Kriky's Blogopedia

In what may be called a massive setback for the Indian film's music division, a court in Bangladesh has banned the use of Indian film tracks as mobile ringtones and welcome tones. As per its ruling, songs from India and other nations in the sub-continent come within its purview. The said order that was issued after hearing a writ petition filed in June by Music Industries Owners Association President AKM Arifur Rahman and General Secretary SK Shahed Ali, the court presided by justices Farah Mahbub and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo ruled the above. With this new ruling, Indian majors that have been furbishing Bangladeshi telcos with Bollywood centric CRBT's (Caller Ring Back Tones) and welcome tones will face a huge setback with the sudden omission of the country's 121 million subscribers.

1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon was hanged till death at Nagpur Central Jail at around 7:00 am on Thursday morning. The Supreme Court early on Thursday morning rejected a last-ditch attempt by Yakub Memon to stall his execution by 14 days. Yakub Memon Collector of Nagpur Sachin Kurne, ADG Prison Meeram Borwankar, Judicial Magistrate Girish Joshi, Chief Medical Officer Tiwari, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & Hospital Dean Sawadiya, Jailer Yogesh Desai were present at Yakub Memon's hanging. Policemen deployed at Nagpur Central Jail, the site of Yakub Memon's execution The execution was carried by the same hangman who had hung Ajmal Qasab. Yakub Memon woke up at 5:00 am, bathed and was dressed in new clothes. He offered a 15-minute prayer following which he was given an explanation regarding his crime. Earlier last night, Memon's last wish in which he requested to make a phone call to his daughter Jubeida was fulfilled. He was hanged at th

Sabhajit Singh, who worked as a security guard in Worli and was the first person to spot a weapons-laden white Maruti Omni which led the police to the Memons, says he is still waiting for the Rs 3,000 prize money that was promised to him At the ripe old age of 77, Sabhajit Singh, who gave the police the most vital clue about the involvement of Memons into the 1993 bomb blasts, is still waiting for the reward of Rs 3,000 that was declared by the state government soon after the case was cracked. “It is not about the money. Getting a reward from the government is a matter of pride. Also read: Yakub Memon hanged to death at Nagpur Central Jail It’s been 22 years since the blasts now and there is no point discussing the reward at this point,” said Singh. Speaking exclusively to mid-day, Singh, who worked as a security guard in Worli and was the first person to spot a weapons-laden white Maruti Omni which led the police to the Memons, recounted the day of the blasts and the personal orde

Barbados:  In what will come as a relief to bowlers, ICC has decided to get rid of catchers in the first ten overs, removed the batting Powerplay and also allowed five fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs of an innings in one-dayers.   The ICC also said that all "no balls" and not just over stepping by the bowlers will result in a free hit in both ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals. The rule changes will come into  effect for series starting on or after July 5.   The ICC board during its Annual Conference here adopted these recommendations which were made by the ICC's cricket committee headed by the former India captain Anil Kumble in Mumbai this May.   "We have thoroughly reviewed the ODI format after a very successful ICC Cricket World Cup. There was no need to make any radical changes to what has proved to be a vibrant and popular format but we wanted to take this opportunity to make the format simpler and easier to follow for the pub

If you have ever driven behind a semi-trailer truck on a single-lane highway or road, you can understand that how it difficult it gets to overtake it. The truck may be driving relatively slowly, but overtaking it becomes a task - one due to its humongous size, and second because you cannot see what is happening in front of the truck or if there is any vehicle coming from the opposite direction. And this is where, Samsung gets in not only to make driving easier for people on single-lane highways, but also to help avoid accidents that happen because of overtaking. The South Korean giant has introduced a see-through 'Safety Truck' that consists of a wireless camera attached to the front of the truck, which is connected to a video wall made out of four exterior monitors located on the back of the truck. The monitors give drivers behind the truck a view of what is going on ahead, even in the dark of night. This allows drivers to have a better view when deciding whether it is s

Ravinder Kaushik was a former RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) agent, who after his training in India lived most of his life (26 years) in Pakistan and became a Major in Pakistan army. Born and brought up in Sriganganagar, a border town in Rajasthan, Kaushik grew up to be a charismatic college student, with above-average intelligence and looks. He was theatrically inclined, and staged mono-acting skits in college. It was probably his mono-act in college in which he played an Indian army officer who refused to divulge information to China that caught the attention of intelligence officers. He was contacted and offered a job for being an undercover agent of India in Pakistan. He was recruited by RAW and was given extensive training in Delhi for two years. At the age of 23, Soon after completing his Bachelors in Commerce, Kaushik left for Delhi, entering a world of intrigue and danger. He moved from there to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, ending up in Pakistan, writing letters home every once in

