Ramadan 2014 Around the World From Saturday/Sunday

EFT Report: Majority of Muslims around the world will celebrate the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan on Sunday, June 29, while some Muslim countries will observe the dawn-to-dusk month a day earlier. 

Religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, said that the fasting month will start on Sunday, June 29.

Egypt's Iftaa House said the new moon of Ramadan was not sighted Friday, June 27. "Therefore, Saturday, June 28, will be the last day of Sha`ban and Sunday, June 29 will be the first day of Ramadan.

The Higher Judicial Council of Palestine has also announced that Saturday will be the last day of Sha`ban. Therefore, Ramadan will commence on Sunday.

In Kuwait, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and South Korea, it has been announced that Ramadan will start on June 29. 

Muslims in UK start fasting on Sunday, June 29, in accordance with Saudi Arabia's declaration.

Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad has announced that Ramadan will start on Sunday, following a meeting with the Australian National Imams Council.

The first day Ramadan in Japan will be on Sunday as the moon could not be sighted on Friday, the Islamic Center of Japan announced.

Malaysia’s Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Datuk Seri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, announced that fasting will start on Sunday in the announcement carried live on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

In the Philippines, Ramadan officially starts Sunday after Muslim religious leaders failed to view the crescent moon Friday evening.

Saturday

The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) has announced earlier this month the start of Ramadan in North America on Saturday.

In Lebanon, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadl-Allah announced that Saturday will be the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

In Turkey, Belgium, Russia, Italy and several Eruopean countries, Saturday has been announced as the first day of Ramadan.

Yemen's Iftaa House has also announced Saturday, June 28, as the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Sunday or Monday

In Pakistan, Chief Meteorologist Mohammad Riaz has announced that the holy month of Ramadan was expected to start on June 30, 2014.

Same position was in India where the moon sighting will be made on Saturday to define the start of the holy month, either on Sunday or Monday.

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Ramadan Gesture: Dubai Ruler Orders Release of 892 Prisoners

EFT Report, Abu Dhabi: Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in his capacity as ruler of Dubai, has ordered the release of 892 Emirati and expatriate inmates from Dubai's correctional and punitive establishments on the occasion of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Dubai Attorney-General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan said Dubai Public Prosecution and Dubai Police have already started the execution of Sheikh Mohammed's order to ensure the release of the prisoners, who served different periods of their jail terms, and their reunion with their families before the beginning of Ramadan. 

Al Humaidan thanked Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid for the generous gesture which reflected his authentic and noble Arab values and his commitment to all members of the society without any discrimination.

Al Humaidan urged the pardoned inmates to begin a new life with good behavior.

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Modi Not to Attend FIFA World Cup Final

EFT Report, New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be attending the World Cup football final, the external affairs ministry said.

"There are no plans for Modi to be present at the FIFA final ahead of BRICS meeting," external affairs ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said.

Modi has been invited to the final of the FIFA World Cup football currently being held in Brazil, ahead of the summit of the BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which will be held July 15-17 in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza.

The World Cup final is scheduled to be played in Rio de Janeiro on July 13, 2014.

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Government Defers Gas Price Hike by 3 Months

EFT Report, New Delhi: Indian government decided to defer gas price hike by three months, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision at a meeting in New Delhi. 

Talking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Pradhan said the government has decided to hold extensive consultations on the issue before taking the call on hiking price. 

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1D’s Louis Tomlinson Charging Fans £250 for a Selfie

EFT Report: One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is charging fans £12,000 to spend 10 minutes with him and £250 for a selfie in a bid to raise funds for Doncaster Rovers FC, the football club that he and his business partners recently bought. Doncaster Rovers FC were relegated to the third tier of English football in May. The 22-year-old heartthrob, who grew up in Doncaster is worth around £14million, according to a recent Sunday Times Rich List.

Louis Tomlinson

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Frank Lampard to Captain England Against Costa Rica

EFT Report: With no hopes of qualifying for the next round, England coach Roy Hodgson is looking to give game time to those in his squad who are yet to play in Brazil.

Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard will lead England out in their final group D game at the FIFA World Cup against Costa Rica on Tuesday. England captain Steven Gerrard will be on the bench for the game. Luke Shaw, Ross Barkley and Jack Wilshere are all expected to start against Costa Rica.

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Iraqi Judge Who Sentenced Saddam Hussein to Death Executed by ISIS

EFT Report: Judge Raouf Abdul Rahman, who sentenced Saddam Hussein to death by hanging in 2006, was reportedly killed by ISIS militants. His death has not been confirmed by the Iraqi government, but officials had not denied reports of his capture last week.

Judge Raouf Abdul Rahman

According to reports, Iraqi revolutionaries arrested Raouf and sentenced him to death in retaliation for the death of the martyr Saddam Hussein. The 69-year-old is believed to have been arrested on June 16 after an unsuccessfully bid to escape from Baghdad disguised in a dancer's costume, and executed two days later. 

