Press Trust of India

Press Trust of India (PTI) is India’s premier news agency, having a reach as vast as the Indian Railways. It employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.

Space ship that travels faster than light!

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Imagine a space ship travelling faster than the speed of light. NASA scientists are working on a space ship that, if completed, will travel faster than speed of light – a concept inspired straight from Hollywood sci-fi movie “Star Trek”.

NASA scientists Harold White and Mark Rademaker are working on the design of a warp ship what they call IXS Enterprise.

“We wanted to have a decent image of a theory conforming warp ship to motivate young people to pursue a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career,” a report in the Washington Post quoted Rademaker as saying.

Poor cardiovascular health linked to memory, learning deficits

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The risk of developing cognitive impairment, especially learning and memory problems, is significantly greater in people with poor cardiovascular health, a new research has found.

Better cardiovascular health is more common in men and among people with higher education and income.

The incidence of mental impairment was found more common in those with a lower income, who lived in the “stroke belt” or had cardiovascular disease.

My life should be a movie series: Katie Price

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British model Katie Price would love to star in a film about her life, but she also thinks she’d need more than one movie because her life is too dramatic.

Pregnant Katie, who recently split from husband Kieran Hayler after it emerged that he had cheated on her with her best friend Jane Pountney, has long wanted a movie based on her life, reports contactmusic.com.

“Every year I say I’ll do (a movie) when I think things are going normal – then another drama comes along. I might as well do it in a few years’ time because there’s bound to be more dramas,” she said.

Did human language evolve from birds and primates?

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Do we share our language with birds and primates? Yes, asserts a new research.

In a new paper, two Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professors claim that by re-examining contemporary human language, we can see indications of how human communication could have evolved from the systems underlying the older communication modes of birds and other primates.

“How did human language arise? It is far enough in the past that we cannot just go back and figure it out directly,” said linguist Shigeru Miyagawa from MIT.

CBI to probe Badaun rapes

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The CBI Thursday registered a first information report (FIR) in Badaun rape case and is sending a team of 20 officials to conduct investigations in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Two cousin sisters, aged 14 and 15 years, were allegedly gang raped and were later found hanging from a tree May 27 in Katra Sadatganj village of Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district, causing a national uproar.

“We have registered an FIR in the alleged Badaun rape case. A team of 20 officers led by a DIG and consisting of forensic experts will leave for Uttar Pradesh tomorrow (Friday),” a CBI official said.

Dress that bares all as your online activity increases!

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You have to be careful before liking a picture on Facebook or sending a tweet while you are wearing this dress. Scientists at New York University have designed a dress that gradually turns transparent as the wearer’s online activity increases.

Which means that at the end of the day you might end up exposing your whole body – if you are an avid social media user.

Breast-feeding in public should not be frowned upon: Jaime King

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Actress Jaime King says there is nothing wrong if a mother breast feeds her child in public.

The “Hart of Dixie” actress, who has eight-month-old son James with husband Kyle Newman, claims she feels under pressure when she has to feed her child behind closed doors, reports contactmusic.com.

The 35-year-old said: “I think that it’s ridiculous that it’s okay to walk around with pasties or no clothes on, and that’s fashionable and cool, but it’s not okay to feed your child?

Sharad Yadav elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Bihar

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Ruling JD-U’s president Sharad Yadav was Thursday elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, an official said.

“Yadav has been declared elected after the deadline for the withdrawal of nomination papers ended at 3 p.m. Thursday in the absence of any other candidate. There will be no formal election,” the official said.

Sharad Yadav lost the Lok Sabha election from Madhepura constituency in Bihar last month.

Banking to be more friendly to the differently abled

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Banking services for the 70 million differently abled people in the country will be more friendly with the recent revision in banking norms by the central bank’s Banking Codes & Standards Board of India (BCSBI), an official said here Thursday.

Nearly 50 percent of the country’s persons with disabilities (PWDs) are under the age of 30 and constantly struggle for respectable employment as well as proper banking services.

The BCSBI has decided to aggressively encourage banks to be more sensitized towards PWDs through its revised norms, said its CEO N. Raja.

Jwala-Ashwini exit from Japan Open

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The Indian challenge at the $250,000 Japan Open Super Series came to an early end as the shuttlers lost their respective second round matches here Thursday.

South Korean sixth seeds Kyung Eun Jung and Ha Na Kim took care of the World No.32 pairing of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in a tough and close 57-minute contest, winning 21-12, 21-23, 21-19. With the victory, the World No.9 pair took a 2-1 lead in career meets over the Indians.

Kerala assembly sees heat over four dams’ ownership

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The ownership of four dams has become a contentious issue in the Kerala assembly as there have been heated discussions over it for the past two days.

Opposition legislator Jameela Prakasham Wednesday said four dams in Kerala – Thunacadavu, Peruvaripallam, Parambikulam and Mullaperiyar – are owned, operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu as per the National Register of Large Dam (NRLD) published by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Thursday confirmed in the house the NRLD had placed the four dams under the Tamil Nadu government in 2009.

How solar wind breaks through earth’s magnetic field

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A wind of charged particles blows outwards from the sun, carrying a magnetic field with it and sometimes this solar wind can break through the earth’s magnetic field.

Researchers believe they now have an answer to how this actually happens.

When two areas with plasma (electrically charged gas) and magnetic fields with different orientations collide, the magnetic fields can be “clipped off” and “reconnected” so that the topology of the magnetic field is changed.

‘Cool’ teenagers not so cool when they grow up

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Teenagers who tried to act “cool” in early adolescence are more likely to experience a range of problems in early adulthood than their peers who did not act “cool”, a decade-long study shows.

