Asian News International

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Afghan presidential elections front-runner Abdullah get key rival’s backing

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Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has won the backing of a key rival.

The move has led to Abdullah getting the contest’s first major coalition.

Zalmai Rassoul, the successor favoured by outgoing President Hamid Karzai, pledged his support for Abdullah, the top candidate from the first round.

According to the BBC, the second and final round, due in mid-June, pits Abdullah against Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank economist.

Living heart tissue grown

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In a first, scientists have merged stem cell and ‘organ-on-a-chip’ technologies to grow functioning human heart tissue carrying an inherited cardiovascular disease.

The research is a big step forward for personalised medicine as now, a chunk of tissue containing a patient’s specific genetic disorder can be replicated in the laboratory, a promising research says.

In this case, the scientists modelled the cardiovascular disease Barth syndrome – a rare X-linked cardiac disorder caused by mutation of a single gene called Tafazzin, or TAZ.

Lok Sabha Polls 2014:13 injured in clash between CPI(M)-TMC supporters

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Thirteen persons were today injured when CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress supporters clashed at Haroa in North 24 Parganas district, police said.

Supporters of the rival parties pelted stones and used lathis in the clash which took place near two polling booths at Brahmanchak area of Haroa.

The area falls under Minakha assembly segment of Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency where polling is underway.

Superintendent of police Tanmoy Roychowdhury clarified there was no firing.

The sub divisional police officer (SDPO) has rushed to the spot and CRPF personnel have been deployed.

Ajay Rai lands in trouble over symbol flashing; Election Commission orders enquiry

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Congress candidate Ajay Rai today landed in a controversy after he went to vote wearing his election symbol on his kurta, prompting Election Commission to launch an inquiry into the matter while BJP and Aam Aadmi Party also sought action against him.

“We have called for the CCTV footage of the polling booth and action will be taken after examining the same,” Special Election Observer Praveen Kumar told PTI here.

Daiichi files plea in Andhra Pradesh HC to vacate stay on Sun-Ranbaxy merger

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Daiichi Sankyo, owner of Ranbaxy LaboratoriesLimited, has filed a petition in Andhra Pradesh High Court requesting it to vacate the ‘status quo’ order it issued earlier on Sun Pharma-Ranbaxy merger process.

The HC may take up hearing on the petition on May 15. Based on a petition filed by two individual investors, the court on April 25, issued interim ‘status quo’ orders on the merger process.

Government to review functioning of task forces on illegal mining

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Close on the heels of Justice M B Shah Commission of Inquiry saying minerals worth Rs 60,000 crore were illegally mined in Odisha alone, the Centre has decided to review the functioning of task forces constituted in mineral-rich states to curb the menace.

The development comes against a backdrop where concerned over rising number of illegal mining cases, the Centre has already asked states to also form empowered panels on the pattern of Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) at Centre to check the problem.

Earth ‘deforming’ faster as ice melts, scientists warn

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The threat is looming large, at 400 km below the earth and you can clearly blame climate change for this.

The mantle below the earth’s crust in Antarctica is flowing much faster than expected owing to ice melting at a greater speed on the surface, research has shown.

“Seeing this sort of deformation of the earth at such a rate is unprecedented in Antarctica. What is particularly interesting here is that we can actually see the impact that glacier thinning is having on the rocks 400 km down,” explained Peter Clarke, a professor of geophysical geodesy at Newcastle University.

I crave for my mother’s approval: Kajol

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Actress Kajol, a hands on mom to her two children, says she is very close to her mother and yesteryear actress Tanuja and that it does matter to her whether her mom approves her decisions or not.

“My mom is very special to me. I have idolised her since my childhood. When I was a kid, the biggest thing was my mum’s approval. I crave for my mother’s approval. My mom is my mentor and the way she has taught me has made me a better mother.”

French restaurant fines diners who don’t finish their food

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A French restaurant has come up with a unique way to reduce wastage of food – by charging a fine from customers who don’t eat everything on their plates. Customers at the Patrizietta restaurant in Losone in the canton of Ticino face a fine if they don’t lick their plates clean
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According to the 20 Minutes newspaper, for those who do not finish the whole meal an extra five francs is added to the bill.

The restaurateur Giovanni Tafuro, who took over in April very soon became conscious of the amount of food being wasted through the lunchtime buffet, ‘The Local’ reported.

Congress’ Varanasi candidate Ajay Rai wears party symbol to polling booth

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Congress candidate Ajay Rai courted controversy after he went inside the polling booth to vote while sporting the party symbol on his kurta.

The BJP has reportedly lodged a complaint with the Election Commission over Rai pining the party’s symbol within 100m of the polling station.

“BJP earlier said if Narendra Modi was wearing lotus symbol then its nothing wrong, now saying take action against Ajay Rai,” said Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal.

Sensex at fresh high of 23,332.90; Nifty crosses 6,900

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The benchmark BSE Sensex climbed to a new record high of 23,332.90 in opening trade today as fund investors indulged in creating positions ahead of the exit poll results amid a firming trend in the Asian markets.

The 30-share index, which had posted biggest single-day gain of 650.19 points on Friday since September 2013, rallied by another 338.67 points, or 1.47 per cent, to trade at fresh record high of 23,332.90 points.

All the sectoral indices were trading in the positive territory with gains of up to 2.70 per cent.

Health care: Sneeze-proof summer

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During summer time hay fever, a condition that shows signs similar to a cold with sneezing, is common. Two-thirds of sufferers claim that their current treatment isn’t helping to alleviate the symptoms, so here are some tips that can help people sneeze-proof their summer.

