Hyderabad: Younger daughter-in-law of British Queen Elizabeth-II and wife of Prince Edward Sophie Helen today visited Gandhi General Hospital in Secunderabad. The Countess of Wessex went round the paediatric ICU ward and several other wards in the hospital.

Countess Sophie Helen is on a visit to India to see the functioning of programs supported by Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. She is also the Vice-Patron of the Diamond Jubilee Trust. The Countess interacted with hospital authorities and went round several wards and observed pre-term babies in the paediatric ICU and spoke to parents of pre-mature babies.

Following the visit of Countess of Wessex, the official Twitter feed of The Royal Family tweeted, “The oxygen given to babies in the incubator to survive can damage their immature retinal blood vessels. Without detection and treatment it can cause irreversible blindness”.

Hyderabad: The State government will conduct the holy Ramzaan festival on a grand scale in all parts of the State and in Hyderabad.

This was informed by Welfare Minister Koppula Eashwar here. He held a high level review meeting on the month-long Ramzaan festival in the State. The government has asked the district administrations to ensure that the festival will be held in a peaceful manner. The festival will begin from May 6 and will continue for one month, he said. As usual, the State government will offer clothes to the poor Muslim families across the State and the twin cities.
The minister said the government will hold Iftaar (dinner) at 832 mosques in the State. He also said repairs and renovation works will be completed soon at Mecca Masjid and Royal Mosque. Eshwar also said 448 mosques under GHMC limits and 367 mosques in other 32 districts will hold the ritual of Ramzaan festival.
Arrangements were being made to give them gift packs of clothes and Iftaar dinner and each mosque committee will get Rs 1 lakh assistance from the State government, he said. “We have directed the district Collectors to ensure smooth conduct of the event.

Those who attended the meeting were Minorities Welfare Advisor AK Khan, GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore, Director of Minorities Welfare Shah Nawaz, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar and others.

Hyderabad: Syeda Fatima, whose mother was lured on the pretext of employment in Dubai and later trafficked to Oman, has appealed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help bring her mother back home.

Syeda, while speaking to ANI on Monday, said, “My mother Shaheda Begum was approached by an agent who offered her the job of a helper with a promise of Rs 20,000 salary per month in Dubai. Due to financial problem in the family, my mother left for Dubai on November 29, 2018. After reaching there, she was kept in an office for a few days and later she was shifted to Oman by road.”

Syeda said she was unable to contact her mother for a month after she reached Oman. However, her mother later called and informed that she was being forced to live in an office with men.

“She was asked to live in an office with male members. A few days later, she was shifted to an employer’s house. She worked as a helper in five to six houses but was denied proper food and shelter. She got sick but the employer refused to take her to the hospital. When she refused to work further for him, she was again sent back to some office where she was beaten up by agents. She was even locked in a bathroom for four days,” Syeda claimed.

Highlighting her mother’s deteriorating condition in Oman, Syeda said, “We even approached a local agent who offers work in Dubai and Oman but he is not responding to us and behaving rudely.”

Syeda went on to say that she approached the Santoshnagar and Humayun Nagar police, but they did not pay heed to her complaint. “I had no other option left, this is why now I am approaching media. My mother wants to return back to India but the said agency is asking her to pay Rs 3 lakh. We tried to contact the agent but he is not responding,” she said.

The woman is now seeking Swaraj’s intervention in the matter.

New Delhi [India]: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday issued a notice to Union Minister Giriraj Singh for allegedly making a derogatory remark against Muslims and asked him to submit an explanation within 24 hours.

The Commission raised objections over Singh’s statement made on April 24 in Begusarai from where he is contesting the Lok Sabha election.

In an apparent attack on Muslims, Singh had reportedly said: “…Whosoever does not say Vande Mataram, cannot worship motherland. My father and grandfather died at Simaria ghat and no grave was built for them. But you need three-arm’s-length of land. If you could not do it, then the country will never forgive you…”
A section of the Muslim is against saying Vande Matram calling it un-Islamic.

The Commission in its notice quoted a Supreme Court’s order where the top court held that religion and caste cannot be used by anyone while making any statement during electioneering.

The police have registered an FIR under relevant sections.

“It has been informed that FIR has been lodged against you under Sections 125, 123 (A), of the RP Act, 1951 and Sections 153A, 153B, 295A, 171C, 188, 298 and 505(ii) of the IPC Act in Begusarai Nagar Thana,” the notice read.

The Commission has given 24-hour time to the BJP leader to submit an explanation in the matter.

