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In Dehradun, CID starts probe, registers case of murder against 14 cops

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New Delhi, July 08: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Uttarakhand Police began its investigation into the encounter of a 24-year-old from Ghaziabad by registering a case of murder against Dehradun police personnel involved in the incident.

The case was registered against 14 police personnel at Raipur police station here late Monday night on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim’s father Ravinder Singh, Dehradun’s new Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhinav Kumar said today. The policemen have also been charged with rioting and criminal intimidation.

At last, sports minister admits: Games projects running late

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New Delhi, July 08: The cat is out of the bag, officially. After putting up a brave front for months, the government on Tuesday admitted in Parliament that there have been lapses in preparing venues for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

But it asserted that the projects would be completed well in time.

Tenants stab, shoot woman to death, injure son in Ghaziabad

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New Delhi, July 08: A 50-year-old woman was stabbed and shot to death and her son was seriously injured when two men temporarily residing in their Sahibabad house attacked them following a row on Tuesday afternoon.

The police said Sublesh Malik was declared dead on arrival at hospital; son Deep is still under observation at the Fortis Hospital.

The police are still uncertain about the reason behind the attack — they suspect it was triggered by a row between them and the mother-son duo.

The accused are absconding, the police said.

Five held with over Rs 10 lakh in fake currency, racket busted

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New Delhi, July 08: A gang allegedly smuggling fake currency from Pakistan was busted with the arrest of five youths, the police said on Tuesday. Rs 10.57 lakh in counterfeit notes were recovered from them.

The police said the arrested youths were in regular touch with their Pakistani contacts and that the fake notes were transported to India through planes, trains and buses.

Mother who killed twins arrested, in court custody

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New Delhi, July 08The gynaecologist, who allegedly poisoned her twin daughters and attempted suicide a week ago, was arrested after being discharged from a hospital on Monday. On Tuesday, a city court sent her to judicial custody for 14 days.

Rupa Singh (35) allegedly poisoned her 4-year-old twins Tanya and Twinkle on July 1 and attempted suicide, after a fight with her surgeon husband Rajiv Ranjan (38) over the issue of setting up a hospital.

Jackson’s mother lost bid to control estate

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Mumbai, July 07: Michael Jackson’s mother lost her bid to control his estate after a court here granted the pop star’s former lawyer John Branca and music producer John McClain temporary power to oversee his affairs.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge gave Branca and McClain temporary control of Jackson’s estate yesterday overruling the objections of his mother Katherine Jackson.

Katherine, who is the temporary guardian of Jackson’s three children, expressed concerns about McClain and Branca’s financial leadership.

Sports helped me tackle success and failure: Deepika

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Mumbai, July 07: Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone feels that her sports background has equipped her to balance the highs and lows in the film industry.

“I know how to deal with success and failure. Success of ‘Om Shanti Om’ did not affect me nor did failure of ‘Chandni Chowk to China’. I have learnt this as a sportsperson myself and from my father as a child,” Deepika, daughter of Badminton ace Prakash Padukone, said here on Tuesday.

Carbohydrates ‘can suppress tumours’

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Washington, July 07: Make sure that your daily diet contains breads, beans, potatoes, rice and cereals, for a new study says that these foods that are high in carbohydrates act as tumour suppressors in breast and prostate cancers.

A team at Burnham Institute for Medical Research has discovered that specialised complex sugar molecules (glycans) which anchor cells into place suppressors tumours in breast and prostate cancers.

Don’t pull your hair out, try a health supplement

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Washington, July 07: Are you tired of compulsively pulling your hair? Well, now a common anti-oxidant, easily available as a health food supplement, may curb this habit.

Patients with the disorder, known as trichotillomania, reported an improvement after taking the supplement.

“Trichotillomania is compulsive in the sense that people can’t control it. People feel unable to stop the behaviour even though they know it is causing negative consequences,” said Jon Grant, professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota (U-M).

Eight suspected cases of dengue found in Nasik

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Nasik, July 07: Eight patients suspected to be suffering from dengue like symptoms were found here, an official said on Tuesday.

The blood samples of these patients have been sent to Pune’s National Institute of Virology for examination, health officer, Nasik Municipal Corporation, Dr Kondiram Pawar said.

Our staff is conducting survey to find out patients suffering from same symptoms and asking people how to take precautions, he said.

—PTI

Chemicals in consumer products likely to cause premature births

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Washington, July 07: A common contaminant present in consumer products, including cosmetics, may be causing an alarming rise in premature births, according to a new study.

Phthalates are commonly used compounds in plastics, personal care products, home furnishings (vinyl flooring, carpeting, paints etc.) and many other consumer and industrial products.

Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health (SPH) found that women who deliver prematurely have, on average, up to three times the phthalate level in their urine compared to women who carry to term.

Coming soon: A thinking cap that can help the brain learn!

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London, July 07: It’s often said that the spark of genius lurks hidden within all of us. And, now scientists have claimed that a “thinking cap” which could enhance the brain’s ability to learn has moved a step closer.

A team at the University of British Columbia came to this conclusion after it carried out a study which found that magnets could boost brain power.

In fact, the scientists discovered that the ability of the brain to learn a task and remember was greatly enhanced when a magnetic pulse was applied to the premotor cortex ie, the area of the brain just behind the forehead.

Five women boxers leave for Russian tournament

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Mumbai, July 07: A five-member Indian team, along with two coaches, left on Tuesday from Delhi to take part in an international women’s boxing tournament at St. Petersberg in Russia from Wednesday.

