shameen

Flu transmitted before symptoms appear: Study

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Flu virus can be transmitted even before the appearance of their symptoms as experiments with ferrets (European polecat) have shown, according to a study.

If applied to human, it suggests that people pass on flu to others before they know they are infected, making it very difficult to contain epidemics.

Knowing if people are infectious before they have symptoms is important to help authorities plan for an epidemic, but it has been difficult to establish this from data collected during outbreaks, the journal Public Library of Science ONE reports.

Sachin Tendulkar rules out retirement for now

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Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday indicated that he would not retire for now.

“As long as there is a reason to wake up with a reason in the morning, it makes sense in continuing (playing cricket). The day I don`t enjoy wielding bat in my hands, I will think otherwise. But that moment hasn`t come as yet. When I will get that feeling, I will confirm on that,” he said after receiving the Castrol Test Cricketer of 2011 at an awards function here.

His younger contemporaries like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have hung up their boots from international cricket.

Banks have Rs 2,481 crore of unclaimed deposits

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Banks have about Rs 2,481 crore as unclaimed deposits and the government has proposed to credit unclaimed funds of more than 10 years to a new fund.

“Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed that as of December 31, 2011, total amount of around Rs 2,481.40 crore in 1,12,49,844 accounts is lying as unclaimed deposits with the commercial banks,” Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

Govt lifts ban on bulk SMSes, MMSes

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The government Thursday withdrew the ban on bulk SMSes and MMSes which was imposed to check spread of rumours related to the violence in Assam that led to exodus of people hailing from the northeastern states from Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

The decision was taken after the social unrest that gripped various parts of the country due to the rumours generated through SMSes, MMSes and web contents reduced in last few days, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

Rural telecom subscribers grow at faster rate than urban users: CAG

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Telecom users in rural areas have grown at a faster pace compared to their urban counterparts in the last five years, a CAG report said on Thursday.

Rural subscribers have grown to 282.23 million as on March 2011, from 45.71 million in 2006-07, while the urban user base increased to 564.08 million from 160.15 in the same period, the CAG report tabled in Parliament said.

“The growth rate of subscribers in rural areas during the last five years was higher at 485 percent compared to 233 percent in urban areas,” CAG said.

Karzai moves to replace Afghan security chiefs

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai moved to replace the country’s intelligence chief and the ministers of defence and interior, the first step in what senior government officials said was a planned wider Cabinet shake-up aimed at solidifying the President’s power before elections and the drawdown of foreign forces.

The President also is trying to shore up his shaken security team as his administration struggles to build an Army and police force in the face of a resurgent Taliban as the US and other foreign forces begin to withdraw.

Hurricane Isaac: Jindal seeks more aid from Obama

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Louisiana’s Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal has shot off a second letter to US President Barack Obama within days, seeking more and urgent federal aid for his state and declaration of emergency in the entire region, from where hundreds of people are being evacuated after being hit by hurricane Isaac.

In his letter to Obama, a copy of which was released to the press, Jindal said the widespread impact of hurricane Isaac has escalated to a point that meets the requirements of an expedited major disaster declaration.

Over 4,600 public grievances pending with I-T dept

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More than 4,600 public grievances are pending with the Income Tax department, the government said on Thursday.

As many as 4,618 public grievances are pending with the IT department under the Central Board of Direct Taxes, 4,158 with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), 2,161 with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and 529 in the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Minister of State for Personnel, Public grievances and Pensions V Narayanasamy told Rajya Sabha in a written reply today.

Disciplinary action initiated against 9 IAS officers: Govt

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Necessary disciplinary action was initiated against nine IAS officers for alleged irregularities in the last three years, the Government has said.

“During the last three years and in the current year up to August 23, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against nine IAS officers for alleged irregularities while serving in connection with affairs of the Central Government,” Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V Narayanasamy told the Lok Sabha in a written reply yesterday.

Out of nine officers, penalty has been imposed on one officer, he said.

Crackers in TN Exp bogie led to spread of fire

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The presence of fire crackers led to rapid spread of the blaze in the gutted bogie of Tamil Nadu Express, in which over 30 passengers were killed last month, forensic experts have claimed.

A senior forensic scientist, who was part of the team that collected burnt articles from the bogie, said “they had found fire cracker material from the bogie which indicates that burning of crackers rapidly spread the fire in the bogie, however, initiation of fire is still not known.”

The fire crackers or its powder seems to have been stored below at least six seats in the coach, he said.

Judge refuses to delay NY case for Google appeal

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The federal judge presiding over challenges to Google Inc.’s plans to create the world’s largest digital library has refused to delay the 7-year-old case while Google appeals his decision to grant authors class certification.

US Circuit Judge Denny Chin’s order was put in the court file yesterday in Manhattan, where he ruled in May that class action was “more efficient and effective” than requiring thousands of authors to sue individually. His order was dated Tuesday.

Sanjay Gadhvi feels pressure of `Dhoom` series

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Director Sanjay Gadhvi, who shot to fame with ‘Dhoom’ series, says he felt the pressure of the franchise when he directed his subsequent project ‘Kidnap’.

Gadhvi made his directorial debut in 2000 with ‘Tere Liye’. But he achieved fame with ‘Dhoom’ (2004) and ‘Dhoom 2’ (2006).

“I don`t have to keep making films in action genre. I want to make films to feel good, to have fun while making it and give the producer a big hit and also contribute to actor`s career,” he said at a promotional event of his upcoming film ‘Ajab Gazab Love’.

Women make 50 percent of country`s power: Amitabh Bachchan

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan believes in fair education for all, be it the country`s underprivileged or the women folk.

The 69-year-old veteran, who is driving home the message of importance of knowledge through his hit reality TV game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 6’ (KBC), believes half the country`s power lies in its women.

