Raai Laxmi calls her relationship with MS Dhoni a 'scar'

Raai Laxmi calls her relationship with MS Dhoni a 'scar'

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Ever since the news of MS Dhoni retiring from the test series went viral, the stories about his past relationships also started doing the rounds. And, his relationship with Raai Laxmi once again resurfaced. Some relationships just refuse to die and Dhoni and Raai's five year old romance seems to be the perfect example.

It's been five years that Dhoni and Raai Laxmi broke up but the Tamil actress still stumbles upon reports about their past relationship and finds it annoying. Raai and Dhoni dated each other for some time back in 2009 but the past continues to cling on to her. She is so irked by the topic that she has even called her relationship with Dhoni a 'scar'.

Talking to a daily, she said, "I've begun to believe that my relationship with Dhoni is like a stain or a scar which won't go away for a long time. I am surprised that people still have the energy and patience left to talk about it even now. Every time TV channels dig into Dhoni's past, they make it a point to bring up our relationship. I dread to think that someday my kids in future will see it on TV and ask me about it!"

She added, "I have had three or four relationships after Dhoni, but no one seems to have noticed it."Though the two went their separate ways a long time back but there is no love lost between the two. "I knew him really well and don't know if I can call it a relationship because it never worked out. We still have respect for each other. He has moved on and gotten married. That's the end of the story. I am a very happy person right now and work is my priority."

The two met in 2008 when Dhoni along with Suresh Raina came to attend her birthday party. Raai was so smitten by Dhoni that she even said in an interview that she would marry Dhoni if he proposes to her.

MS Dhoni married Sakshi Singh Rawat in 2010. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Retires as Test Captain; Virat Kohli Takes Over

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Retires as Test Captain; Virat Kohli Takes Over

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired as India's Test captain. He finished with most Test wins (27) as skipper, beating the previous best of 21 wins by Sourav Ganguly.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has retired from Test cricket with immediate effect. The decision comes after India drew the third Test in Melbourne on Tuesday. Out of the 90 Tests he played, Dhoni led India in 60 matches. Dhoni finished with most Test wins as India captain (27), beating the previous best of 21 wins held by Sourav Ganguly. (MS Dhoni, Ashwin ensure MCG draw)

A BCCI statement said: “One of India's greatest Test captains under whose leadership India became the No.1 team in the Test rankings Dhoni, has decided to retire from Test cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of cricket. Dhoni has chosen to retire from Tests with immediate effect in order to concentrate on ODIs and T20 formats. (Dhoni knew Kohli was ready for Test captaincy: Sunil Gavaskar)

"BCCI, while respecting the decision of Dhoni to retire from Test cricket, wishes to thank him for his enormous contribution to Tests and the laurels that he has brought to India."

Virat Kohli will captain India in the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney from January 6. India have already lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy having lost the first two Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane. Kohli had led in the first Test when Dhoni preferred to rest his injured right hand.

Dhoni bowed out of Test cricket in style. In his final series in Australia, Dhoni became the first Indian wicketkeeper to effect nine dismissals in a Test match in Melbourne.

Overall, he became the third wicketkeeper to achieve the feat versus Australia, the first two being David Murray (West Indies) at Melbourne in December 1981 and Ridley Jacobs (West Indies) at Melbourne in December 2000.

With the bat, MS Dhoni also became the first Indian batsman to complete 10,000 runs or more as captain in international cricket, joining Ricky Ponting (15440), Graeme Smith (14878), Stephen Fleming (11561) and Allan Border (11062).

Kamal Haasan’s Marudhanayagam shoot to be restarted in 2015

Kamal Haasan’s Marudhanayagam shoot to be restarted in 2015

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Universal hero Kamal Haasan has confirmed that he will restart Marudhanayagam in 2015. A few months ago, there is buzz that Kamal might take initiative to complete his dream project Marudhanayagam which was shelved way in 1997.

Speaking to a popular Tamil Magazine, Kamal Haasan has said that the remaining portions of Marudhanayagam will be shot next year.

The film which was planned to release in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and French was stopped due to financial issues.Kamal Haasan has confirmed that his friend who is a leading business person in London has agreed to fund the project.

Kamal Hassan will be seen playing the role of an eighteenth century warrior Maruthanayagam Pillai who later got converted to Islam and named as Muhammed Yusuf Khan.