Pollen from trees, grass and even weeds causes millions of Britishers to suffer symptoms from watery, itchy eyes to frequent sneezing and an itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears between May and September.

Salihath PU College achieves cent percent results

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Second year PU students of Salihath PU College, Udupi, 2013-14 batch have achieved cent percent results. All the students, except one, passed out in first class. Four students who secured distinction are Ameena Bi, 92% ; Sameera Naaz, 88% ; Ayisha Nimrah and Simran Banu, 87%.

The students were congratulated by the President of Mohammadia Educational Trust, Mr. M. Ismail Saheb and the President of local Panchayat.Courtesy:Karnataka Muslims

http://karnatakamuslims.com/portal/salihath-pu-college-achieves-cent-percent-results/

Five Saudi men sentenced to prison, lashing for holding Valentine’s Day party

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A criminal court in Saudi Arabia has reportedly sentenced five Saudi men to various jail terms and public lashes for drinking and partying on Valentine’s Day.

While two of the five defendants were sentenced to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes to be given in 20 parts in front of Al Nafoora market, two other defendants were handed seven years in prison and 1,500 public lashes each over 15 parts, the Gulf News reported.

The fifth defendant was sentenced to five years in jail and 1,000 public lashes.

Miley Cyrus slams ex Liam Hemsworth by saying `f*** you`

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Miley Cyrus recently slammed her former boyfriend Liam Hemsworth saying “f*** you” to him at a secret G-A-Y gig in London.

The ‘We Can’t Stop’ hitmaker told the crowd that she wrote her hit track ‘Wrecking Ball’ about guy who “broke her heart” without actually naming Hemsworth, the Mirror reported.

Cyrus added that she wanted to write a No1 hit, something that would be on the radio and wanted to make sure every time he turned on his radio, he would hear her song and will keep hearing it for the rest of his life. (ANI)

Texas couple becomes proud parents to ‘1 in a million’ quadruplets

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A couple from Texas has become proud parents to ‘one in a million’ set of quadruplets.

Anna and Josh Hall from Fort Worth, Texas, recently welcomed Brooks, Sadie, Elle and Ivy at the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, ABC News reported.

The babies, who were born at only 31 weeks, will remain in the hospital for six weeks, which will give them a chance to gain weight before going home.

Two of the quadruplets, Ivy and Elle, are identical twins and the babies were the first set of quadruplets to be delivered at the hospital. (ANI)

Daring on-screen mothers

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From Amrita Singh to Kirron Kher, on-screen mothers have dared to break the conventional mould. Here’s a list of films which presented moms in an unconventional way:”Kal Ho Naa Ho”: Lilette Dubey played a hip bohemian NRI mom named Jazz who competes with her overweight daughter Delnaaz Irani to get male attention.

Varanasi gears up for triangular fight to decide Modi’s fate

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Nearly 16 lakh voters will decide tomorrow the most high-profile contest of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, where BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is facing a triangular fight in this holy city mythologically known to be stationed on Lord Shiva’s trident.
Modi is being challenged by Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal, who says that Modi can’t become Prime Minister if he gets defeated from Varanasi, while Congress’ Ajay Rai is banking on his “son of the soil” image in what he calls a contest with ‘Siberian birds’.

CBI to form SIT to probe Rs 10,000 crore Saradha chit fund scam

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The CBI will form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) soon to probe the Saradha chit fund scam in which investors in West Bengal, Odisha and Assam were allegedly duped of Rs 10,000 crore besides examining the role of market regulators like SEBI and RBI.

“We will form the SIT as soon as the legalities in the case are finalised,” CBI Director Ranjit Sinha said here today.

Official sources said the SIT is expected to be formed soon.

The Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe on Friday on a PIL and asked the three state police forces to cooperate with the CBI investigation.

Central team in Seemandhra to locate new Capital city

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With the conclusion of polling in Seemandhra, the focus has now shifted to finding a capital city for residuary Andhra Pradesh.

A Centre-appointed expert committee has already begun field visits to study the pros and cons of different locations for the Capital city in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions (collectively known as Seemandhra).

The panel has already visited Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry cities and is expected to visit other places like Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and Tirupati among others.

Narendra Modi urges voters to come out in record numbers tomorrow

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In an appeal ahead of the last phase of polling, Narendra Modi has urged voters to come out in record numbers to cast their ballot, saying NDA is the only alliance that can bring about a change in the country.

“People are tired of false promises, corruption and the same old tape-recorded messages ridden with dynastic references only to hide one’s own failure. They want a better tomorrow and NDA is the only alliance that can provide this change,” he said.

Nissan to set up separate Datsun showrooms within 6-7 months

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Japanese auto major Nissan will start selling its Datsun brand from exclusive showrooms within this fiscal as it plans to have in three years’ time totally independent outlets of its two brands in India.

The company is also bolstering its spare parts supply chain and will set up two distribution centres in North and West India within a year to supplement its main centre at Chennai.

“The Datsun brand is currently sold from Nissan showrooms but within this fiscal you may see separate showrooms for the Datsun,” Nissan India Operations President Kenichiro Yomura told PTI.

Ford India resumes bookings for EcoSport

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Ford India has resumed bookings for all variants of its popular compact sports utility vehicle EcoSport.

The company had stopped taking bookings for the vehicle, which was launched in June, in the wake of heavy demand.

“With 50,000 EcoSports delivered, we have significantly reduced the waiting period and are pleased to extend the opportunity to book the Ford EcoSport to more customers,” Ford India Executive Director of Marketing Sales and Service Vinay Piparsania said today in a statement.