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Messi Magic Floors Iran; Klose Equals Ronaldo's World Cup Record

EFT Report, Belo Horizonte: Veteran German striker Miroslav Klose walked into the World Cup 'Hall of Fame' with a record-equaling 15th goal, bringing him at par with Brazil's Ronaldo, as Germany fought back to post a 2-2 draw against Ghana while Lionel Messi's magical left-footed strike got Argentina out of the rut against a combative Iran.

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UP Combined Premedical Test Cancelled

EFT Report, Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh Combined Premedical Test (UPCPMT) was cancelled on June 22, 2014 after the seals of two boxes in which the question papers were kept were found to have been tampered with in Ghaziabad.

"Papers of the test were sealed in 40 boxes which were kept in two banks in Ghaziabad.

"When officials went to these two bank branches this morning, they found that the seals of two boxes had been tampered with.

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Xabi Alonso Quits International Football

EFT Report, Madrid: Sports daily Marca has reported that Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso has retired from international football after Spain’s elimination from the FIFA World Cup.

Marca says the 32-year-old planned this move for some time and the decision was not a “knee-jerk reaction to the event in Brazil. Far from it, he had long known that summer 2014 would mark the end of his international career," reports EFE.

Alonso has been playing for Spain’s first team since 2003. By scoring 16 goals in 113 matches, he helped the team to win two Euros in 2008 and 2012 and the 2010 World Cup.

The Real Madrid player will get the chance to rest as he had fitness issues over the last two years.

The veteran drew criticism when he admitted that Spain had lost their way following their World Cup knockout.

"We couldn't maintain that hunger, that ambition. We weren't mentally prepared or physically fit enough,” he said after Spain got eliminated from the World Cup.

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Events at India Habitat Center, Delhi on June 22

Sunday, June 22, 2014

7:00pm|THEATRE|Repeat of Mouse (Eng/65mins) Dir. & Wri. Neel Chaudhuri. Prod. The Tadpole Repertory. Tickets at Rs.300, Rs. 200 & Rs. 100 available at the Programs Desk June.4 onward for IHC members only. Open to all June.7 onward. An Old World Culture presentation 7:00pm|MUSIC|An evening of contemporary jazz by The Shubh Saran Presentation- Shubh Saran (Guitar), Pranoy Praveen (Drums), Rohit Gupta (Piano) & Jayant Manchanda (Bass) and Kitchensink- Adhir Ghosh (Guitar), Siddharth Jain (Drums), Rohit Gupta (Piano), Jayant Manchanda (Bass) & Smiti Malik (Voice).

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Iran vs Argentina in FIFA World Cup Match

EFT Report, Belo Horizonte: Argentina's national team prepared to hand Iran a decisive blow in their match on Saturday (June 21) and qualify for the knockout phase of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Coach Alejandro Sabella modified his tactics, after Argentina's win over Bosnia in their first game that sparked criticism back home, reports Xinhua.

His initial 5-3-2 line-up on the field changed to 4-3-3, as the players requested in the second half of the Bosnia match.

"It's going to be a difficult game and I believe that if you give any rival room to play, it can complicate the match, that's why we have to dominate from the start against Iran," star footballer Lionel Messi said.

Meanwhile, Iran's national team, coached by Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, will try to do their best to stay alive, aware of the traditional superiority of the South American team.

Iran, who played Nigeria to a 0-0 draw in their debut match, will play Bosnia in their third and final game of the initial group phase.

"We have to enjoy and follow the instructions of our trainer to the letter," Iran forward Reza Ghoochannejhad said.

"We have absolutely nothing to lose in this game. Argentina is one of the favorites to win the title, and that's something that you can't say about us. All the pressure is on them and we have to show all our capability, as we did against Nigeria."

Argentina and Iran have only played each other once before -- March 22, 1977, as part of the 75th Anniversary Cup of Real Madrid, in Spain's capital.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie, but Argentina went on to win in a post-game tie-breaker.

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Kamal Haasan to Unveil 'Valeba Raja' Music

EFT Report, Chennai: Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, who is busy shooting for Tamil film "Uttama Villain," will unveil the audio of upcoming Tamil romantic-comedy "Valeba Raja" in Chennai on June 25, 2014.

Kamal Haasan will be gracing over the occasion of Valeba Raja' audio launch that is scheduled to take place on June 25Aat Devi cinemas, said a statement from the film's production house Vanks Vision.

Directed by Sai Gokul Ramnath, "Valeba Raja" features Sethu, Vishaka Singh, Nushrat Bharucha and VTV Ganesh in lead roles. 

The film has music by newcomer Radhan, who shot to fame for his sensational musical hit in Telugu movie "Andala Rakshasi".