The cast of this film include Sathyaraj, Vishnuvardhan, Nassar, Om Puri and Pasupathy among others. He had also mentioned that the first 30 minutes of the film has been already shot and needs another two hours of content to complete the film.

Indonesia confirms missing AirAsia flight crashed

Indonesia confirms missing AirAsia flight crashed

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Search continues for an AirAsia flight QZ8501 that went missing over Java Sea on Sunday, with rescuers saying the Airbus, carrying 162 people, might have crashed and could at the bottom of the sea. The plane took off from Surabaya in Indonesia and was en-route Singapore when it disappeared from the radar at early in the morning.
95 PER CENT SURE DEBRIS OFF KALIMANTAN COAST IS FROM MISSING AIRASIA JET: INDONESIAN SEARCH AND RESCUE AGENCY CHIEF

SUSPECTED BODY, LIFE VEST, LUGGAGE SPOTTED BY AIR FORCE OFFICIAL: INDONESIAN MEDIA REPORTS -

Objects resembling a body, luggage, a life vest and debris suspected to be part of an AirAsia jet that disappeared over the Java Sea were spotted by a pilot involved in the search operation, domestic media reported on Tuesday.

"The body seemed bloated," said First Lieutenant Tri Wibowo who was on board a Hercules aircraft during the search operation, reported the Kompas.com website.

RED AND WHITE DEBRIS SIGHTED OFF KALIMANTAN IS PROBABLY FROM AIRASIA JET, SAYS OFFICIAL

Red and white debris sighted off Indonesia's Kalimantan coast is likely to be part the AirAsia jet presumed to have crashed in shallow waters off the Indonesian coast, a transportation ministry official said on Tuesday.

"The debris is red and white," Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation at the transportation ministry, told reporters. "We are checking if it's debris from the aircraft. It's probably from the body of the aircraft."

Based on the size and colouring of the debris, it was likely to be part of the missing jet, Murjatmodjo added.

SEARCH TEAMS SPOT DEBRIS INCLUDING PLANE DOOR AND EMERGENCY SLIDE

INDONESIAN TV SHOWS FOOTAGE OF OBJECTS IN WATER, POSSIBLY PART OF MISSING AIRASIA JET

Indonesian television showed footage of objects floating in the Java Sea on Tuesday which an official said could be part of the AirAsia jet presumed to have crashed in shallow waters off the Indonesian coast.

Indonesian TV showed two relatively large objects, one orange and one grey or brown, floating on the surface. The largest appeared to be several metres in length.

"Hopefully we will find something definite because I haven't received anything else," an Air Force official told MetroTV referring to the reported debris. "Other aircraft are still carrying out searches."

Al Qaeda magazine gives bomb making recipe to attack planes

Al Qaeda magazine gives bomb making recipe to attack planes

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In the latest edition of its online magazine, Al Qaeda has come up with a step-by-step manual on how to breach airport security and bomb passenger planes.

The manual was part of the Al Qaeda's online magazine 'Inspire' released on Christmas eve.

The magazine lists American United, Continental and Delta Airlines along with British Airways, EasyJet and Air France as 'desired targets'.

Not just that, the magazine also suggested the killing of high-profile "economic personalities" such as former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and "wealthy entrepreneurs of company owners" like Bill Gates.

The English language Al Qaeda magazine, Inspire, was launched in 2010 to recruit Western Muslims into its terror ranks.

The issue is aimed at inspiring lone-wolf jihadists in the US and the West to attack commercial planes.

As part of its manual, it gives detailed instructions, with illustrations, on how to build bombs in the kitchen.

"We came up with these simple materials that are readily available around the globe, even inside America," it states.

The manual also comes with a "field data" and lists out a bunch of targets in the US, UK and France along with times when maximum crowds gather in public places.

Papa, I Need You, Posts Missing AirAsia Pilot's Daughter: Report

Papa, I Need You, Posts Missing AirAsia Pilot's Daughter: Report

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                     Captain Iriyanto was the pilot of AirAsia Flight QZ8501, which was lost on Sunday.

The school-going daughter of the pilot of the AirAsia plane that went missing yesterday en route to Singapore has reportedly posted a message on social media saying "Papa come back, I still need you."

An Indonesian website, kompas.com, identifies the daughter as "Angela" and reports she uploaded a picture of her father, Captain Iriyanto,  and wrote: "Papa pulang. Kakak masih butuh papa. Kembalikan papaku. Papa pulang pa, papa harus ketemu." (Papa come back. I still need you. Return my papa to me. Papa come back, we have to meet.)"