The polling is currently underway in Begusarai. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

New Delhi [India]: The Indian Army has claimed to have stumbled upon footprints of a ‘Yeti’ in the Himalayas.

Taking to Twitter, the Army said its mountaineering expedition team spotted the “mysterious” footprints on April 09 close to Makalu Base Camp.

This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past, the Army claimed. The images, however, show the imprint of only one foot.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32×15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019

The Army’s revelation has, however, left Twitterverse in splits, as the ‘findings’ of the mountaineering team has sparked off a range of memes among netizens.

While a number of Twitter users are puzzled if this is a prank, some have quipped that the Twitter handle of the Army may have been hacked. Some have even mentioned that the influence of a cartoon may be too strong.

“Why only one footstep?” asks one Twitter user, to which another says, “Is the account hacked?”

Often referred to as the ‘abdominal snowman’, a Yeti is said to be an ape-like creature taller than an average human and forms a part of the pre-Buddhist beliefs of several Himalayan people.

Trekkers and inhabitants of the Himalayan region have often cited the presence of a large furry creature in the vicinity. Many have also documented footprints of what they claim was a Yeti. However, there has been no scientific backing of the presence of these creatures.

Hyderabad: Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) heavily criticized Congress and termed Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Mr. Ashok Gehlot, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Mr. Sachin Pilot and President of Indian National Congress, Mr. Rahul Gandhi beacons of progress and secularism.

On his Twitter account, Mr. Owaisi raised a question, “KAB hoga NYAY? Zafar Husein ke saath, Pehlu Khan ke saath, Ramzan ke saath aur Umar Mohammed ke saath?”

He also tweeted a video of Mohammed Ramzan, a Muslim prisoner who died in a hospital in Rajasthan.

Can I tweet this sir?

Beacons of progress & secularism, @ashokgehlot51 @SachinPilot and Enlightened Janeudhari @RahulGandhi, I have just one question:

KAB hoga NYAY? Zafar Husein ke saath, Pehlu Khan ke saath, Ramzan ke saath aur Umar Mohammed ke saath? https://t.co/xHT3NI0Pl3

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 28, 2019

It may be mentioned that Ramzan had died due to multiple organ failure.

According to the report published in Business Standard, the deceased’s family members alleged that police had thrashed him.

Lucknow: Hasin Jahan, estranged wife of cricketer Mohammed Shami narrated her ordeal which she allegedly faced at her husband’s house in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh.

Talking to newsmen, she alleged that her in-laws misbehaved with her when she went to her husband’s house.

Giving further details of the incident, Ms. Jahan said that she had gone to her husband’s house and as she possessed keys, she opened the door and slept along with her daughter.

At around 12 midnight, police took her into custody, she alleged. Ms. Jahan claimed that she was wearing night dress when police knocked on the door.

Leveling allegations against Police, Ms. Jahan said that despite her request to ask questions in the morning, police forcefully arrested her in the midnight. “After arresting, they kept me and my daughter in a room full of mosquitos”, she alleged.

Later, she was released on bail after producing in SDM Court.

Talking about the case pending against Mohammed Shami, she said that police did not take him into custody despite the fact that he is facing charges under section 498 (A) and 354 (A).

London: A man, appearing to be the Islamic State leader’s Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, has appeared in a video posted on the terror group’s media network, vowing more attacks in revenge for loss of the “caliphate’s territory”, reports said on Monday.

In the video, Baghdadi, who has not been seen after announcing the “caliphate” across his group’s conquered parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014, admits defeat at the group’s last stronghold in Syria and refers to the regime changes in Algeria and Sudan where long-time rulers have been forced to step down, the BBC reported.

The video also mentions the Easter Sunday carnage in Sri Lanka – which the IS has claimed responsibility for, but in audio form towards the end of the video with no image of Baghdadi alongside, which indicates it might have been added later.

The 18-minute video, which IS says was shot this month, was posted on the group’s al-Furqan media network.

“The battle for Baghouz is over,” says Baghdadi, an 47-year-old Iraqi whose real name is Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim al-Badri and was last heard in an audio recording last August, says in the video, referring to the group’s last territory in violence-torn Syria which the Kurdish militia claimed to have re-captured.

“There will be more to come after this battle,” he is heard saying.

Hyderabad: Government of Telangana has decided to provide cooking gas through pipeline to households. In order to accelerate the process of acquisition of lands for this purpose, government constituted special committees.

It may be mentioned that Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has already started taking steps to construct pipeline to get cooking gas from Hassan (Karnataka) to Cherlappally Bottling Unit via Anantapur District of AP.

