Asian News International

Asian News International. Multi-media news agency, content for information platforms: TV, Internet, broadband, newspapers, mobiles.

Jashodaben likely to get same security cover as Modi

by

They may not have shared the same roof over their heads for decades now, but even as Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi prepares to move to Delhi from Gujarat, his wife Jashodaben could find herself under the same security cover as her husband.

According to SPG rules, the 62-year-old Jashodaben is 100 per cent entitled to elite Special Protection Group (SPG) cover and the force will have to provide security to her as Modi is set to take over as the Prime Minister, said a former senior IPS officer.

Tiger Shroff meets audience during ‘Heropanti’ screening in Mumbai

by

Tiger Shroff was recently spotted interacting with live audience in a theatre of Mumbai to get first hand reactions on his first film ‘ Heropanti’.

The 24-year-old actor, who is the son of Jackie Shroff said, “I think I am getting much more than I should be getting. I am very thankful and very happy. I have just come to meet the audience myself and ask their honest and genuine reaction”.

Whilst speaking on being a star kid, the debutant actor said that challenge was tougher being a star son and he hoped that he performed accordingly.

India-born B R Shetty buys Travelex for 1 bn pounds

by

India born Abu-Dhabi based billionaire B R Shetty is acquiring leading foreign exchange specialist firm Travelex Holdings for one billion pounds, sources said.

B R Shetty, 72, is buying Travelex from private equity player Apax Partners, Lloyd Dorfman (Founder and Chairman of Travelex) and other shareholders.

Though the commercial terms of the proposed transaction were not disclosed, investment banking sources close to the development said that it is a one billion pound deal and in rupee terms it is around Rs 9,500 crore to Rs 10,000 crore.

Individuals’ spending limit abroad may be hiked to USD 2 lakh

by

Giving more freedom to individuals travelling abroad, they may soon be allowed to spend USD 2 lakh overseas in a year as against the present ceiling of USD 75,000.

“The RBI may eventually reverse all measure taken to contain CAD and currency fluctuation in July-August last year,” a Finance Ministry official said.

The central bank could raise the limit sometime this year based on its assessment of the external sector, the official said.

Apple to seek more compensation for higher damages from Samsung

by

Apple is set to sue Samsung for higher damages for the latest patent fight between the two companies.

The Cupertino-based company that was reportedly awarded with 19.6 million dollars as compensation from Samsung has been looking to get the number revised to 2.191 billion dollars.

According to The Verge, Apple filed documents in court to seek a permanent injunction against a number of older Samsung phones such as Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2 etc. However, the newer devices were not filed in the latest lawsuit between the two companies.

Tech giants contend for transparency following US govt gag orders

by

High profile tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Yahoo have contended for transparency against the US government gag orders that forbid them from revealing the kind of national security information they receive.

The companies wrote in a brief that the government sought to participate in public debate over its use of the NSL statute and it must provide accessibility to the companies to offer an informed viewpoint in that debate.

Men acquire ‘perfect style’ at 37: Study

by

It takes men 37 years to reach maturity as far as their style is concerned, according to a new study.

The survey, conducted by money saving site NetVoucherCodes.co.uk, has indicated that almost a quarter of men under the age of 37 admit they struggle when shopping as they don’t know what looks good on them, compared to just eight per cent of those over 37, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Low-carb vegan diet reduces weight, heart disease risk

by

In addition to weight loss, a specific low-carbohydrate diet may also reduce the risk of heart disease by 10 percent over 10 years, a research indicates.

Researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital have shown for the first time that the diet, often called Eco-Atkins, is a low-carbohydrate vegan diet.

“We designed a diet that combined both vegan and low-carb elements to get the weight loss and cholesterol-lowering benefits of both,” said David Jenkins, director of the clinical nutrition and risk modification centre at St. Michael’s Hospital here.

JLR launches locally produced Jaguar XJ at Rs 92.1 lakh

by

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover on Thursday launched locally manufactured Jaguar XJ 3.0L in the country, with price starting at Rs 92.1 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).

The diesel powered luxury saloon, which is being manufactured at the company’ Pune plant, will be available in two variants—premium luxury and portfolio.

Mental illnesses can reduce life expectancy more than heavy smoking

by

An analysis by Oxford University psychiatrists has shown that serious mental illnesses reduce life expectancy by 10-20 years – a loss of years that’s equivalent to or worse than that for heavy smoking.

Yet mental health has not seen the same public health priority, despite these stark figures and the similar prevalence of mental health problems, the Oxford scientists said.

1 in 4 people in the UK will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year, it is estimated. Around 21 percent of British men and 19 percent of women smoke cigarettes.

YSR Congress MP joins Telugu Desam Party

by

In a blow to the YSR Congress, one of its party MPs today joined the rival TDP, which is set to form the government in Andhra Pradesh.

A three-time Nandyal MP, S P Y Reddy, who was elected on a YSR Congress ticket, switched over to TDP. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 2009 on a Congress ticket.

