Month: August 2014

Scene of fighting, grandiose Mosul dam always beset with problems

August 19, 2014 0
A view of the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River in Mosul

By Yara Bayoumy DUBAI (Reuters) – The Mosul Dam was always meant to be a symbol of Iraq’s grandiose ambition to escape poverty and underdevelopment. Despite its structural faults, the country’s biggest dam at 3.6 km long, built by a German-Italian consortium in the 1980s, is a vital water and power source for Mosul, Iraq’s largest northern city of 1.7 million residents. With that in mind, Islamic State insurgents who captured swathes of Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate, wrested control of the dam from Kurdish forces in recent weeks.

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Toronto film festival unveils star-studded guest list

August 19, 2014 0

The 39th Toronto International Film Festival will feature a host of Hollywood favorites when it opens next month, with actors including Robert Downey Jr. and Al Pacino expected to attend. Widely considered the kick-off to Oscar season, the festival will show 285 feature films, 143 of which will be world premieres. Downey will be on hand for the showing of David Dobkin’s “The Judge,” which will be among the films screening on opening night. Downey plays a big-city lawyer who returns home when his estranged father, a small-town judge played by Robert Duvall, is accused of murder.

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‘End ban on Sikh basketball players with turbans’

August 19, 2014 0

Washington, Aug 19 (IANS) A coalition of US lawmakers Tuesday urged the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to end its discriminatory policy against Sikh basketball players who wear turbans, an important article of their faith. In a letter to FIBA president Yvan Mainini, 21 Congress members led by Democrat Ami Bera, the lone Indian-American Congressman and Joe Crowley, a former chair of the India caucus, took up cudgels on behalf of the Sikh players.

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Mamata meets Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong

August 19, 2014 0

Singapore, Aug 19 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee met with the Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong here today. Banerjee, who is on her first foreign trip after storming to power as Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2011, is on a five-day trip to the city state to scout for investments for her state. The West Bengal chief minister is accompanied by state finance minister Amit Mitra and a host of other government officials, and others including actor-turned-MP Dev, is visiting the city state on the invitation of Singapore minister for foreign affairs K Shanmugam.

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Lok Sabha Speaker rejects demand for LoS post; Cong to decide course of action

August 19, 2014 0

Gulbarga (Karnataka), Aug 19 (ANI): Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday indicated that his party will analyse Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s decision of not granting Leader of Opposition (LoP) status to the Congress party and then decide further course of action. Reacting to Mahajan’s declining to accord the LoP post to the Congress, Kharge said, “I have not yet received any letter from the Speaker. We will then discuss with the party leadership and decide on the further course of action.” Mahajan, in a letter to the Congress, has reportedly said the party cannot get the LoP post as it does not have the mandatory 10 per cent or 55 MPs in the lower house.

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Shahid Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi on Colors' Comedy Nights…

August 19, 2014 0

It’s a ‘handsome hunk’ weekend on Colors’ Comedy Nights With Kapil (SOL/K9 Productions) with two Bollywood hotties making an appearance.

Wondering who they are?

Well, they are Shahid Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi. The actors will be seen in two different episodes.

Shahid shot yesterday to promote his upcoming film Haider whereas Emraan came in to promote Raja Natwarlal.

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Prior to 'Yudh', I had done nothing worth mentioning: Avinash Tiwary

August 19, 2014 0

Avinash Tiwary, who played Azad Shatru, the main villain in the Amitabh Bachchan starrer TV series Yudh, says prior to the show his experience was limited to doing short films and ads.

Yudh, the 20-episode finite series that went off air recently, has led to curiosity about Avinash.

“Prior to Yudh I had done nothing worth mentioning. My experience was limited to doing short films and advertisements,” he said.