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Events at India Habitat Center, Delhi on June 21

Today’s  Events at India Habitat Centre:

Saturday, June 21, 2014

6:00 pm|IHC MEMBER’S MEET 7:00 pm|THEATER|Mouse (Eng/65 mins) Director & Writer Neel Chaudhuri. Prod. The Tadpole Repertory. Mouse is about a play in waiting. A young director readies her actor for the first performance of an idiosyncratic play. In the course of their last minute revisions they struggle between her anxieties and his diffidence, making us wonder why this uncanny duo even came together in the first place. Mouse throws a torch light on the insecurities of the artist – the smallest, weakest artist. It is a play that observes our little ambitions in their most monstrous proportions. Tickets at Rs. 300, Rs. 200 & Rs. 100 available at the Programs Desk June. 4 onward for IHC members only. Open to all June. 7 onward. An Old World Culture presentation. 7:00pm|TALK|VIMHANS continues with its monthly series on issues concerning the Elderly. The third program focuses on Late Life Depression THEATRE - Asmita  summer Theater Festival 2014 - Mahesh Dattani’s “Final Solutions”;  Venue: Amphitheatre (Open-air venue);  Contact details:- Arvind Guar :9899650509

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Ronaldo Tops List of World Cup Highest Paid Players

EFT Report, Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes magazine's list of highest paid footballers in the FIFA World Cup.

Ronaldo, who is paid $80 million a year, came ahead of Barcelona’s Argentine striker Lionel Messi, who earns $64.7 million, reports EFE.

List of top-10 highest-paid players now participating in World Cup:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) (Real Madrid) $80 million
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) (Barcelona) $64.7 million
3. Neymar (Brazil) (Barcelona) $33.6 million
4. Wayne Rooney (England) (Manchester United) $23.4 million
5. Sergio Aguero (Argentina) (Manchester City) $23.3 million
6. Yaya Toure (Cote d'Ivoire) (Manchester City) $21.7 million
7. Fernando Torres (Spain) (Chelsea) $21.3 million
8. Robin van Persie (Netherlands) (Manchester United) $19.5 million
9. Steven Gerrard (England) (Liverpool) $18.7 million
10. Mesut Ozil (Germany) (Arsenal) $18.5 million

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic Arrives in Brazil

EFT Report: After Brazilian stars like Dani Alves, Ronaldo, Anderson Silva featured in a video asking Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup despite Sweden not qualifying this time, the Paris Saint-Germain star has been pictured arriving in Rio and posing with the tournament's official mascot Fuleco the Armadillo.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

It is not known yet whether Ibrahimovic is in Brazil as a fan or for commercial reasons.

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Buffon, de Rossi, Barzagli Back in Italy's Training

EFT Report, Sao Paulo: Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, midfielder Daniele de Rossi and defender Andrea Barzagli are back in Italy’s team training, leaving only Mattia de Sciglio in the injured list.

Barzagli and de Rossi, who over-exerted their muscles, trained Tuesday while Buffon trained with goalkeepers Mattia Perin and Salvatore Sirigu.

The Azzurri will face Costa Rica Friday after defeating England 2-1.

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Psy to Cheer for South Korea Football Team Against Russia

EFT Report, Seoul: Popular South Korean singer Psy will be performing live Wednesday to cheer his national football team against Russia in the 2014 World Cup in the Brazilian city of in Cuiaba.

Psy will be performing at the Yeongdong Road in southern Seoul, which has become a popular place for fan fests, reports Korea Herald. The singer is expected to perform his new song “Hangover” live for the first time. 

But the time of his appearance and content of the performance are not yet decided, the daily added. 

Some 1,000 police personnel will be deployed to ensure public safety and some roads are also likely to remain closed in and around the Yeongdong Road. 

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Chilean Porn Star Have 12 Hour Sex Marathon to Celebrate World Cup Win Over Australia

Marlen Doll

EFT Report: Chilean Porn Star Marlen Doll, who sent out a tweet saying that if Chile score at least 3 goals and win against Australia in their Group B opener at Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, she would be sleeping with random people in a 12-hour sex marathon... FINALLY made good of her promise.

Marlen Doll called in people to come in and “celebrate” Chile’s victory with her in a night-long party. Explicit pictures of the party have been posted on to Marlen’s Twitter account.

Not only did Chile beat Australia, but with a score of 3-1.

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Thomas Vermaelen Joins Man Utd From Arsenal

EFT Report: Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen has agreed a deal in principle to join Manchester United from Arsenal next season. The 28-year-old, who has one year left on his Arsenal deal, will pocket a reported £100,000 per week at United.

Thomas Vermaelen

Vermaelen earns around £70,000-a-week with Arsenal. Vermaelen is currently with the Belgium squad in Brazil for the FIFA World Cup.

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