“I have joined TDP because BJP is a ruling at the Centre and TDP is the ruling party in Seemandhra. I could better serve my constituency if I am with TDP,” Reddy told PTI.

Poor diet before pregnancy could lead to preterm birth

by

A new study has revealed that there is a 50 percent chance that women might have preterm birth if they don’t eat healthy before pregnancy.

This the first study of its kind that focuses on assessing women’s diet prior to conception and its involvement with the outcomes at birth.

The results stated that women who ate protein rich foods including lean meats, fish, chicken, fruit, whole grains and vegetables, had considerably lower risk of preterm birth than compared to women who mainly consumed discretionary foods, such as takeaway, potato chips, or foods high in saturated fat and sugar.

Eyeing Cabinet berths for TDP MPs; Chandrababu Naidu meets Narendra Modi

by

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday met Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi as government formation talks continue before the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow.

Amid reports that Naidu is seeking cabinet berths for his MPs, the TDP met Modi here in Gujarat Bhawan and the meeting lasted for over 30 minutes after which Chief Minister- designate of Andhra Pradesh left without talking to media.

Protesters in Bangalore raise voices against US biotech firm over health and environmental hazards

by

The members of coalition for GM (Genetically Modified) free India took to streets in country’s IT hub Bangalore on Saturday against American multinational chemical and agricultural biotech giant, Monsanto Corporation, asking it to quit due to health and environmental hazards.

Monsanto, headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the United States is the largest producer of genetically modified seed.

Common obesity gene linked to weight gain

by

A new study has shown how FTO, a gene commonly associated with obesity, contributes to weight gain .

The study shows that variations in FTO indirectly affect the function of the primary cilium, a little-understood hair-like appendage on brain and other cells.

Specific abnormalities of cilium molecules, in turn, increase body weight, in some instances, by affecting the function of receptors for leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite.

‘Back piercing couple’ set world record by crossing river using metal clamps

by

A couple in Ukraine have set a world record by attaching a rope using metal clamps pierced into their backs.

Mariya Gafitsa and Pavlo Klets crossed 550 metre of the Dnipro River in Kiev using Tyrolean traversing techniques pioneered on Swiss mountains, the Mirror reported.

The pair put their trust in clamps pierced into their own backs, instead of supporting their weight from a harness and wore a supplementary harnesses as a back-up in the event that the piercings tore off, sending them plunging into the water. (ANI)

‘I can’ mentality can help shed extra fat

by

Want to maintain your slim figure years after childbirth? Develop an “I can” mentality whenever confronted with barriers to your everyday physical activities, a study suggested.

“The way a woman feels about tackling everyday physical activities, including exercise, may be a predictor of how much weight she will retain years after childbirth,” said James Pivarnik, a professor at Michigan State University, US.

Bangladesh speaker lands in Delhi to attend Modi’s swearing-in

by

Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhary arrived here today with a delegation to attend prime minister-designate Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.

Chaudhary was warmly received and welcomed at the airport by Sripriya Ranganathan , Joint Secretary (BM) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

India had earlier invited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina or her designated representative to attend the ceremony at Modi’s request. Hasina has left Dhaka for Tokyo last night on an official visit that will run through to May 28.

AP State Wakf Board steps up measures to protect Wakf properties

by

In an attempt meant at spreading awareness about sticking on to procedures among the managing committees and custodians of wakf institutions, the AP State Wakf Board has asked its staff to tour various districts of the state
The first leg of the initiative kicked off in Guntur district.

According to wakf Inspector-auditor Mohammed Abdul Khuddus, in spite of the crackdown on heads of wakf institutions for reportedly widespread misappropriation, mismanagement of funds and failure to detail income and expenses of the institutions, various instances of laxity of duty were still happening.

Three siblings of a family drown

by

On Saturday, in a shocking incident, three siblings met with watery grave when they entered an abandoned quarry pond at Turkapalem village in the city outskirts.

The incident has stunned the villagers as all the three victims belong to a family.

According to reports, the victims are children of quarry worker, Challa Srinivasa Rao. Malleswari, 5, Neelima 9, and Sirisha, 11, entered the pond while playing.

Revenue Dept approved Mahavir hospital lease extension, MIM oppose

by

After shilly-shallying for almost two years on renewal of lease of Mahavir Hospital land at AC Guards, the revenue department has at last approved the proposal to renew the lease for a period of 30 years.

On Friday, the revenue department issued GO (MS No 230) permitting the Hyderabad district collector to renew the lease of the land for 30 years as of March 2007, the year the lease expired.

The schedule for PGECET released

by

The PGECET schedule was released on Saturday. Exams will be held in two shifts from May 26 to 29 i.e; from 10 am to 12 noon and 2 pm to 4 pm.

A total of 1, 18,035 students will be appearing for the exam, including 12,863 from Vizag.

The test will be conducted for 17 subjects at 72 centres in six cities. Most of the students from Vizag, 5,705 to be exact, applied for engineering subjects whereas only 35 applied for environmental management.

No one will be permitted to enter the examination hall even a minute after commencement of the exam.