यूं तो भारत-पाक सीमा से आमतौर पर तनावपूर्ण खबरें ही आती हैं लेकिन शनिवार को यहां कुछ अलग नजारा देखने को मिला. सेना के अधिकारियों ने गलती से भारत में प्रवेश कर गए पाकिस्तान अधिकृत कश्मीर के एक नागरिक को उसके घर मिठाईयों के साथ रवाना किया. दरअसल इस व्यक्ति ने दो दिन पहले गलती से नियंत्रण रेखा पार कर ली थी. उधमपुर स्थित रक्षा प्रवक्ता कर्नल एसडी गोस्वामी ने बताया, 'उच्च मानक, चरित्र, परंपरा बनाए रखते हुए, भारतीय सेना ने पीओके के अमरा सावन के निवासी एक व्यक्ति को वापस भेजा जो 10 जून देर रात भारतीय सीमा में गलती से घुस आया था. उन्होंने कहा कि उरी क्षेत्र स्थित इकाई ने इस व्यक्ति को पाकिस्तान सेना को नये कपड़ों और उसके परिवार के लिए मिठाई के साथ सौंपा. काशिफ बेग नाम का यह शख्स अंजाने में भारतीय सीमा में प्रवेश कर गया था. प्रवक्ता ने कहा कि जवानों ने उसे पकड़कर पाकिस्तानी पक्ष को हॉट लाइन पर संदेश दिया. 

Canadian Danielle Petersen, 22, center right, and left, Eleanor Hawkins, 24, left, of Britain are escorted by police as they leave court in Kota Kinabalu, in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, Malaysia. (AP Photo) KUALA LUMPUR: Four westerners who posed naked on Malaysia's highest peak were sentenced on Friday to three days in jail and fined for obscene behavior in a public place, news reports said.  The four were among 10 foreigners who stripped naked and took photos on Mount Kinabalu on May 30. A local official has said their behavior was disrespectful to the mountain, which is believed to be sacred, and caused an earthquake last Friday that killed 18 climbers.  Dutch citizen Dylan Snel, British student Eleanor Hawkins and Canadian siblings Lindsey Petersen and Danielle Peterson pleaded guilty in a court in Sabah state on Borneo island to a charge of public indecency, The Star newspaper said on its website.  It said the women were topless while the two men were totally nu

The southern African country started using foreign currencies like the US dollar and South African rand in 2009 after the Zimbabwean dollar was ruined by hyper-inflation HARARE: Zimbabweans will start exchanging 'quadrillions' of local dollars for a few US dollars next week, as President Robert Mugabe's government discards its virtually worthless national currency, the central bank said on Thursday.  The southern African country started using foreign currencies like the US dollar and South African rand in 2009 after the Zimbabwean dollar was ruined by hyper-inflation, which hit 500 billion percent in 2008. At the height of Zimbabwe's economic crisis in 2008, Zimbabweans had to carry plastic bags bulging with bank notes to buy basic goods like bread and milk. Prices were rising at least twice a day.  From Monday, customers who held Zimbabwean dollar accounts before March 2009 can approach their banks to convert their Zimbabwean dollar balance into dollars, Reserve B

New Delhi:  When it came to which video formats the world would adopt, the porn industry showed the way. Now PornHub, a pornographic video sharing website, is seeking to take human sexual activity to space and also make a film out of it. To make their dream of 'Sexploration' possible PornHub is seeking to raise $3.4 million to make a porn film in space through crowdfunding. The campaign iscurrently running on Indiegogo and has managed to raise $4,301 from 194 people at the time of posting. The the first sex tape in space will feature porn actors Eva Lovia and Johnny Sins. "Pornhub is teaming up with top ranking adult studio Digital Playground in joining the ranks of Armstrong and Gagarin by pioneering a one of a kind mission to defy gravity, make history, and push the boundaries of intergalactic 'Sexploration' by filming the first ever sextape in space," says the campaign description on Indiegogo. "In doing so, we will not only be changing the face