While “cool” teenagers are often idolised among friends, seeking popularity and attention by trying to act older than one’s age may not yield the expected benefits.

Sensex closes 102 points up; healthcare stocks rise

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A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Thursday ended trade 102 points or 0.40 percent higher as healthcare, automobile and bank stocks gained.

However, heavy selling pressure was observed in oil and gas, technology, entertainment and media (TECK) and consumer durables stocks.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened the day’s trade at 25,597.21 points and closed at 25,576.21 points (provisional), up 102.32 points or 0.40 percent from previous day’s close at 25,473.89 point.

Ronaldinho look-alike interrupts Argentina training session

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Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates were fooled by a pitch invader, who resembled Brazil star Ronaldinho, at their training session at Belo Horizonte’s Estadio Independencia.

Messi and Co. were Wednesday preparing for their opening group game against Bosnia Sunday when the intruder wearing a Atletico Miniero jersey, Ronaldinho’s club, interrupted proceedings, reports Goal.com.

The Argentine team were taken by surprise and were seen laughing before the fan was whisked away by security officials.

Environment ministry clearances to be ‘policy based’

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Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar Thursday said the government will evolve “policy based solutions” for the pending environment clearances, adding the delay in clearances for defence projects has been due to their case-by-case consideration.

“We are evolving new ways of solutions to the existing problems of environment clearances by evolving policy based solutions,” Javadekar told reporters here.

“Delay in the defence projects were due to case-by-case decision making process. We will put policies in place and make policy based decisions,” he said.

Iraqi security forces withdraw from Syrian border

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Iraqi security forces withdrew from the Syrian border in the Sunni province of Anbar, an official said Thursday.

The Iraqi army, police and border guards withdrew late Wednesday night from their positions on the border with Syria near the city of Qaim, some 330 km northwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the official told Xinhua.

Also in the province, Sunni militants swept a major military base of the al-Mazraa just west of the militant-seized city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, after the army soldiers withdrew suddenly overnight toward Baghdad, the official said.

Oprah Winfrey joins cast of ‘Selma’

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Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has joined the cast of Martin Luther King Jr. biopic “Selma”.

Winfrey is producing the film alongside Brad Pitt and now she is set to portray civil rights protester Annie Lee Cooper, an elderly woman who tried to register to vote and was denied by a sheriff, reports contactmusic.com.

The movie will reunite the 60-year-old with her Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” co-star David Oyelowo, who will play King, while Cuba Gooding Jr. will star as American civil rights lawyer Fred Gray.

Obama, SRK voted most admired dads

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Ahead of Father’s Day, US President Barack Obama and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan have emerged as the most admired dads in a new survey.

Father’s Day falls Sunday.

Matrimony website Shaadi.com conducted an online survey with over 5,500 respondents to find out who the most popular father is.

When Indian women were asked about the country’s most popular father, SRK, who has three children, got the lion’s share of votes, while Obama topped the charts when the ladies were asked about famous fathers of other nationalities.

Comedian Sentrayan to play lead in ‘Vishayam…’

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After impressing audiences in Tamil comedy “Moodar Koodam”, comedian Sentrayan is all set to play a lead in upcoming thriller “Vishayam Veliye Theriya Koodadhu”. He will be sharing screen space with four other actors.

“In ‘Moodar Koodam’, Sentrayan was showcased as a comedian. In my film, he’s set to enjoy the status of a hero alongside four others. Of course, he does portray his comic skills, but the style and treatment of comedy is different,” the film’s director Raghavendra told IANS.

A road film, it features no songs or heroine.

Odisha assembly session begins

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The first session of the newly constituted Odisha assembly began here Thursday with Governor S.C. Jamir laying out the road map of the newly elected government.

“Immediately after the swearing in ceremony, my government called the first meeting of the council of ministers and resolved to implement the promises we made in a time-bound manner,” the governor said in his address to the first session of the 15th assembly.

Rohatgi appointed attorney general of India

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The Narendra Modi government Thursday appointed senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi as the new attorney general of India.

Rohatgi, who appeared for the Gujarat government in several 2002 post-Godhra riot-related cases, will serve as attorney general of India for a period of three years, a statement said.

He succeeds G.E. Vahanvati who resigned following the rout of the Congress-led UPA in the 2014 general election.
(IANS)

Soldier killed, three injured in Poonch LoC explosion

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A soldier was killed and three others were injured in an explosion on the line of control (LoC) in Poonch district Thursday.

Defence spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS in winter capital Jammu: “A patrol of the army was targeted by a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) at approximately 8.30 a.m. today in Balakote sector of the LoC in Poonch district.”

“Sepoy Shanker Singh died on the spot due to the explosion while lance Naik Mohinder Singh, sepoy Veer Singh and sepoy Surinder Singh got seriously injured. Search operations are in progress in the area,” he added.

JD-U eyes RJD’s support in Rajya Sabha by-election in Bihar

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The ruling JD-U in Bihar is now hoping to get support from the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad to get its two candidates elected in the Rajya Sabha by-election.

“We expect RJD support for Rajya Sabha by-election. The RJD should support us to defeat the game plan of anti-secular forces,” the state Janata Dal-United president Vashsisht Narain Singh said Thursday.

“The RJD has been constantly fighting against communal forces and trying to stop the BJP. If it supports JD-U candidates in by-election for the Rajya Sabha, we will welcome it,” he said.

Gazans well prepared for Brazil’s World Cup

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Thirty-year-old Amru Shawwa from the Gaza Strip did not think twice before he spent half of his salary buying a new receiver that would enable him to watch the 2014 football World Cup.

The young man’s love for football and his favourite team, Argentina, led him blindly to a satellite store in Gaza city to buy the new beIN Sports receiver and viewing card for $300, reports Xinhua.