The AirAsia plane, which went missing with 162 people on board en route Singapore, is likely at the bottom of the sea, said an official of the Indonesian agency that is heading the search for the aircraft. 

"Based on the coordinates given to us and evaluation that the estimated crash position is in the sea, the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea," Bambang Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, said at a news conference. 

The Airbus A320-200 disappeared Sunday while heading from Surabaya in Indonesia's east Java to Singapore after the crew requested a change of flight plan due to stormy weather. 

B-Town showers love and good wishes on Salman Khan

B-Town showers love and good wishes on Salman Khan

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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan  turned 49 today, and the entire film industry was invited to his birthday bash. Those who couldn't make it showered love and good wishes through social media.

Salman celebrated his birthday  Friday night at his farmhouse in Panvel with family and friends including filmmaker Karan Johar and actors Ajay Devgn, Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi.

Here's a pic of the 49 year old hunk cutting his birthday cake with family.He also tweeted a picture of his birthday cake which had "Happy Birthday Bhai" written on it.

Here's what Salman's friend wished for him on Twitter:

Preity Zinta: @BeingSalmanKhan Happy Birthday Salman wishing you loads of love, success, sexiness , good health & blockbusters now and always Muaah!

Sonakshi Sinha: Happy birthday to @BeingSalmanKhan, Who has gone 10 steps beyond the original performance of o o jaane jaana last night. U the best!!!

Jacqueline Fernandez: And it's the happiest day of all!! @BeingSalmanKhan mwaaahhhhhh #HappyBirthdaySalmanKhan

Bipasha Basu: Happy Birthday to the one n only @BeingSalmanKhan !Wish you extreme love peace happiness! Stay blessed forever:) Hugs!

Nikhil Dwivedi: Here is wishing this 'Giant' a very Happy Birthday!!! He is different. #SalmanKhanBday

Sophie Choudry: Happy b'day to the amazing, forever handsome, all heart @BeingSalmanKhan.. Stay blessed #HappyBirthdaySalmanKhan

Gauaher Khan: Happy birthday to d man who defines being human @BeingSalmanKhan ... May Allah bless you now n frever more.

Sunny Leone: Happy happy birthday @BeingSalmanKhan enjoy your night and party hard!! ;) you deserve it!!

AirAsia flight crashes in Java Sea

AirAsia flight crashes in Java Sea

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According to reports the AirAsia flight QZ8501from Indonesia to Singapore which lost contact with the ATC has crashed in the Java Sea. The wreckage has been found in the waters off East Belitung, off the east coast of Sumatra.

The aircraft was between the Indonesian port of Tanjung Pandan and the town of Pontianak, in West Kalimantan on Borneo island, when it went missing, Atmodjo told a news conference.

The aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds, he said.

Tanjung Pandan is the main town on Belitung island, roughly half-way between Surabaya and Singapore, and Singapore's Channel News Asia television said there was bad weather over the island at the time the plane went missing. 

AirAsia flight from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on-board reportedly went missing today after losing contact with air traffic controllers.Flight QZ8501 lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control just after 07:24am local time, a transport official told local media.

Contact with the plane was lost 42 minutes after takeoff. There was no Indian national on board.

The plane took off from Surabaya (Indonesia) at 5.20 am local time and was scheduled to land at Singapore's Changi airport at 8.30 am.

Also Read:  Malaysia to help in search of AirAsia flight: Najib Razak

AirAsia greys out logo after flight goes missing 

The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC.

Indonesian Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact, local media reported.

The plane lost contact somewhere between Kalimantan and Belitung island, Hadi was quoted as saying.

An Indonesian transport official confirmed that seven crew and 155 passengers were on board.

Indonesian TV are reporting there were 149 Indonesians, three Koreans, one Singaporean, one Briton and one Malaysian on board. 

The Singapore airport said on its website the status of the flight was "delayed".

MH370 mystery: 58 hard objects found in Indian Ocean

Search for MH370 resumes in Indian Ocean

No birthday cheer for Bigg Boss viewers, Salman Khan takes the day off

No birthday cheer for Bigg Boss viewers, Salman Khan takes the day off

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For the millions of fans who are awaiting to meet their superstar on his birthday, there is a bad news. Salman Khan won't light up your drawing rooms and faces tonight. Salman who turns 49 today, has got a day off from Bigg Boss to celebrate his birthday with near and dear ones.

