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Need to change defence procurement procedure: Parrikar

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Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Monday said there was a need to modify the defence procurement procedure (DPP) to bring more clarity on certain issues.

There was a need to cleanly classify the types of procurement, Parrikar said in an interview on Headlines Today news channel.

“The DPP 2013 (does) not (have) good clarity,” he said.

Parrikar said his effort was to make the changes, preferably by March, after due deliberations.

He said issues that needed to be addressed in a more comprehensive manner include blacklisting, engaging Indian companies and offsets.

India demands greater say in UN peacekeeping mandate

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday held “expansive talks” with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who raised the issue of the need for troop-contributing countries to have greater say in the UN peacekeeping mandate.

India is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions with 8,000 personnel, deployed in 10 of the 16 countries where the UN peacekeeping operations are on.

Nasal insulin spray may treat Alzheimer’s disease

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Nasal spray of a man-made form of insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose in the blood, may improve working memory in adults with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, new research has found.

The researchers administered insulin detemir, a manufactured form of the hormone, on 60 adults diagnosed with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia (AD).

By-poll for Tamil Nadu’s Srirangam seat Feb 13

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Bye-election for Tamil Nadu’s Srirangam assembly constituency, which was held by former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, will be held Feb 13, the Election Commission announced Monday.

“The model code of conduct shall come into force with immediate effect in the districts of Tiruchirappalli and Pudukkottai, in which the whole or any part of Srirangam assembly constituency going for bye-election is included, as per the instructions issued by the Election Commission,” said the state’s chief electoral officer in a statement issued here.

Celestial to launch antibiotic for diabetes

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Bio-pharmaceutical company Celestial Biolabs is set to launch an antibiotic product for the treatment of diabetes.

“The company is in the process of this natural sea based 100 per cent vegetarian product tenatatively by April 2015,” Celestial Biolabs said in a filing to the BSE.

Earlier in 2013, the Hyderabad-based company launched its patented arthiritis management product, Cadalmin Gae.

Celestial Biolabs is currently engaged in the business of manufacturing and sale of bio-pharmaceutical products.

New calorie counting app insults you into losing weight

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A new ‘talking’ smartphone app shames you into counting calories and losing weight through hideous fullscreen ads and tweets.

As users set up Carrot Hunger app, it calls them terms such as ‘meat bag’ and ‘carcass’ to motivate them to lose weight.

When users enter more personal information such as weight, height, and gender, Carrot changes its insults accordingly.

The app converts a food’s calories into terms that are easy to understand, such as how many miles you will need to run to work off a donut or a slice of pizza.

HC issues notice to govt on jaundice outbreak

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The Orissa High Court Monday issued notice to the state government asking it to furnish details showing as to what steps have been taken in due course to check the jaundice menace in Sambalpur district.

Taking up a PIL in this regard, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Amitava Roy issued the notice asking the government to file its reply in form of a counter affidavit within ten days.

India’s first hi-speed rural broadband network commissioned

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Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Monday commissioned India’s first hi-speed rural broadband network in Kerala’s Idukki district, calling the project a “giant leap” to bridge the digital divide in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration at the Technopark campus, the biggest IT hub in the state, Prasad said the country was witnessing “a new era of digital empowerment” and his government “has firmly set its focus on the all round development and inclusive growth of the country”.

SpaceX’s supply capsule arrives at space station

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The unmanned Dragon capsule owned by private US firm SpaceX arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) Monday morning for its fifth commercial resupply mission to the orbiting laboratory, US space agency NASA said.

The spacecraft was successfully captured by a robotic arm operated by US astronaut Barry Wilmore inside the ISS at 10.54 a.m. GMT, 18 minutes ahead of schedule, as the two flew over the Mediterranean Sea, Xinhua news agency reported citing NASA.

Kepler exoplanet tally passes 1,000: NASA

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NASA’s venerable Kepler space telescope’s count of exoplanets has passed the magic 1,000 mark, including eight new planets and 544 candidate planets.

Of more than 1,000 verified planets found, eight are less than twice Earth-size and in their stars’ habitable zone, the US space agency said.

Kepler continuously monitored more than 150,000 stars beyond our solar system, and to date has offered scientists an assortment of more than 4,000 candidate planets for further study – the 1,000th of which was recently verified.

Infosys implements IT sols for US-based L.A. Care Health Plan

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IT services major Infosys Monday said it has implemented billing and payments solutions for L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly operated health plan in the US.

Its US-based subsidiary Infosys Public Services has implemented the IT solution for L.A. Care Health Plan, which serving over 1.6 million members.

This solution will help improve access to health benefits for 24,000 members on its L.A. Care Covered plan offered through the Covered California health insurance marketplace, Infosys said in a statement.

Mahila Bank will have 80 branches pan-India by March

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The number of Bhartiya Mahila Banks (BMB), the country’s first all-women bank chain, will touch 80 branches across the country with 20 exclusive ones in rural areas by March this year, a top official said Monday.

“Till March 2015 we have decided to open (have) 80 branches of BMB in the country with 20 exclusive in rural areas,” Chairman & Managing Director Usha Ananthasubramanian told PTI.

The CMD arrived here to open the first BMB branch in the state capital, the 39th in the country.

The bank has already opened a branch in Indore and will soon open another in Ujjain.

Equity mutual funds see inflow of Rs 49,000 crore in 2014

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Mutual funds pumped in a whopping Rs 49,000 crore in equity schemes in 2014 after witnessing an outflow in the preceding year on account of improved sentiment and positive returns.

The inflow comes after witnessing an outflow of about Rs 8,700 crore in 2013.

