shameen

Pak court sentences terrorist to 29 yrs in jail

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A Pakistani court has given a 29-year jail term to a terrorist for possessing explosive materials.

Hafiz Moaaz was arrested by police last year from a house in Faisal Town area of Lahore after he was injured when a grenade accidentally went off within the home.

Police registered a case against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act and submitted a charge-sheet against him.

An anti-terrorism court yesterday gave him a 29-year sentence for collaborating in and committing acts of terror.

PTI

Outrage in Pakistan over factory fire deaths

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Describing industrial buildings as “death traps” and “concentration camps”, Pakistani dailies Thursday sought regular inspections of factories as well as rigorous application of the law following the deaths of over 300 workers at two factories in the country.

Dawn said the horrific tragedy had taken the entire country in an asphyxiating grip of grief mixed with rage, while the News International noted that industrial accidents were becoming increasingly common across the country.

As many as 314 people were killed in the Karachi blaze while 25 people died in the Lahore inferno.

Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero to retire next month

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Former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero announced that Valencia Open 500 will be his last tournament as a professional tennis player.

In 14 years as a professional, he won 15 titles and helped Spain win two of its five Davis Cups in 2000 and 2004.

The 32-year-old Spaniard moved to the top of the rankings in 2003 after winning the French Open and reaching the US Open final.

“It was a complicated decision to leave a world you have lived in intensely,“ he said Wednesday. “But I have had a tough year and you start to notice that you don`t have the same ambition and motivation.“

ISRO to launch SARAL satellite on Dec 12 this year

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Indo-French satellite “SARAL” would be launched onboard PSLV-C20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on December 12, this year, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K Radhakrishnan said today.

“PSLV-C20 will be assembled in about 25 days in Sriharikota and the satellite will be launched on December 12, 2012. As somebody said it’s 12-12-12 (launch date),” he said at the Bangalore Space Expo 2012 here.

‘Consumer cybercrime cost India $8bn in a year’

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Software security services provider Norton on Wednesday said consumer cybercrime has cost the country around Rs 42,000 crore in the past 12 months, impacting 42 million people.

Releasing the findings of its annual cybercrime report, it is estimated that over 42 million people fell victim to cybercrime in the past 12 months in the country, incurring around $8 billion in direct financial losses. In terms of cost, this is a full 18% increase. Against this, the global loss has been pegged at $110 billion.

Railways to set up bacteria generation plants for bio toilets

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Railways is setting up a bacteria generation plant at the Rail Coach Factory here to meet the requirement of bio toilets in trains.

“We are setting up a plant here for generating anaerobic bacteria to be used in bio toilets in coaches. The plant will come up in a 100 cubic metre site at the Rail Coach Factory premises,” said a senior RCF official involved with the project.

Railways have set a target of installing bio toilets designed by DRDO in 2500 coaches in the current fiscal.

China to tighten web rules as users cross 500 mn

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China’s internet regulatory authority has vowed to strengthen management of the web, as the number of internet users in the country climbed to around 540 million, China Daily reported.

By the end of June, more than 270 million Chinese people had opened Twitter-like micro-blogging accounts. The number of internet users climbed to 538 million, the ministry of industry and information technology said.

`Ignorance takes toll on oral health`

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Dental health is an indicator of overall health. There are simple ways to maintain oral hygiene. Chewing sugar-free gum after a meal, for instance, can help prevent oral cavities.

Experts say that ignorance is a huge cause for the wide prevalence of practices that are detrimental to oral health in India.

Sepsis killing more people than AIDS: Experts

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Sepsis, a condition caused by infections leading to multiple organ failure, is among the leading causes of deaths in India – killing more people than AIDS or cancer, say experts.

Awareness to the fatal condition, however, remains low, say doctors.

Sepsis or septicaemia is “body`s reaction to infection”, said Vivek Nangia, director, infectious diseases, at Delhi`s Fortis Hospital.

It is a condition in which bacteria make toxins that cause the body`s immune system to attack organs and tissues.

“Any infection in any part of body may cause sepsis,” warned Nangia.

India has highest child mortality rate in the world

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With almost 19,000 children under five years of age dying every day across the world, India tops the list of countries with the highest number of 15.55 lakh such deaths in 2011, according to a UN agency.

The `Child Mortality Estimates Report 2012` released by Unicef in New York has said that in 2011, around 50 per cent of global under-five deaths occurred in just five countries of India, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan and China.

Incidentally, India`s toll is higher than the deaths in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Pakistan put together.

Ranbir woos Madhuri with `Main shayar toh nahin`

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Ranbir Kapoor literally fell flat on the floor when he got a chance to dance with his childhood crush, actress Madhuri Dixit on his father`s evergreen romantic number “Main shayar toh nahin”.

Ranbir paid a visit to the sets of dance reality show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5” to promote his forthcoming release “Barfi!”. There was no way he could have missed the chance to match steps with the dancing diva.

So, he requested her to join him on the dance floor on the song “Main shayar toh nahin” from his dad, actor Rishi Kapoor`s film “Bobby”.

Justin Bieber doesn`t want to be another teen heartthrob

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Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber says he is determined to prove that he`s not just another teen heartthrob.

Bieber, 19, said he wants to be more than just a teen heartthrob and vowed to prove his worth, reported Ace Showbiz.

“I feel like I just don`t want to be another teen heartthrob. I just think that that just annoys me. To think that`s what people will – will think of me – or, like, I just want to prove people wrong,” he said.

The singer said his new album Believe is a step to shake off his heartthrob status.