The pipeline will be constructed covering Gadwal, Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool, Mehboob Nagar, Ranga Reddy, Medchal, Malkajgiri and Hyderabad. The total area covered will be 680 km and the total cost will be Rs. 2200 crore. In Telangana, it will cover 240 km and the estimated cost is Rs. 771 crore.

As part of the process at certain points, pumping stations and valves will be erected.

HPCL has requested Govt. of Telangana to accelerate the process of acquisition of land for this purpose. In view of it, Govt. of Telangana constituted committees consisting of 5 members from each district. Its chairman will be Joint Collector of the concerned District and Convener, Revenue Divisional Officer. It will also consist of three officials from HPCL.

It is estimated that at six places, pumping stations have to be constructed and valves have to be erected at 16 places. The land required for the construction of each such station is 15 acres and one acre for the construction of valve. Gas will be transported through this pipeline to HPCL bottling plant.

It is expected that this project will be completed within a year or 18 months.

Kanpur: BJP leader Suresh Awasthi on Monday threatened a circle officer in Kanpur saying he is on the BJP leader’s “hit list,” as polling was underway in the city.

In a video of the incident that has now gone viral, Awasthi can be heard threatening the circle officer, saying “will see you tomorrow, you are on my hit list.” He was also heard warning the officer not to make eye contact with him.

The officer retorted to the threat by telling Awasthi to do whatever he wants.

Mayor Pramila Pandey and some other BJP leaders were present during the incident. Pandey was seen making efforts to resolve the fight, while Awasthi was heard saying “he (circle officer) is a wicked person”.

#WATCH BJP leader Suresh Awasthi threatens Circle Officer in Kanpur after an argument over a polling agent, says 'I will see you tomorrow, you are on my hit list'. Mayor Pramila Pandey was also present. A case has been registered against Awasthi pic.twitter.com/3wE5uawQ33

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 29, 2019

In Uttar Pradesh, 13 Lok Sabha seats – Kanpur, Unnao, Farukkhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Misrikh, Jhansi, and Hamirpur – went to polls on Monday in the fourth phase of the general elections.
Results of the seven-phase elections will be declared on May 23.

Hyderabad: In a tragic incident, a man committed suicide by consuming poison. He took this extreme step after failing in one sided love.

As per the details, the man who is identified as Nand Kishore (33), a private employee, resident of Neredmet had started developing crush for a girl. However, the girl never showed any interest in him.

Irritated with the man’s behaviour, the parents of the girl lodged a police complaint and also admonished him to stay away from their daughter.

Later, the man went into depression and committed suicide on 24th April. He was rushed to hospital where he died yesterday during the treatment.

New Delhi: In an act of revenge, an 8-year-old boy mercilessly murdered a one-and-a-half year toddler in Delhi’s Fatehpuri Beri in the early hours of Sunday.

According to the sources, the 8-year-old punished the toddler by drowning him in a small water tank near their house.

The boy resented the toddler’s elder sister after his brother had fallen and injured himself because of her, HT reports.

It was shocking for the toddler’s mother who is a contractual wage earner from UP to wake up to an empty bed with her child nowhere to be found.

“We received a call at the Fatehpur Beri police station that a one-and-a-half-year-old child had gone missing while his mother and 10-year-old sister were asleep on the roof of their house. A police team reached the spot and launched an intensive search for the boy. After about an hour, the toddler was found in a drain nearby,” the police officer said.

The toddler was bleeding from his right ear and was pronounced dead on arrival when the search team rushed him to a nearby hospital.

The victim’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination at AIIMS.

According to Deputy commissioner of police (south) Vijay Kumar, the investigation revealed another boy aged eight was also missing since morning and that is how he became a suspect.

“A search for the boy was launched and after about two hours, locals and police teams managed to locate him about a kilometre away from his house. When he was questioned about the toddler, he said he had drowned the child into a water tank near their house,” the DCP said.

The police added the eight-year-old’s younger brother had fallen while playing with a few children in the neighbourhood a few days ago.

“This had caused a minor swelling on his brother’s head. He said he held the toddler’s elder sister responsible for pushing his brother and therefore, wanted to teach her a lesson. In that rage, he said he took the boy and drowned him. Later, he threw him into the drain,” the officer said.

A murder case has been registered under IPC Section 302 against the 8-year-old accused. He shall be soon produced before the juvenile justice board.

New Delhi: A video shot by two foreign girls in the courtyard of Shahjahani Jama Masjid Delhi has gone viral on social media. Anger prevails among people of the locality after the video went viral. Locals called it a flaw in the security of Jama Masjid and questions the efficiency of the administrative committee.