Moreover, mutual fund houses are upbeat about inflow in equity schemes for this year as well.

According to the latest update available with Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), equity funds saw net inflow of Rs 49,000 crore in 2014 as against an outflow of Rs 8,700 crore in the preceding year.

Highest priority to sign FTA with India by year end: Australia

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Reaffirming its commitment to boost bilateral trade with India, Australia Monday said it accords the “highest priority” to the conclusion of a free trade agreement with New Delhi by the end of this year.

Pointing out that Australia has inked FTAs with china, Japan and Korea, the country’s Minister for trade and investment Andrew Robb said: “Our highest FTA priority is now the conclusion of a bilateral trade deal with India.

“Our leaders, the two Prime Ministers, have committed to concluding this deal by the end of 2015”.

India’s growth story is catching interest globally: MEA

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday stated that India’s growth has attracted the attentions of investors worldwide, adding that this interest was apparent following the participation of a large number of people in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit in Gandhinagar.

Decline in growth has bottomed out: Subramanian

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Deceleration in growth has bottomed out and the economy is poised for 6-6.5 percent expansion in the next financial year, Finance Ministry’s Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian said Monday.

The challenge before the country, he said, is to continue with the economic reform process to attract public and private investment.

‘Bangladesh brick kilns hit by ban on Meghalaya coal mining’

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Production has been hit in thousands of brick kilns in Bangladesh that are dependent on coal from Meghalaya following an interim ban on the primitive rat-hole mining practice in the northeastern state, a Bangladeshi official said here Monday.

“If coal export does not resume, many brick kilns would be closed. We have requested the Indian authorities to allow import of coal from Meghalaya,” A.B.M. Azad, district magistrate of Bangladesh’s Kurigram, told journalists on the sidelines of the first-of-its kind district magistrate-level meet between India and Bangladesh.

Lakhvi detention: Pakistani court okays in-camera hearing

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The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday accepted the Pakistani government`s application for an in-camera hearing to submit records on the detention of Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Earlier, two different petitions had been submitted by the federal government and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the Supreme Court, which referred them to the IHC, Dawn online reported.

The Supreme Court also asked the IHC to should review its Dec 30 decision to grant Lakhvi conditional release.

Pakistan to execute five terrorists on Tuesday

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The Pakistan government will execute five more terrorists in Sukkur and Faisalabad jails Tuesday, media reported.

Three terrorists belonging to banned outfits and lodged in central jail Sukkur in Sind province and two convicts in district jail Faisalabad in Punjab province will be hanged Tuesday, The News International reported.

The three terrorists in Sukkur jail — Muhammad Shahid Haneef, Muhammad Talha and Khalil Ahmed — were involved in the murder of defence ministry director Zafar Hussain Shah in the vicinity of Gulbahar jail in Karachi in 2001.

Kerry in Pakistan to hold strategic talks on security cooperation

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US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday arrived in Pakistan to hold crucial strategic dialogue with the country’s top civil and military leaders on bilateral security cooperation.

Kerry, who arrived at the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi from India on a two-day visit, will meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and will tomorrow lead the US delegation in the Pakistan-US strategic dialogue.

He will also meet National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to discuss the security issues.

Security agencies arrest two gunmen from Hasina’s rally

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Two gunmen were detained on Monday from the venue of a major rally here before Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed it to mark the first anniversary of the last year’s controversial polls.

The two people were escorted out of the venue at the Suhrawardy Udyan by security agencies after three Molotov cocktails exploded at the venue.

“The two were detained as they were carrying two pistols with 50 bullets,” a report by the private 71 television channel quoted a security official as saying.

AAP confident of securing majority in Delhi elections

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As the Election Commission declared polling dates for the national capital, the Aam Aadmi Party today exuded confidence of getting a majority in 70-member Assembly and said Arvind Kejriwal will be “Delhi’s Valentine” on February 14.

AAP spokesperson Raghva Chadha said Kejriwal will take oath as the chief minister on February 14 (Valentine Day) at the Ram Lila Maidan after securing majority.

“We are sure of getting a majority. The AAP is contesting election on a positive campaign and has a blue print for Delhi.

IM suspects part of terror module: Bengaluru police chief

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Four suspects of the banned Indian Mujahideen (IM) outfit, who were arrested last week, were part of a terror module and linked to terror outfits abroad, Bengaluru police commissioner M.N. Reddi said Monday.

“All the four IM suspects, who are part of a bigger conspiracy to procure, fabricate and deliver improvised explosives, revealed during interrogation that they were part of a terror module having links with terror outfits abroad,” Reddi told reporters here.

SC agrees to hear woman advocate’s plea on non-lodging of FIR

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Supreme Court on Monday decided to hear on January 19 the complaint of a woman advocate that Delhi Police had not lodged an FIR into a nine month-old incident in which she was allegedly assaulted at a police station by cops and henchmen of an influential person.

“We will hear it next week on Monday,” a bench comprising Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice AK Sikri said after newly appointed President of the Supreme Court Bar Association(SCBA) and senior advocate Dushyant Dave complained that the police has not even registered a mandatory FIR.

Smartphones may be causing ‘netbrain’

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About 11 per cent of British adults suffer from ‘netbrain’ – a disorder caused by overuse of the internet – and may show narcissism, distraction and fear of missing out, a new study has found.

Those suffering from ‘netbrain’ are more likely to be found gambling online, socialising on social networks and playing video games, researchers said.

The affliction is said to affect 5.7 million British adults, or 11 per cent of the population – the same proportion that suffers from dyslexia, researchers added.