Health officials are trying to track down people who may have been in contact with a woman with a rare and deadly form of hard-to-treat tuberculosis. The woman has an extremely drug-resistant form of the disease, which is impervious to most TB drugs. Three to four cases are reported each year in the United States, on average. Health officials in Illinois are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find people with whom the woman may have had prolonged direct contact, in close quarters, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said. TB is not as easily spread as diseases like the flu or measles. But it is a dangerous illness, especially for people with weakened immune systems, and health officials are taking the situation seriously, Skinner said. In April, the woman traveled from India to the United States, arriving at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. She spent time in Missouri, Tennessee and Illinois before growing sick and being admitted to an isolation un

Kalpana Chawla flew on two shuttle missions. CREDIT: NASA The tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia killed seven astronauts. One of those, Kalpana Chawla, was the first Indian-born woman in space. Kalpana Chawla flew on two shuttle missions. Credit: NASA Born in Karnal, India, on July 1, 1961, Chawla was the youngest of four children. The name Kalpana means "idea" or "imagination." Her full name is pronounced  CULL-puh-na CHAV-la , though she often went by the nickname K.C. Chawla obtained a degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College before immigrating to the United States and becoming a naturalized citizen in the 1980s. She earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado in 1988, having previously obtained her masters degree from the University of Texas. She began working at NASA's Ames Research Center the same year, working on power-lift computational fluid dynamics. In 1994, Chawla was selected

Starting Monday, the country's low-cost Mars mission that is in a rendezvous with the red planet for an extended period will enter the "blackout" phase snapping communication with the satellite. BENGALURU: Starting Monday, the country's low-cost Mars mission that is in a rendezvous with the red planet for an extended period will enter the "blackout" phase snapping communication with the satellite. From June 8 to 22, the sun will block Mars from the earth snapping communication with the satellite. MOM during this period will go into an "autonomous mode" and will take its decisions, a senior Indian Space Research Organisation official said. "This will be for the first time that there will be a communication break for such a long period of about 15 days. During this period, there will not be any communication with the satellite," he said. Expressing confidence about regaining control over the satellite once the blackout phase is over,

  नॉर्थएम्पटन:  बीती रात नेटवेस्ट टी-20 ब्लास्ट में वॉर्केस्टरशायर टीम ने नॉर्थेम्पटनशायर टीम को 14 रनों से हराकर बेहद रोमांचक मुकाबला जीता. लेकिन इस मुकाबले को जीतने के लिए वॉर्केस्टरशायर को कड़ी मशक्कत करनी पड़ी. जिसमें सबसे बड़ा कदम रहा जब वॉर्केस्टरशायर के कप्तान डेरल मिशेल ने अपने विकेटकीपर बेन कॉक्स को अपने कीपिंग ग्लब्स और पैड उतार कर बतौर फील्डर फील्डिंग करने के लिए कहा.   जॉश कूब और रिचर्ड लेवी के धमाकेदार खेल को देखते हुए रनों को बचाने के लिए कप्तान मिशेल ने अपने विकेटकीपर को कीपिंग से हटाकर बतौर फील्डर मैदान पर खड़ा कर दिया.   जिसके बाद स्टंप्स के पीछे वॉर्केस्टरशायर का कोई भी खिलाड़ी तैनात नहीं था. बल्कि टीम का 11वां खिलाड़ी विकेटकीपर भी मैदान पर फील्डिंग करने लगा.   अंपायरर्स ने भी वॉर्केस्टरशायर के इस कदम को अनुमति दे दी. वॉर्केस्टरशायर के डायरेक्टर स्टीव रॉड्स ने अपनी टीम के इस मूव पर कहा कि, 'जीत के लिए बनाई गई कोई भी रणनीति सही है अगर उससे टीम को फायदा मिलता है तो.'   इससे पहले वॉर्केस्टरशायर ने बल्लेबाज़ मोइन अली की तूफानी पारी की बदौलत 20 ओवर में 21

The famous pilgrim place of Lord Shiva, the Somnath temple in Gujarat will now be off-limits for non-Hindus as authorities have decided against entry to people following other faiths without prior permission. "Shree Somnath Jyotirling is a pilgrimage for Hindus. Non-Hindus will have to obtain permission from General Manager's Office (of the temple) to enter the sacred pilgrim-place," said a notice put up by temple authorities at the main entrance gate. Authorities cited security concerns and protection of 'sanctity' of a religious place for the restriction, saying other religions do not allow non-followers to enter their sacred places. Officials gave examples of a few temples in South India which have  similar rules.  The notice was put up outside the main entrance-gate of the temple on last Monday. Daily thousands of devotees from across the country visit the temple, which is very heavily protected by police. "The decision was taken by the Somnath Trus

