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Rocks on Mars look like ‘Black Beauty’ meteorite

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The bulk of rocks on the surface of Mars look similar to the ‘Black Beauty’ meteorite found a few years ago in the Moroccan desert, a new study suggests.

The meteorite NWA 7034 has been shown to be a 4.4 billion-year-old chunk of the Martian crust.

Spectroscopic measurements of the meteorite are a spot-on match with orbital measurements of the Martian dark plains, areas where the planet’s coating of red dust is thin and the rocks beneath are exposed, researchers said.

New proposed particle may help detect dark matter

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Researchers have proposed a new fundamental particle which could explain why no one has managed to detect the elusive ‘dark matter’ that makes up 85 per cent of the universe’s mass.

Dark matter is thought to exist because of its gravitational effects on stars and galaxies, gravitational lensing (the bending of light rays) around these, and through its imprint on the Cosmic Microwave Background (the afterglow of the Big Bang).

Despite compelling indirect evidence and considerable experimental effort, no one has managed to detect dark matter directly.

Congress condemns Parsekar for CCTV advice to Goans

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The opposition on Sunday criticised Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar for suggesting the urban dwellers should have CCTVs for safety, saying the government was abdicating its main responsibility to provide security.

Parsekar made the suggestion Saturday in the backdrop of a murder of two women Friday during an alleged burglary in a flat at Vasco, a port town, 40 km from Panaji.

The Congress party questioned the chief minister`s suggestion in the light of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government installing thousand of CCTVs recently during the US president`s Delhi visit.

Delhi vote this week will be two-horse race

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After a 49-day AAP government and President’s rule for nearly a year, Delhi will vote later this week to elect a new administration whose control has virtually become a two-horse contest between the BJP and the AAP.

The Congress, which governed Delhi for 15 years and whose tally tumbled from 43 seats to 8 in the 2013 assembly polls, has arguably been out of the running for the 70 assembly seats since the beginning of the poll campaign. A total of 673 candidates from various political parties are in the fray for the Feb 7 (Saturday) polls. The results will be out Feb 10.

I couldn’t be overconfident about myself: Pritam Singh

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Radio jockey Pritam Singh, who exited the popular reality show “Bigg Boss Halla Bol” by taking Rs.25 lakh, says it was a wise step for him to leave the show on the grand finale as he was confidant about his defeat.

His co-contestant Gautam Gulati was declared the winner of the spin-off of “Bigg Boss 8” Sunday with Karishma Tanna finishing as the first runner-up. Pritam stood third in the competition.

Set up SIT for Sikh ‘genocide’, Badal asks Modi

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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sunday sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe all cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

In a letter to Modi, Badal said the “genocide” of Sikhs was a “pre-planned” incident at the behest of Congress leaders.

23 FDI proposals deferred for possible tax treaty abuse

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Getting tough with investment proposals from tax heavens, FIPB has deferred 23 applications in its last three meetings apprehending “treaty abuse”.

According to sources, the Department of Revenue has expressed doubt that a few foreign companies were evading tax by routing their investments through tax heaven countries with whom India has signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), they said, is keen that guidelines should be prepared to deal with such investment proposals.

Rail Budget: Introduction of vacuum toilets likely

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Water conservation initiatives such as introduction of environment-friendly vacuum toilets and changes in the design of existing lavatories in trains are some of the proposals likely to be announced in the forthcoming Rail Budget.

According to a senior Railway Ministry official, a concrete plan of action for water management at stations and trains will be reflected in the Rail Budget 2015-16 to be announced by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who is keen on promoting environment-friendly activities in the transporter.

Shortfall in TDS collections: CBDT asks I-T dept to act

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Worried over a huge shortfall in TDS collections, CBDT has asked the Income Tax department to pull up its socks and initiate special measures to achieve the direct taxes collection target for this fiscal.

Officials said the instructions were issued last week after a high-level ‘video conference’ meeting chaired by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairperson Anita Kapur along with other Members of the board and top officials of the I-T department from across the country.

Govt to review life cover scheme under Jan Dhan after 5 years

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The government will review after five years the structure of Rs 30,000 life cover given as incentive to the poor for opening bank accounts under the flagship Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY).

“The life cover of Rs 30,000 under the scheme will be initially for a period of 5 years, i.e. Till the close of financial year 2019-20. “Thereafter, the scheme will be reviewed and terms and condition of its continuation, including the issue of future payment of premium by the insured thereafter, would be suitably determined,” the Finance Ministry said.

Helicopter team rescues dog from US river

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In a dramatic airborne rescue, firefighters used a helicopter to save a small brown dog from drowning in a rain-swollen river here.

The dog was spotted floating down Los Angeles River in Burbank following thunderstorms on January 30.
To carry out the rescue, a firefighter was lowered from a helicopter into the river near the Cahuenga Pass. He then swam towards the Corgi/Chihuahua mix, and caught it in his arms, before lifting it to safety.

The seven-year-old dog did not have a tag or microchip but authorities believe the canine has an owner, as it had a collar and leash.

India wants to take economic ties with China to new level

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Stating that both countries should have mutual confidence, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Sunday said that India desired to take economic ties with China to “a qualitatively new level”.

Addressing the launch of the Second India-China Media Forum, Sushma Swaraj also said that the Narendra Modi government was committed to exploring an early settlement to the Sino-Indian boundary row.

“China is today our largest partner in trade and goods,” the minister said. “The two economies are moving to invest in each other.

Kerala vows not to spare any drug traffickers

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The Kerala government Sunday said national and international drug mafia rings are looking at the state as a “fertile ground” for their operations and pledged not to spare anyone involved in drug trafficking.