Though the watchmen deployed in the masjid had caught the Japanese girls; but they were released after they rendered an apology.

An Urdu newspaper with reference to SNB reported that two Japanese girls entered the courtyard of Jama Masjid and made the Tik Tok video. The video which went viral showed them doing gymnastic stunts. Locals call it a desecration of the masjid. And anger prevails among them.

Creating uproar in the election campaign in New Delhi, former Congress MLA Asif Mohammed Khan labelled AAP Candidate Atishi as a Jew. AAP clarified that Atishi is a Punjabi Hindu. Her Parents had added Marlena as a token of their political association with Marx and Lenin. Asif Mohammed Khan blamed AAP for dropping the suffix Marlena from her name.

The defeated Okhla Congress leader Asif Mohammed Khan is famous for his weird acts. Sometimes he climbs the water tank or electricity polls like Dharmendra. But this time he has made a foolish remark. Asif Muhammed Khan should know that one becomes a Jew by birth not by choice. He has given statement just to provoke voters.

Responding to the Asif’s comment, Atishi said though she doesn’t know what’s there in the Quran one thing is sure that every religion forbids lies. And by telling lies Asif Mohammed Khan is violating his own religious teachings.

He confirmed that Wadia is currently in India.

NEW DELHI: Business tycoon and heir to the Wadia Group, Ness Wadia sentenced to 2-year jail term in Japan over possession of drugs while on a skiing holiday to the country.

The Financial Times has reported that Ness Wadia was arrested in early March at New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

According to a report by a local Hokkaido station of state broadcaster NHK, customs officials at New Chitose were alerted to Wadia by sniffer dogs and a search revealed that he had in possession of 25 grams of cannabis resin in his trouser pocket, for which he has been sentenced.

Wadia, heir to the 283-year-old Wadia Group and co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab cricket team, sits on the boards of various group companies including low-cost airline GoAir.

Following arrest in Japan, Wadia is reported to have spent a period in detention before his indictment on March 20.

The Sapporo District Court handed Wadia a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for five years, the Financial Times reported.

Maintaining that the jail term by a Japanese court for Ness Wadi in a drug case remains suspended, the business conglomerate on Tuesday said that the development will not impact Wadia Group heir in discharging his responsibilities.

“The judgement is clear. It is a suspended sentence. Hence it will not impact Ness Wadia in the discharge of any of his responsibilities and he will continue to play the role that he has done hitherto, both within the Group and outside,” Wadia Group spokesperson said in a statement.

He confirmed that Wadia is currently in India.

In 2014, Bollywood actress and his his former girlfriend, actor Preity Zinta accused him of molestation during an IPL match in Mumbai. The case was later withdrawn by Zinta.

With agency inputs

Hyderabad: In a shocking incident reported from city limits, a police constable turned into a criminal after he murdered his stepmother in broad daylight over a property dispute at Madannapet on Tuesday morning.

According to the reports, the police constable K Srikanth had gone to visit his stepmother K Sukanya residing at Boya Basthi, Madannapet around 7.15 am.

In a fit of rage, Srikanth attacked and slit his step mother’s throat with a sharp-edged weapon that he had carried in broad daylight while the family members and tenants watched in shock.

He soon fled the crime scene after killing her.

The Madannapet police rushed to the crime spot and shifted the body to Osmania General Hospital for post-mortem.

A manhunt has been launched to apprehend constable turned criminal Srikanth.

Online battleground ‘PUBG’ madness is breaking records in India as netizens are desperately going crazy with many individuals going to extreme lengths over their crazy love for this game, with many also developing bizarre behavioral changes too.

People from all age groups, professions especially youngsters are nowadays glued to their smartphones, News18 reports.

Well, in a first time ever breaking the records of this madness, the newly wedded groom is hooked to his smartphone playing the game while his wife watches him cluelessly.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=579163512603324

Instead of celebrating the marital glory and its ceremony, the groom is playing PUBG.

The hilarious video has gone viral on social media which shows the groom engrossed in his phone while his wife sits next to him, watches him cluelessly as he continues to ignore her.

Well, as they say, nothing stands between a guy and his PUBG.

Okay and that is not all. The video also shows a relative offering a gift to the “happy” couple while the busy groom pushes it away because it was apparently blocking his view.

Indians are surely addicted to this particular game.

Kerala: The Kerala police has arrested four men allegedly involved in swapping their wives for sexual activities.

This criminal activity was brought to notice after one of the wife’s refused to follow her husband’s orders and instead approached the police in Kayamkulam town in Kerala’s Alappuzha district against him for forcing her to have physical relationship with strangers.