The planned 43-day-long campaign called 'Raise your Voice Against Child Sexual Abuse' will see Muhammed Shahid cover 11 states and 96 districts. A 20-year-old university student embarked on Wednesday on a solo cycle trip that will take him from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to raise awareness about child sexual abuse. Muhammed Shahid, a second year Geography student from Jamia Milia Islamia University hit upon the tour idea with the support of the university authorities and volunteers of various groups working for the rights of children. The campaign that Shahid begins from the Swami Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari is expected to cover 11 states and 96 districts and is scheduled to culminate on July 12 at the University of Kashmir. The planned 43-day-long campaign, which he calls "Raise your Voice Against Child Sexual Abuse" will see Shahid distributing pamphlets with information on the social issue. Shahid also plans to interact with parents and students, and enact

Experts explain the science behind Saturday’s deadly earthquake A little before noon Saturday in Nepal, a chunk of rock 15 kilometers below the earth’s surface shifted , unleashing a shock wave—described as being as powerful as the explosion of more than 20 thermonuclear weapons—that ripped through the Katmandu Valley. In geological terms, the tremor occurred like clockwork—81 years after the region’s last earthquake of such a magnitude, in 1934. Historical records dating to 1255 indicate the region—known as the Indus-Yarlung suture zone—experiences a magnitude-8 earthquake “approximately every 75 years,” according to a report by Nepal’s National Society for Earthquake Technology. ‘Earthquakes dissipate energy, like lifting the lid off a pot of boiling water. But it builds back up after you put the lid back on.’ —Lung S. Chan, geophysicist at the University of Hong Kong The reason is the regular movement of the fault line that runs along Nepal’s southern border, where the Ind

At 7.8 on the Richter scale, this was a powerful quake – and its source was only 11km below ground Several factors combined to make Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal  such a devastating event. The first was its basic magnitude. At 7.8 on the Richter scale, this was one of the most powerful earthquakes to strike the region in the past 80 years. In addition, it was a shallow event with a source that was only 11km below ground. Nepal earthquake: rescue continues as death toll exceeds 2,500 – the day's updates That has special consequences, according to David Rothery, professor of planetary geosciences at the Open University. “The shallowness of the source made the ground-shaking at the surface worse than it would have been for a deeper earthquake,” he explained. “I’ve seen pictures of poorly constructed old buildings destroyed in Kathmandu, and I’m concerned that in this mountainous region there could have been landslides that might have destroyed or cut off various remote villages.

2015 क्रिकेट वर्ल्ड कप खिताब जीतने के बाद स्थानीय रेडियो को इंटरव्यू पर बढ़े विवाद के बाद ऑस्ट्रेलिया के विकेटकीपर ब्रैड हैडिन ने अपनी टिप्पणी के लिए माफी मांगते हुए कहा कि उनकी कोशिश किसी की भावनाओं को ठेस पहुंचाने की नहीं थी. ऑस्ट्रेलिया रविवार को मेलबर्न क्रिकेट मैदान (एमसीजी) पर न्यूजीलैंड को हराकर पांचवीं बार वर्ल्ड कप खिताब जीतने में कामयाब रहा. हैडिन ने इसके बाद सोमवार को सिडनी रेडियो स्टेशन से बात की. मैच के दौरान मार्टिन गप्टिल और ग्रांट इलियट के आउट होने के बाद उन्हें पवेलियन लौटने का इशारा करने वाले हैडिन से जब रेडियो इंटरव्यू में इस बारे में पूछा गया तो उन्होंने कहा, ‘कीवी इसी लायक हैं. जब हम न्यूजीलैंड में थे तो उन्होंने ऐसा ही व्यवहार किया था.’ हैडिन यहीं नहीं रूके. उन्होंने कहा, ‘मैंने टीम की बैठक में यह कह दिया था कि मैं इस प्रकार खेलना जारी नहीं रख सकता. अगर फाइनल में हम हारते तो मैं एकदिवसीय क्रिकेट छोड़ देता.’ हैडिन के इन बयानों की बाद में मीडिया के कुछ वर्गों में आलोचना हुई थी. मंगलवार को क्रिकेट ऑस्ट्रेलिया (सीए) की वेबसाइट पर जारी बयान में हालांकि हैडिन ने क