The government’s reaction came a day after Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko and four women were taken into custody in Kochi for possessing cocaine valued at Rs.1 million in international market.

Thirteen killed in Bangladesh factory fire

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At least 13 people, including two women, were killed and more than 12 others injured on Saturday after a devastating fire broke out in a plastic factory in Bangladesh’s capital.

The fire at the five-storey plastic goods manufacturing factory in Mirpur started at around 5:45 pm (local time) and was brought under control in around two hours.

At least 13 people, including two women, were burnt to death as a devastating fire swept through a plastic packaging factory at Mirpur-1 in Dhaka this evening, The Daily Star reported.

‘Murder 2’ opened doors for me: Jacqueline

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Actress Jacqueline Fernandez says she doesn’t regret featuring in a bold film like “Murder 2” as the Mohit Suri directorial gave her lots of opportunities in the film industry.

“I don’t regret doing a film like ‘Murder 2’. It was my first hit. I had the experience of working with Mohit. It opened lots of doors for me. It was a risk that I had taken but there is a beauty in taking risks,” Jacqueline, who made her Bollywood debut in 2009 with “Aladin”, told IANS.

‘Umrika’ wins audience award at Sundance film fest

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Independent filmmaker Prashant Nair’s “Umrika” has won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, which concluded Sunday.

Sundance film festival’s Twitter handle shared the news on its page.

“Umrika”, which features “Life of Pi” fame actor Suraj Sharma, is about a young village boy who discovers that his brother, long believed to be in the US, has actually gone missing. He begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him.

Paes-Hingis win Australian Open mixed doubles title

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Indian tennis star Leander Paes and his Swiss partner Martina Hingis beat third seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title here Sunday.

Paes and Hingis, seeded seventh, beat the French-Canadian pair 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and two minutes to win the first Grand Slam of the year.

IANS

Beware! Your make-up products can be risky

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Your make-up products can put you at risk of early menopause.

Chemicals in lipstick, face cream and nail varnish can speed up the process by four years, according to a study.

The study examined the effects of 111 chemicals on 31,575 women.

As many as 15 different chemicals were identified as harmful by a team of researchers at Washington University in St Louis and among them were phthalates, which are used to soften plastics.

HIV may stay hidden in ‘quiet’ immune cells

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In what could lead to a cure for HIV, researchers have found that the human immunodeficiency virus may stay hidden for years in certain “quiet” immune cells.

Drugs for HIV have become adept at suppressing infection, but they still can not eliminate it because the medication in these pills does not touch the virus’ hidden reserves, which lie dormant within infected white blood cells, the researchers said.

India’s first double hand transplant successful

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Doctors at a private hospital here in Kerala have registered a rare feat of conducting India’s first successful double hand transplant.

The transplant was conducted at Amrita Institute of Medical Science here Jan 12 and 13 on a 30-year-old train accident victim, who received both hands of a 24-year-old road accident victim.

Subramania Iyer, professor and head of the plastic surgery department, said that only 110 successful hand transplants have been conducted so far in the US, European countries, China and Australia, since the first one in France 13 years ago.

Scientists recant Big Bang gravitational wave theory

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A new analysis has dynamited a much-hyped discovery of primordial “gravitational waves” from the dawn of time.

Despite earlier reports of a possible detection, a joint analysis of data from ESA’s Planck satellite and the ground-based BICEP2 and Keck Array experiments has found no conclusive evidence of primordial gravitational waves.

Scientists revealed that interstellar dust caused more than half of the signal detected by the Antarctica-based BICEP2 experiment. The Planck spacecraft observations were not yet available in March 2014 when the BICEP2 science team made its announcement.

New sensor spots minute quantities of atmospheric mercury

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Researchers have developed a new sensor to detect minute levels of mercury in the atmosphere in just 10 seconds.

The new highly sensitive, laser-based instrument provides scientists with a method to more accurately measure global human exposure to mercury, the researchers noted.

“Our instrument has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the atmospheric cycling of mercury and increase understanding of the global impact of mercury on human health,” said co-author of the new study Anthony Hynes from University of Miami.

4.4b-year-old ‘Black Beauty’ Martian meteorite is chunk of planet’s crust

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The 4.4 billion year-old Martian meteorite, which was found a few years ago in the Moroccan desert, is a piece of planet’s crust, it has been revealed.

In a new paper, scientists reported that spectroscopic measurements of the meteorite are a spot-on match with orbital measurements of the Martian dark plains, areas where the planet’s coating of red dust is thin and the rocks beneath are exposed.

Vine releases new version of app for kids with ‘adorable animated characters’

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Vine has released a new application for its junior target audience “Vine Kids” that has a cast of “adorable animated characters” wherein kids will only need to swipe left and right to see new Vine videos pop up.

According to the Verge, Vine Kids is tailor-made for young children in terms on content as well as design.

A Vine spokesperson said that Vine Kids showcases clips that they select so nothing unseemly makes it through to young children.

Vine Kids is only available on iOS as of now and there has been no announcement about the app coming on other platforms like Android.

Investors robbed of $11 mn Bitcoins in four years: Study

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Frauds such as online ponzi schemes have skimmed at least $11 million in Bitcoin deposits from unsuspecting cyber customers over the past four years, a study says.

Bitcoin is the digital world`s most popular virtual currency, with millions in circulation.

“Our calculation of $11 million is almost certainly at the low-end,” said lead researcher Marie Vasek from Southern Methodist University in the US.

“The amount of Bitcoin that depositors have lost to these scams is probably many millions more,” Vasek added.