“In smaller towns, girls are not being allowed education. There is a lot of discrimination and kept in a separate space. I believe naari hamaare desh ki 50 percent shakti hai (women make the country`s 50 percent power),” Bachchan said here.

Box Office offers mixed bag this Friday

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With three different films from three different genres coming out this week, viewers are spoiled for choice. They can take a pick from ‘Joker’, a sci-fi drama, comedy ‘I M 24’ or children`s film ‘Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid’ as all are releasing Friday.

Film editor-turned-director Shirish Kunder`s ‘Joker’, starring actors Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, is the story of Agastya (Akshay), a researcher probing the existence of aliens in the universe, who returns to his small little native village with his wife Diva (Sonakshi).

Now, a `ballpoint pen` to beat arthritis pain

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Researchers have developed a new `pen` which they claim can shock nerves into blocking pain signals and can be used to treat millions crippled by arthritis and those suffering from headaches and facial pain.

The gadget has a tip- like a ballpoint pen and cooled to -20C using liquid nitrogen. The small, hand-held device is inserted a few millimetres under the patient`s skin against a nerve, causing it to “hibernate” and block pain signals, the Daily Express reported.

Latest scan can tell need for bypass

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An ultra-fast, 320-detector computed tomography (CT) scanner can tell which people with chest pain need or do not need cardiac angioplasty or bypass surgery to restore blood flow to the heart.

“The CORE 320 study is the first prospective, multi-centre study to examine the diagnostic accuracy of CT for assessing blockages in blood vessels and determining which of those them may be preventing the heart from getting adequate blood flow,” says Joao A.C. Lima, senior study author and professor of medicine and radiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Middle class girls choose beauty over health: Narendra Modi

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The usually measured Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has trigged a controversy by blaming vegetarianism and figure conscious Gujarati girls for high rate of malnutrition in the state.

In an interview to the Wall Street Journal, Narendra Modi said, “Gujarat is by and large a vegetarian state. And secondly, Gujarat is also a middle-class state. The middle class is more beauty-conscious than health-conscious—that is a challenge. If a mother tells her daughter to have milk, they’ll have a fight—she’ll tell her mother, ‘I won’t drink milk. I’ll get fat.”

Congress demands ‘quick’ execution of Ajmal Kasab

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Congress on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict upholding the death sentence of Ajmal Kasab in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case and demanded his “quick” execution.

“…Now, he should be given complete sentence quickly. Punishment should be executed quickly,” Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh said reacting to the Supreme Court verdict on Kasab’s appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Upholding the death sentence of Kasab, the court said that waging war against the country was the primary and foremost offence committed by the Pakistani terrorist.

Riots verdict enhances people’s faith: Khurshid

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Welcoming the verdict in the 2002 Naroda Patiya riots case in Gujarat, Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said the judgement enhances faith of the people in the legal system.

“For all of us, it is a matter of comfort that faith in the legal system gets enhanced and strengthened. Every time this kind of inhuman act is made accountable, people who are responsible should feel a sense of reprimand,” he told reporters here.

He said though there are a number of cases pending in the courts, they are disposed off in a good time.

AK Antony’s Number 2 slot reinforced

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Reinforcing AK Antony’s virtual no 2 slot in UPA II government’s pecking order, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is understood to have issued a communication that the Defence Minister will chair union cabinet meetings, if required, during his visit to Iran.

Singh, who left for Tehran this evening to attend the NAM Summit, is learnt to have issued the communication before his departure.

After the exit of Pranab Mukherjee from the Council of Ministers, Antony seemed to have got the number two position in the government.

Russia: Mother throws baby from ninth floor

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A woman in central Russia’s Ryazan city threw her nine-month-old son out of a ninth floor window during a visit by child welfare officers, police said.

Two officers of a police unit for the issues related to minors visited the 23-year-old woman, following a request from her mother, who said her daughter was not taking proper care of the baby.

“The woman was in a state of agitation. In a conversation, she complained of difficult life and then, suddenly, threw the baby who she held in her hands, out of the ninth floor window,” police said in a statement.

Urdu, Bengali speakers cause for suspicion in NY

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With memories of the 9/11 attacks etched in the psyche of New Yorkers, city police say they give particular attention to Urdu and Bengali speakers when they eavesdrop in restaurants and stores to gather information on terrorists.

Commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s elite intelligence division Thomas Galati said he has keen interest in Urdu-speaking New Yorkers.

Pak Christian group demands separate province

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A Pakistani Christian organisation has demanded a separate province for the minority community in view of the growing sense of insecurity among Christians following the arrest of a minor girl for allegedly desecrating the Quran.

Younus Masih Bhatti, President of the Pakistan United Christian Welfare Association, said the formation of a commission to work on creating new provinces by the Pakistan People’s Party-led government “reflected the need to make new provinces in Pakistan”.

Pak: Taliban attacks check post, 19 killed

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Heavily-armed Taliban militants attacked a check post in Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt killing at least nine soldiers and losing 10 of their own men, security officials said Wednesday,

Fighting erupted in South Waziristan tribal region after militants attacked the check post at Farhang Baba area, the officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.

Nine soldiers were killed and several others injured in the attack.

The security forces launched a counter-attack and killed 10 militants, a security official said.

Eight more militants were injured in the clashes.

Govt for strong, enlightened power sector regulator: Moily

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The government on Monday said it is for a strong and enlightened regulator for the power sector, indicating that it may provide state regulators greater autonomy in tackling issues that are hampering growth.

“If you want 10 percent growth, you need 9 percent growth in the power sector and that is why we need a strong and enlightened regulator. This is the kind of message we would like to give to the regulators,” Power Minister Veerappa Moily told reporters on the sidelines of an NTPC event.