According to the local police, this evil practice of wife swapping began in March last year when the victim’s husband forced her to have sex with one Arshad, a native of Calicut and continued to compel his wife in doing so.

The victim’s husband had contacted Arshad through social media app ShareChat said the investigation officer.

“Usually in WhatsApp and Messenger, you know who you are talking to. But in ShareChat there is a provision to communicate without revealing your identity or contact details. So they reached a mutual agreement and fixed the date, venue and time,” the officer added.

The victim alerted the Police about the evil practice by her husband. “During the course of the investigation, we arrested four men including the victim’s husband. They have been charged under Section 366 IPC for luring/intimidating a woman for sexual favours,” the officer told India Today TV.

The four men apprehended by the Kerala Police were identified as Kiran of Krishnapuram in Kayamkulam, Seedi of Vavvakkavu in Kulasekharapuram, Umesh of Keralapuram in Perinad and Blesarin Payippad in Thiruvalla.

The victim in her complaint also said she was compelled to have sex with two men Umesh and Blesarin despite refusing to do so.

New Delhi: The #MeToo Campaign has indeed unmasked many sexual predators who have for years misused their power and position to sexually exploit female workers.

Joining the list, Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar recently broke down during an interview while talking about the harassment claims made against him by Meesha Shafi in April 2018.

He was invited to speak at the show Naya Pakistan on Geo News where he maintained he had never harassed Shafi.

Denying the charges, Zafar said: “I don’t know why she is doing this, one should ask her.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L9we8ndQ-s&feature=player_embedded

Shafi has also moved the court against Zafar and to the accusations leveled against him, Zafar filed a Rs 100 crore defamation suit against Shafi.

In the 30-minute programme hosted by the channel, Zadar said that Meesha Shafi has always been a family friend and even their kids also played together.

But while he was recalling the accusations, Zafar suddenly broke down when he elaborated that there is a social media campaign against him.

Upset over online trolls targeting him on twitter, he blames shafi behind this trolling.

Not only did the false accusation disturbed him and his family but these accusations have also hampered his employment opportunities he said.

He recalled the suicide committed by Mexican singer Armando Vega Gil in similar harassment allegations.

Looking directly into the camera, Zafar said: “We have both known each other for a long time. My kids have played with yours. I still urge you to block out all voices and just isolate yourself and connect to God and end this. If you take one step forward, I will take ten steps forward.”

“I am truthful and those who are honest appear without being called,” Zafar said.

“Was this done because she [Meesha Shafi] is going to Canada and her immigration is happening?” he asked.

Zafar’s wife, Ayesha, strongly supports her husband. She has also backed his claims and shared on Twitter, “What me, my husband @AliZafarsays and my family have gone through at the hands of such criminal cruelty can never be explained in words. The cyberbullying & betrayal by friend(s) has been a big eye opener. Even if Ali lets it go, I will see through it. #FaceTheCourtMeeshaShafi”

Meanwhile Meesha Shafi’s lawyer Nighat Dad has said that the court hasn’t called Meesha yet but she “will go once court will direct her to.”

Oslo: It was quite evident this unusually friendly white whale in Norway might be turn out to be trained by the Russian navy as part of a marine mammal special force experts in Norway suggested after recovering a harness from the whale.

The harness surprisingly had the words “Equipment of St. Petersburg” labelled on it which the experts suggest could be used to attach cameras or other instruments.

According to the experts, the beluga whale was first spotted last week in waters off Finnmark — Norway’s most northerly county which borders Russia.

“We were going to put out our nets when we saw a whale swimming between the boats,” 26-year-old fisherman Joar Hesten told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Is this whale a Russian spy?

A beluga whale wearing a harness approached fishermen in Arctic Norway, prompting claims it may have escaped from the Russian military. pic.twitter.com/xcRoyb92gp

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 29, 2019

According to the fishermen, the whale sought their attention while it made attempts to rub off the harness against the hulls of their boats.

Hesten was able to remove the two straps attached to the animal late on Friday.

“If this whale has this (harness) on for a long time, then it is not good for it,” said Audun Rikardsen, professor at the Department of Arctic and marine biology at the University of Tromsø.

“We know that in Russia they have had domestic whales in captivity and also that some of these have apparently been released. Then they often seek out boats.”

“If this comes from Russia and there is a great reason to believe it, then it is not Russian scientists, but rather the navy that has done this,” said Martin Biuw of the Institute of Marine Research.

Not only Russia but the US has also trained marine mammals including whales, dolphins, sea lions and seals during the Cold War, Vietnam War and the Iraq War.