On the occasion of the actor's birthday, Bigg Boss makers have decided to push the nomination and eviction episodes by a day each and the shows have been rescheduled to Sunday and Monday respectively.

But no need to worry. Bigg Boss has planned an entertaining surprise for its viewers. Funnyman Kapil Sharma and his wacky on-screen family has been assigned to keep the inmates and the viewers entertained in Saturday's episode. With Kapil's dadi and bua targetting handsome hunks Gautam Gulati and Upen Patel inside and Gutthi and Palak leaving the rest in splits with their banter it is going to be a fun-filled evening.

Don't miss to see who gets lucky with Dadi's 'Shagun Ki Pappi'.Till now we've known December 26 as Salman Khan's birthday but from today we will know it as Being Human Day, thanks to 9 million plus Salmaniacs on Twitter.

North Korea calls Obama ' A MONKEY LIVING IN A TROPICAL FOREST'

North Korea calls Obama 'a monkey living in a tropical forest'

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North Korea called President Barack Obama "a monkey" and blamed the US on Saturday for shutting down its internet amid the hacking row over the comedy movie, 'The Interview'.

North Korea has denied involvement in a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures but has expressed fury over the comedy depicting an assassination of its leader Kim Jong Un. After Sony Pictures initially called off the release in a decision criticized by Obama, the movie has opened this week.

On Saturday, North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission, the country's top governing body led by Kim, said that Obama was behind the release of 'The Interview'. It described the movie as illegal, dishonest and reactionary.

"Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," an unidentified spokesman at the Commission's Policy Department said in a statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

He also accused Washington for intermittent outages of North Korea websites this week, after the US had promised to respond to the Sony hack.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House on Saturday.

According to the North Korea Commission's spokesman, "the US, a big country, started disturbing the Internet operation of major media of the DPRK, not knowing shame like children playing a tag."

The Commission said the movie was the result of a hostile US policy toward North Korea, and threatened the US with unspecified consequences.

North Korea and the US remain technically in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The rivals also are locked in an international standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programs and its alleged human rights abuses. The US stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against North Korean aggression.

Father urges Islamic State to treat captured pilot son as guest

Father urges Islamic State to treat captured pilot son as guest

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Father of the Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State militants said he did not consider his son a hostage and called on his captors to treat him as a "guest".
First Lieutenant Muath al-Kasaesbeh, 27, was captured after his jet crashed in northeast Syria on Wednesday during a bombing mission against the militants.

His family has pleaded for mercy.
"I do not want to describe him as a hostage. I call him a guest," his father, Saif al-Kasaesbeh told Reuters.
"He is a guest among brothers of ours in Syria Islamic State. I ask them - by the name of God and with the dignity of the prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him - to receive him as a guest of his hosts and treat him well," he said.
Kasaesbeh, who comes from a prominent Jordanian Sunni Muslim family, is the first pilot from the international coalition known to have been captured by Islamic State.

The Sunni Muslim jihadist group has a history of killing enemy soldiers that it captures on the battlefield and beheading Western civilians that it takes hostage. Many of the captives it has killed are Shi'ites or non-Muslims, but the group has also executed Sunnis for fighting alongside its enemies.

Top Sun TV executive arrested for sexual harassment in Chennai

Top Sun TV executive arrested for sexual harassment in Chennai

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A top executive of Tamil Nadu's leading Sun TV was arrested on Friday in Chennai for alleged sexual harassment of a former woman employee.

Sun TV's Chief Operating Officer Praveen was arrested on Friday morning after questioning by the police. Sources said the woman, who lodged a complaint against him, quit five months ago after she was reportedly transferred to Kerala.

A Sun TV news editor was arrested earlier this year on a similar complaint lodged by an anchor of the leading Tamil channel, which is the flagship of the network owned by Kalanithi Maran, the brother of DML leader Dayanidhi Maran.

Both the brothers are also being investigated for alleged money laundering in the 2G spectrum case.

Police on Friday arrested a top executive of Sun TV over charges of sexual harassment. Praveen, the Chief Operating Officer of Sun TV, was arrested after a former woman employee filed a complaint against him.

According to sources, the woman, who had resigned a few months ago after she was transferred to Kerala, alleged that her dues have not yet been paid.

This is the second sexual harassment charge against a top employee of the Kalanithi Maran-owned channel this year after a news editor was arrested earlier this year on a complaint by a woman anchor.