Ours is a big country. And we have got a lot of people here. 17.5% of all humans on the planet live here. It’s no joke. There are dozens of languages, hundreds of dialects, and countless sane-insane customs woven around some common string of cultural values, religious beliefs, and history. Differences are bound to be there. But, some generalizations are so much in bad taste that they need to be dissected well and at regular intervals. The fact is that Biharis are among the most misunderstood people in India. This post is a humble attempt to cut apart some lame generalizations about the people who come from Bihar, once the most prosperous and culturally-philosophically-spiritually rich area in the Indian sub-continent. Ironically, even those who never met a single Bihari assume them to be lawbreakers, narrow-minded, and ill-mannered people. They are decreed to be the Jacks-of-all-ills prevailing in North India, the ripples of which they wrongly believe and tirelessly retell others on

With Team India's loss in the ICC World Cup semifinal against Australia on Thursday, head coach Duncan Fletcher's (L) association with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and company came to an end. (Photo: AFP) Mumbai:  With Team India's loss in the World Cup's semifinal against Australia on Thursday, coach Duncan Fletcher's association with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and company came to an end. "Duncan Fletcher is not seeking the renewal and the board is also not offering him the fresh contract,” said a senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official. Fletcher is likely to return to South Africa. "The process for the new coach will begin soon,” he added. BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur – who went to Australia to catch the World Cup match – is supposed to have a conversation with Fletcher. "I am yet to speak to Fletcher on these lines. The board will decide about his future. The team has left for India. I am not sure whether Fletcher has stayed back,” sa

After 11 World Cups, five triumphant and two defeated finals, Australia boast an unprecedented five titles. We look back at where they got it wrong in 1975 and 1996 – and right in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015… 1.  Captain and key all-rounder Clive Lloyd was too hot to handle for Ian Chappell’s men in  June 1975’s inaugural final  at Lord’s. Lloyd orchestrated a fine century against an opposition attack spearheaded by pace ace Dennis Lillee and Gary Gilmour, whose five-wicket haul went in vain. Seamer Lloyd’s four-for, a string of unfulfilled starts from the Australian batsmen – and as many as five run-outs – brought the Windies triumph. 2. November 1987 witnessed Australia’s maiden World Cup title , against England, at Eden Gardens in Calcutta. Opener David Boon and the little known Mike Veletta ensured a reasonably formidable total, after which two wickets apiece for seamer Steve Waugh and captain and spinner Allan Border capped an unsuccessful pursuit. English skipper Mike Gatt

MELBOURNE , Australia, CMC – Australia crushed New Zealand by seven wickets to claim their fifth ICC Cricket World Cup, in a hugely lopsided affair at the Melbourne Cricket Ground that had been hyped as blockbuster. opting to bat first, the Black Caps slumped to 39 for three in the 13th over and despite a brief recovery, could only muster a disappointing 183 all out off 45 overs. Middle order batsman Grant Elliott top scored with 82 off 83 deliveries and Ross Taylor got 40 from 72 balls but they were the only batsmen to pass 15 as the much vaunted Kiwi batting juggernaut faltered badly. Left-armer Mitchell Johnson (3-30) and fellow seamer James Faulkner (3-36) both finished with three wickets apiece while another left-armer, Mitchell Starc, claimed two for 20, to pick up the Man-of-the-Series honours. Left with a paltry target to chase in front their home crowd, the Aussies made light work of the task, cruising to victory in the 34th over behind half-centuries from captain Michae

10 things India does best   10  photos 6. Comfort food  –  Sweet, sour, steaming, creamy ... in India, every kind of food is comfort food. Some of our favorites? Kebabs at Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road or Makhan fish at Amritsar's Lawrence Road. Hide Caption 6 of 10 10 things India does best   10 photos 7. Gesticulating  –  In India, no language gets across better than the head-shaking, wrist-flicking gestures that are part of an Indian's genetic makeup. You'll need to observe and learn quickly if you want to keep up. Hide Caption 7 of 10 10 things India does best   10 photos 8. Obsessing over cricket  –  In India, cricketers are revered as gods and extravagantly paid. Watching a live Indian Premier League   match  is an unrivaled experience, a nighttime floodlit spectacle featuring semi-clad cheerleaders, fog horns, drummers and fireworks. Hide Caption 8 of 10 10 things India does best   10 photos 9. Festiva