Asian champion Kalpana Choudhary (48 kg) of Assam, who is also a bronze medal winner in the 2005 world championship, would lead the Indian challenge in the tournament, which concludes on July 11, a media release from the Indian Boxing Federation said on Tuesday.

G8 leaders focus on economy, Iran, climate change

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Rome July 07: Leaders of the Group of Eight will push for common positions on promoting democracy in Iran, combatting climate change and coordinating their exits from huge government stimulus measures _ even amid a growing sense that the group’s pre-eminence may be fading.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the host, boasts that 90 percent of the world economy will be represented by 39 nations at the G-8’s annual three-day summit, which was moved from sun-drenched Sardinia to quake-stricken L’Aquila to boost the local economy and reconstruction efforts.

CMs of Naxal-hit States to meet next month: Chidambaram

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New Delhi, July 07: A meeting of Chief Ministers of Naxal-hit states will be held next month to discuss the menace which has assumed alarming proportions in some States.

The meeting will discuss threadbare the Naxal problem and finetune plans to tackle the threat posed by the rebels to internal security, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said replying to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The Home Minister also asked the Chief Ministers of the affected States to renew their appeal to the Naxal leaders to lay down arms and come to the negotiating table.

Rail-roko by BJD in Orissa against Railway budget

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Bhubaneswar, July 07: Train services were affected in Orissa on Tuesday by a two-hour state-wide ‘rail roko’ agitation held by BJD workers in protest against reduced allocation for ongoing projects in the Railway budget.

About half-a-dozen trains were stopped by BJD activists at several places, including Balugaon, Khurda Road, Berhampur and Jharsuguda, during demonstrations at railway stations, railway officials here said.

Pak singer puts Gandhi, Jinnah together in appeal for peace

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Islamabad, July 07: A Pakistani singer has combined the voices of Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto and US President Barack Obama in a new song that makes an impassioned plea for peace in the region.

Shahvaar Ali Khan’s “No Saazish, No Jung” is a peace anthem that tells “mullahs” and “foreigners” to leave his country alone.

Govt. mulls Bill on foreign universities: Sibal

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New Delhi, July 07: Amid criticism of his 100-day agenda, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said the government is contemplating a Bill on allowing foreign universities, but would move carefully and through consensus.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, he said India needs to become a world class educational hub for which “we need to access” global institutions.

“I hope to send it (Foreign University Bill) to the Cabinet”, he said in the Rajya Sabha, adding that the Bill will be brought to Parliament whenever there is consensus.

Two petitions against Saeed’s release resubmitted

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Islamabad, July 07: Pakistani authorities on Tuesday resubmitted to the Supreme Court two petitions challenging the release from house arrest of JuD chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed, a key accused in the Mumbai attacks, after removing the “technical flaws” due to which the pleas were rejected earlier.

Deputy Attorney General Shah Khawar filed one petition on behalf of the federal government while Advocate General Raza Farooq submitted the second for the Punjab government.

The petitions were resubmitted after removing the technical flaws pointed out by the apex court yesterday.

1993 bomb blast accused turns poet in prison

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Mumbai, July 07: Incarcerated 1993 bomb blast accused Riaz Siddiqui has been writing poetry in jail since his arrest three years ago and his latest collection of poems Qaidi Parinde (Jailed Birds) has won him acclaim.

A Delhi publishing house has published a book on poems penned down by Siddiqui and paid him Rs 5,000 as the initial token amount, according to Siddiqui’s lawyer Farhana Shah.

The money has been deposited in the jail account of Siddiqui who is confined in Mumbai’s central prison.

Seven die after consuming illicit liquor in Ahmedabad

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Ahmedabad, July 07: Seven persons died and five others were hospitalised in critical condition on Tuesday after they consumed alleged illicit liquor in Majoor Gam area here, police said.

The incident has sparked off protests in the area with women taking to the streets demanding government and police to crack down on all illegal liquor dens in the State.

The incident took place early morning when some people of the Majoor Gam area after consuming spurious liquor started vomiting and complained of stomach ache.

Who are the Uighurs and why did they riot?

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Beijing, July 07: Chinese police have arrested more than 1,400 suspects in connection with rioting in the capital of Muslim Xinjiang region which left 156 people dead and more than 800 injured, state media said on Tuesday.

The Chinese government has blamed exiled separatists for the unrest in regional capital Urumqi on Sunday — the worst case of ethnic unrest in years.

Who are the Uighurs?

Internet-based therapy shows promise for insomnia

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London, July 07: Sleepless people sometimes use the Internet to get through the night. Now a small study shows promising results for insomniacs with nine weeks of Internet-based therapy.

No human therapist is involved. The Internet software gives advice, even specific bedtimes, based on users’ sleep diaries. Patients learn better sleep habits — like avoiding daytime naps — through stories, quizzes and games.

Iran shuts offices, cancels flights due dust from Iraq

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Tehran, July 07: Iran closed many government offices and state firms and cancelled some flights on Tuesday because of wind-blown dust caused by sandstorms in neighbouring Iraq, official media reported.

State industries will be shut for two days in the central Tehran province and medical authorities advised people with heart or respiratory problems to stay indoors.

“Dust pollution closes down Tehran,” state said on its website.

Suspected US attack kills 12 in Pakistan: officials

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Islamabad, July 07: Suspected U.S. missiles slammed into a training camp ran by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud on Tuesday, killing at least 12 militants in the latest in a flurry of strikes against him and his followers, intelligence officials said.

The attack took place in the Makeen area of South Waziristan close to the Afghan border, four officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. The missiles were believed launched by unmanned American planes.