Rajinikanth Pays Tribute To His Guru K Balachander

RAJINIKANTH SAID "BALACHENDER WAS MY FRIEND, PHILOSOPHER AND GUIDE. I'VE NO WORDS. I FEEL LIKE I'VE LOST MYSELF. I PRAY GOD TO REST HIS SOUL IN PEACe

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Superstar Rajinikanth paid tribute to his guru, Director K Balachander who died on
Tuesday. He spent more than an hour with the family of K Balachander. An
emotionally disturbed Rajinikanth said " Balachender was my friend, philosopher
and guide. I've no words. I feel like I've lost myself.I pray God to rest his soul in
 peace."

"KB sir was not just my guru. He was my father as well. He also never saw me
as an actor and treated me like his own son. He was like a god in human form
and I feel lost in his absence," Rajinikanth added in his statement.

It was K Balachander who introduced Rajinikanth in his film Apporva Raagangal
in the year 1975.

Another legend he introduced Kamal Haasan is rushing from the US to be part
of his Guru's final journey.

Film historian Mohan Raman says "One thing Balachander singularly achieved
is he introduced a range of actors a character artist like me to the superstar of
Indian cinema, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan whohe chiseled and shaped.
All of us are doing so well". He added "His singular unique contribution is to
introduce middle class morality in filmdom".

Jackie Chan says ashamed over son's drug charge in China

Jackie Chan says ashamed over son's drug charge in China

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Hollywood action film star Jackie Chan today said he is ashamed of his son's indictment in a drug abuse case in China and added that he has not used any political connection to bail him out of the trouble.

Jaycee, 32, was charged by Chinese prosecutors two days ago in Beijing, three months after he was caught smoking marijuana along with a group of friends in his house here.He was charged with providing a venue for drug users, which could attract a three-year prison term.

Jackie, who is a highly influential politician in China, told state-run Xinhua news agency that he feels ashamed of his son and hope that one day Jaycee -- a singer and actor by profession -- would become an anti-drug ambassador, like him.

As the only son of the Hong Kong action hero, Jaycee commands much media attention.

His arrest is a major embarrassment for Jackie, who was appointed as the goodwill ambassador for the China National Anti-Drug Committee in 2009 to promote anti-drug education in the country.

Jackie has earlier apologised on behalf of his son and flew in here soon after Jaycee was arrested.

In the interview, Jackie said he did not use his connections to interfere with the case. He hoped his son one day could become an anti-drug ambassador when released.Jacyee was arrested after locals complained to police about the group, which also included 23-year-old Ko Chen-tung, a Taiwanese movie star also known as Kai Ko who was released after few weeks of detention.

Police said Chan and Ko both tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug. Police aired the raid on Jaycee's residence on state-run CCTV.

The prosecution came three months after Jaycee was formally arrested by Beijing police on August 14.

The Chinese government, which has launched a massive campaign against corruption and abuse of power, highlighted the case as part of its efforts to target "tigers and flies" to ensure everyone one is equal before law.

Jaycee reportedly told police that he has been using drugs for the past eight years.
Beijing police said earlier that more than 7,800 suspects have been detained this year for their involvement in drug abuse cases.

"To pay attention to the celebrity drug crackdown can be helpful for the war on drugs, as drug user in China gains younger users," said a Beijing-based university professor of public security.

Statistics from the Public Security Ministry showed that by the end of May, 2013, China had a total of 2.61 million registered drug users, 20,000 were minors.

Rajasthan: 'Dead' grandfather wakes up from funeral pyre

Rajasthan: 'Dead' grandfather wakes up from funeral pyre as family sets fire to his body

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This is not a ghost story. A man who was believed to be dead woke up from his funeral pyre in Rajasthan's Bhilwada district.
72-year-old Deepak Singh got up from his funeral pyre moment the family members set his body on fire. Deepak who is a grandfather, fainted when he had gone to feed his cows. Thus, his family declared him dead and started prepairing for the ritual which is carried out alongwith chanting.
According to a report published in Mail Online, the family rested his body on the ground as they were heading to begin the chanting. They were shocked to see the body moving and within few seconds the 'dead' body started shaking and they saw their grandfather waking up and finally walking.