I drew no wrong, I`m not sorry: Aseem Trivedi

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Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi Wednesday said he made no mistake in drawing cartoons, and that he would not apologise since he had done no wrong.

The 25-year-old Trivedi walked out of jail earlier Wednesday, three days after he was charged with sedition. Trivedi, an activist of India Against Corruption (IAC), was given bail Tuesday. The case has led to outrage in the country.

“I respect the law, but I do not respect a law that, even today, makes us feel as if we are not living in a free country,” he said, addressing media persons here after his release.

Kareena mum over wedding date, converting to Islam

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Kareena Kapoor is reportedly tying the knot with Saif Ali Khan Oct 16, but the actress is not confirming it and has also refused to answer a question whether she would be converting to Islam after marriage.

However, Saif`s mom, actress Sharmila Tagore has confirmed that the two are getting married Oct 16, according to media reports. But Kareena is tight-lipped about it.

“You all know everything, then why are you asking,” Kareena said to reporters during the promotion of `Heroine` here Wednesday.

Assam violence brought out worrying faultlines: PM

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the recent violence in Assam and its reverberations in other parts have brought out “worrying faultlines” which implies social peace and harmony cannot be taken for granted.

He also said that the media should avoid the desire to be sensational though it is very tempting some times.

“Today our country is going through difficult times. The unfortunate incidents of the past few months have brought out worrying faultlines in our society”, he said at the golden jubilee celebrations of Kerala Union of Working Journalists, here.

Off-patent pain drug could kill resistant TB

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A once-a-day off-patent drug which costs just two cents has been found to kill resistant tuberculosis bacterium, scientists claim.

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have found that an off-patent anti-inflammatory medicine can kill both replicating and non-replicating drug resistant tuberculosis in the laboratory, a feat currently only few approved TB drugs can do.

Their findings point to a potential new therapy for the more than 500,000 people worldwide whose TB has become resistant to standard drug treatments.

Smoking linked to ovarian cancer?

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Scientists have for the first time linked smoking with ovarian cancer – the second most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in Australia with a five-year survival rate of only 40 percent.

Andy Lee and Colin Binns, both professors from the Curtin University`s School of Public Health, took part as members of the Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovarian Cancer based at Oxford University and funded by UK Cancer research.

Mars data indicate carbon dioxide snowfall

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Scientists have received the clearest evidence yet of carbon dioxide snowfalls on Mars based on data provided by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), NASA reported Tuesday.

Frozen carbon dioxide, known as “dry ice”, requires temperatures of about minus 193 degrees Fahrenheit. The report is being published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, NASA said.

“These are the first definitive detections of carbon dioxide snow clouds,” the report’s lead author, Paul Hayne of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said.

Delhi government to ban plastic bags

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The Delhi government has decided to impose a blanket ban on the manufacture, storage and usage of plastic bags in the capital.

“Any kind of plastic will be banned now, whether it is thin or thick. However, the ban has not been imposed on woven plastics,” Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said after a cabinet meeting Tuesday.

The use of plastic to pack magazines, invitation and greeting cards will also be prohibited once the order is notified.

“Plastic bags choke drains and spoil the environment,” said Dikshit.

World Cup qualifiers: Late strike spares Spanish blushes

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Spain`s journey to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil got off to a stuttering start, after a narrow 1-0 win against Georgia in their opening qualifying match in Group I at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium.

The defending world and European champions kept the hosts pinned back in their own half for the vast majority of the contest, but struggled to find a way through their defensive ranks as chances remained at a premium.

Pitch behaved differently in second half: MS Dhoni

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India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed the change in behaviour of the Chepauk strip in the second half as the reason for home team`s one-run loss to New Zealand in the second T20 International on Tuesday.

“The wicket slowed down and it was difficult to hit. It`s among the bigger grounds. It was holding up not like all the balls have same bounce. In the end it became quite difficult. But we should have won this game,” Dhoni, who scored a sedate 23-ball-22 said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

HDFC converts warrants worth Rs 3,285 crore; holders net 122% gain

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The largest mortgage player HDFC has alloted 5.47 crore shares worth Rs 3,285 crore on conversion of warrants on maturity to holders, who have made a profit of around 122 percent per unit.

In August 2009, HDFC had issued warrants – along with non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of Rs 10 lakh each – to qualified institutional buyers.

The warrant holders had the alternative to exercise the conversion option within three years from the date of the allotment.

Industrial growth remains subdued, July IIP at 0.1 %

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India’s industrial output continued to remain subdued at 0.1 percent in July as against 3.7 percent in the same month last year, following uncertainty in the global economy hurt exports, and the key infrastructure sector grew at its slowest pace in six months.

The cumulative growth for the period April-July 2012-13 over the corresponding period of the previous year stood at (-) 0.1 percent.

Pak a partner of terrorists killing Americans: US

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A key US lawmaker has said that Pakistan is not a friend of the United States, while alleging that instead it is a “partner” of terrorist who murdered fellow Americans.

“The continued incarceration of Dr (Shakeel) Afridi by the Pakistani government should reaffirm to all Americans that Pakistan is not our friend but instead is the partner of terrorists who murder our fellow Americans,” Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, chairman of House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said yesterday.

Obama discusses Iran with Israeli PM Netanyahu

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Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi Tuesday sacked heads of the national security agency and military intelligence, after two suicide car bombs targeted the country’s defence minister in the capital and killed at least 12 people, Xinhua reported.

President Hadi dismissed the head of the National Security Agency, Ali Mohammed al-Anisi, and the head of Military Intelligence, Mujahid Ali Ghuthaim. According to a presidential decree, the move was included in a partial cabinet reshuffle, reported the Saba news agency.