Dhoni, has decided to retire from Test cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of cricket,” the board said. “BCCI, while respecting the decision of MS Dhoni to retire from Test cricket, wishes to thank him for his enormous contribution to Test cricket and the laurels that he has brought to India. Virat Kohli will be the captain of the Indian team for the fourth and final Test against Australia to be played in Sydney.”
In recent months Dhoni suffered from fitness issues, missing five ODIs against Sri Lanka in November because of a hand injury, which also sidelined him from the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. In addition to the pressure of leading India in all three formats, and the Chennai Super Kings franchise, for six years Dhoni has also had to play an extraordinary amount of matches. Since the start of 2008 – taking into account international matches across formats, IPL and Champions League T20 games – Dhoni has played 398 matches, the most for any cricket during this period. Suresh Raina is second with 369 games.
Though Dhoni’s place in India’s Test side has not been under question, his batting form took a dip in 2014 and he averaged only 33 in 17 innings this year. His wicketkeeping has also deteriorated, in particular his ability to move laterally to take testing catches. India’s overseas results have also suffered under Dhoni’s leadership in recent years. Since 2011, they have won only two out of 22 away Tests and lost 13.
Dhoni, however, is India’s most successful captain, having presided over 27 wins in his 60-Test tenure, which began in 2008. His first Test as captain was against South Africa in Kanpur in April that year, because of an injury to regular captain Anil Kumble, and he took over full time after Kumble retired following the Delhi Test against Australia in October. Dhoni led India to the No. 1 Test ranking in 2009, a position they enjoyed until the tour of England in 2011.
Overall, Dhoni played 90 Tests in a career that began in 2005 and scored 4876 runs at an average of 38, with a high score of 224 against Australia in Chennai in 2013. As a wicketkeeper, he effected 294 dismissals, the fifth highest in Test cricket
At least 21 people have been killed and nearly two lakh fled their homes in one of the worst floods in Malaysia’s history with weather office indicating there will be no respite from strong winds in coming days.
Fourteen people were reported dead in Kelantan, the worst affected state where around 158,000 people have been evacuated to safety. Four died in Terengganu and three in Pahang state.
Prime Minister Najib Razak has been visiting flood-ravaged states and coordinating relief operations since last week. He has already announced an additional 500 million ringgit ($143 million) assistance.
National Security Council admitted there were delays in its relief efforts, saying it was partly because some of its staff were among the flood victims. It is the country’s worst flooding in more than 30 years.
“Due to the magnitude of the floods, most districts were completely inundated. Our entire district machinery collapsed as they (staff) had become victims themselves,” council secretary Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.
Malaysian Meteorological Department, meanwhile, has forecast strong winds and rough seas for the coming five days in country’s waters.
The Met department said in a statement that Category-two north-easterly winds of between 50 and 60 kilometres per hour and waves as high as 4.5 metres were expected to occur in the waters off Samui, Tioman, Condore, Bunguran, Reef North, Layang-layang, Reef South, Labuan, Sulu and Palawan areas.
The department said Category-one north-easterly winds of between 40 and 50 kilometres per hour and waves as high as 3.5 metres were expected to occur in the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, eastern Johor, Sarawak, Sabah (Interior, West Coast, Sandakan and Kudat districts) and the Labuan federal territory.
It warned that the strong winds and rough seas were dangerous for all coastal activities and shipping, including ferry services, as well as fishing.
Hundreds of thousands of people have sought shelter in schools, community halls and other relief centres, according to flood monitoring centres. PTI
Panaji: A Mumbai-based woman who was in Goa for new year celebrations, died allegedly due to drug overdose, police said on Tuesday.
Calangute police confirmed that the 28-year-old woman, identified as Isha Mantry was in Goa to participate in one of the electronic dance music events.
“She was brought dead at a private hospital last night. We have sent the body for postmortem,” police inspector Rajesh Kumar said.
PTI
The time between Christmas and New Year can make soccer careers appear as transitory as the life of butterflies. Neil Warnock became the first manager to be fired in England’s Premier League this season when struggling Crystal Palace dismissed him on Saturday.
Fernando Torres, the Spanish striker, has finally been released from Chelsea, where his once prolific career had stalled and sputtered ever since he moved there in the transfer window of January 2011. He cost Chelsea a then-British record fee of 50 million pounds, or about $78 million, and he leaves for nothing.
Warnock, 66, is a veteran of the hire-and-fire game of team management. Torres, 30, is on a tortuous journey that ended back where he started, at his first love in soccer, Atlético Madrid.
– The Warnock situation has a simple arithmetic explanation. He was hired by Palace two days before this season began to fill the shoes of Tony Pulis, a coach who had turned around the south London team at this time a year ago.
The club was in peril of being dropped from the Premier League when Pulis, well known for his pragmatic ability to get the best out of limited playing resources, took on the task of saving the team. He made it solid on defense, quick on the break, and he gave players a belief in themselves.
Palace finished last season in the middle of the standings in the richest league in the world. The Eagles, as the team is known, had soared. And then, Pulis and the board fell out over the way forward — and Warnock was plucked from retirement to fill the void.
The bottom line is that Pulis has never been relegated with any team. Warnock has taken two clubs down, and sometimes battled back. Their roles had reversed. Last summer, Warnock sat in a TV studio, giving his comments on where other coaches were failing; now Pulis is broadcasting while he awaits the right job to re-enter the hire-and-fire game.
The time is ripe. January is the designated midseason window when clubs can transfer players in or out — and so a club that has no faith in the manager or head coach will dismiss him first rather than allow him to recruit players his successor may not approve. While the media (and the eager stock of unemployed coaches sitting in front of the microphones) speculate, Crystal Palace should already know whom it wants in place of Warnock.
Time is of the essence for Palace. Its team has won only three times all season long, and only once in the last dozen games. The numbers do not tell us everything about form, and if they did then Fernando Torres might already have found his game is up.
Torres has been in limbo for some considerable time. His continued…
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