Seeing this, the family quickly doused the pyre and were relieved when they saw the man alive. They realised that he had just fainted and wasn't dead.
Banda Nalwa, the grandson of Deepak Singh said that his grandfather was fine in the morning and like everyday he went to feed the cows. But when he didn't return on time, he went to check on him and found him lying on the floor.

On touching him, he couldn't find his pulse and his body didn't respond.The family even called a local doctor and he too confirmed his death.
After this drama, the grandfather was quoted as saying, "I know I might be annoying, but to this extent that you declared me dead."

PM Modi wins Facebook in India

PM Modi wins Facebook in India, Home Ministry takes Twitter

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As the government adopts social media platforms in a big way, the home ministry is on top when it comes to number of Twitter followers among all the union ministries, while external affairs ministry has the maximum number of Facebook likes.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is way above all the ministries in terms of Facebook likes. On Twitter also, Prime Minister's Office has much larger number of followers.

As on December 22, Modi had 2.62 crore Facebook likes and his Twitter handle @PMOIndia was followed by 48 lakh people.

Among the ministries, Home Ministry has 2.32 lakh people following its Twitter handle, while Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (2.17 lakh) comes second.

These two are followed by External Affairs Ministry (1.95 lakh), Railway Ministry (1.57 lakh), Commerce and Industry Ministry (61,924) and Health and Family Affairs (35,500).

"Social media has emerged as a major communication medium directly with people. High number of Facebook likes and twitter followers shows that people want to be directly in touch with the government," an official said.

While most of the ministries have established a presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, there are still a few that are yet to join this league.

Among the lowest, only 39 people follow Tribal Affairs Ministry, while Environment and Forest Ministry has 60 and Urban Development Ministry 88 Twitter followers.

When it comes to Facebook likes, after External Affairs Ministry (6.82 lakh), second largest number of likes were received by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (6.60 lakh).

These are followed by Finance Ministry (6.28 lakh), Railway Ministry (2.21 lakh), Environment and Forest Ministry (45,231) and Human Resource Development Ministry (45,004).

Among the lowest, only 715 likes were received by Urban Development Ministry, followed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (775) and Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. 

Sachin Tendulkar announced as ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ambassador

Sachin Tendulkar announced as ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ambassador

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday announced Sachin Tendulkar as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador. It will be the second time he will be the Ambassador of ICC's pinnacle tournament. He fulfilled the role in the previous event, which was co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka in 2011.
In his role as ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador, Tendulkar will promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March, PTI reported.

Tendulkar retired from international cricket last year after representing his country in 200 Tests, 463 One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 International. In a career spanning 24 years, the 41-year-old scored a total of 34,357 international runs and 100 centuries.
Tendulkar added the missing World Cup title to his long list of achievements in his sixth attempt in 2011. He is the all-time leading run-getter in World Cup history with 2,278 runs in 45 matches at an average of 56.95. For his 673 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, he was awarded player of the tournament as India finished runner-up to Australia.
Commenting on his appointment, Tendulkar said: "I am delighted and honoured to be appointed ICC Cricket World Cup Ambassador for the second successive time.''

"After playing in the last six editions, the upcoming World Cup will be a different experience as I will follow it from the sidelines. It could probably be comparable to the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987 where I was a ball boy, enthusiastically cheering every ball.

"The excitement of the World Cup grows with every new edition and this year's host nations, Australia and New Zealand, are known for their sporting culture, great cricket facilities and knowledgeable crowds. Lifting the World Cup is every international cricketer's quest and the tournament brings out the best of individuals and competing teams.

"The image of the champion team lifting the World Cup inspires many youngsters around the world and gives them a dream to chase - a dream which I fulfilled after 22 years of relentless pursuit by being part of the victorious Indian team in 2011."
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: "The ICC is delighted to once again have Sachin as an Ambassador for its biggest and most prestigious tournament. Sachin is not only an inspiration to cricketers but to all sportspeople for his endurance, perseverance, talent, personality and commitment to the game."

The 11th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup kicks off in Christchurch on 14 February when co-host New Zealand take on former champion Sri Lanka. On the same day at the picturesque Melbourne Cricket Ground, four-time world champion Australia will square-off against England, which reached the final the last time the event was staged in Australia/New Zealand in 1992.

A total of 49 matches will be played across 14 venues, seven in New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington) and seven in Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney).

The format of the tournament is the same as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, i.e. two groups of seven sides each, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. All the knock-out stage matches will have reserve days.

Apart from the 10 Full Members, four qualifiers - Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates - will take part in the tournament