Shibani Dandekar out of `Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa`

TV host Shibani Dandekar is the latest celebrity to be voted out of dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa 5’.

A non-dancer, Shibani showed tremendous improvement over the course of her stint in the dance show.

She along with her choreographer Puneet, gave some interesting performances with tango, contemporary and Bollywood style dance forms and won the hearts of judges Remo D`Souza, Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar.

After Shibani was eliminated, Karan tweeted: ‘Sad elimination’.

The decision of elimination was based on judges` score and audience votes.

IANS

Team of scientists to investigate outbreak of dengue

A team of scientists from the Regional Medical Research Centre at Dibrugarh in neighbouring Assam is visiting East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh to conduct detailed investigation into the outbreak of dengue at Pasighat and its adjoining areas.

The team will reach Pasighat tomorrow, state epidemiologist L Jampa said here today.
Another team from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme and National Center for Disease Control is also visiting the state soon to investigate the outbreak of the disease, Jampa said.

Face yoga, the new craze for losing wrinkles!

Ladies, you might want to give those expensive moisturisers and painful botox injections a miss as face yoga might be the simplest and fun way to get rid of wrinkles, experts have claimed.

Like regular yoga, the moves in face yoga are named. The Marilyn, bumblebee or lion are all designed to turn back the ageing clock and reduce wrinkles.

Women are increasingly turning to YouTube, books such as The Yoga Face and now an iPhone application for fresher-looking faces, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Now, psychotherapy to treat skin diseases

Scientists have discovered that a range of psychological treatments like meditation can ease the physical symptoms of skin diseases.

According to experts at the University of Sheffield, relaxation sessions, meditation and cognitive behaviour therapy were among the techniques found to help sufferers of psoriasis, eczema, acne and the pigment disorder vitiligo.

A team from the university`s psychology department analysed the combined results of previous studies and found that the emerging field of `psychodermatology` provided real benefits, the `Telegraph` reported.

New virus targets children

A viral illness seems to be targeting children in the US, according to a John Hopkins study.

“What we are seeing is a relatively common viral illness called hand-foot-and-mouth disease but with a new twist,” says Bernard Cohen, director of paediatric dermatology at Johns Hopkins Children`s Centre.

“Your child is seemingly in perfect health when he or she goes to bed but wakes up with high fever and bright red blisters all over the body.

Passive smoking can increase platelet activation in the blood

Passive smoking can increase platelet activation in healthy people leading to formation of blood clots which can damage many organs including the kidneys, heart and brain.

Researchers from the Erciyes University in Turkey found that passive smoking increased levels of platelet activation, lactate and carbon monoxide in the blood. Platelet activation is indicated by Mean platelet volume (MPV) that is increased in acute thrombotic events.

In thrombotic events, microscopic clots are formed in the small blood vessels.

Human lungs can sweep out intruders

Human lungs rely on sticky mucus to expel foreign matter, including toxic and infectious agents during a cold or an allergy that causes a running nose and a wet cough, says a study.

The study by Brian Button and colleagues from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, helps to explain how human airways clear such mucus out of the lungs.

The findings may give researchers a better understanding of what goes wrong in many human lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, the journal Science reported.

New device removes clots from brain

A new device that removes clots from the brain could be a game changer in the treatment of strokes, say researchers.

In a recent clinical trial, the SOLITAIRE Flow Restoration Device, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration this March, outperformed the standard treatment. SOLITAIRE is among an entirely new generation of devices designed to remove blood clots from blocked brain arteries.

Armstrong gets support from fellow riders

The US Anti-Doping Agency stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and banned him for life after the American decided not to fight charges that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

One former rival, Filippo Simeoni, questioned why Armstrong didn`t continue to contest the charges.

NCDEX hikes margin on wheat by 10% to check prices

To control rising wheat prices, the country’s second biggest commodity bourse NCDEX has hiked deposit money to 23 percent from today onwards for traders keen to buy the grain from the exchanges’ platform.

The deposit money (margin) has been increased to 23 percent from 13 percent for wheat traders. The margin is a minimum percentage of money that traders are required to deposit with the exchange to trade in the commodity future.

Over two crore vacancies to be filled in govt organisations

There were over two crore vacancies across many government organisations ranging from the bank sector to the CBI, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, V Narayanasamy, said here on Saturday.

These vacancies were in different sectors and would be filled soon, he said, inaugurating the ‘Question Bank Workshop on English Language and Comprehension’ organised by the Staff Selection Commission’s Southern Regional Office here.

Pak: Trial of 26/11 suspects adjourned for a week

The trial of seven Pakistani men, including Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was on Saturday adjourned for a week at the request of a defence lawyer.

Khwaja Haris Ahmed, the counsel for Lakhvi, submitted an application that asked the Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court to put off the hearing as he was unwell.

Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman accepted his request and adjourned the case till September 01.

The court summoned four prosecution witnesses to appear at the next hearing, sources told a news agency.

SL arrests 98 illegal immigrants bound for Oz

The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested at least 98 people who were trying to illegally leave for Australia by two trawlers.

A trawler named Ann Mishal was intercepted with 77 on board in the western seas off the West coastal town of Chilaw while 21 more on board another unnamed trawler were intercepted eastern waters off the eastern coastal town of Batticaloa, the Navy said.

The arrested are to be handed over to the police for further investigations.

Sri Lanka in June launched special coordinated operations to nab illegal immigrants to Australia after recurring cases.

Pak’s PPP prepares for showdown with judiciary

With a showdown between the government and the judiciary looming, top leaders of Pakistan’s ruling party have held meetings to prepare a strategy for the standoff and to decide whether the Premier should appear in court on Monday to face a contempt charge.

The apex court’s order asking Raja Pervez Ashraf to appear before a five-judge bench was discussed at a meeting of the Pakitan People’s Party’s top leadership chaired last night by Prime Minister Ashraf and President Asif Ali Zardari.

China willing to promote military ties with US

China is willing to work with the US to properly handle their differences and promote stable and sound development of military-to-military ties, a senior Chinese Army officer has said.

Cai Yingting, a deputy chief of the general staff of the People’s Liberation Army, made the remarks on Thursday in a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter at Pentagon.

Cai, who arrived in the US on Monday for a visit, said the two nations have made key and positive progress in developing bilateral relations since the Obama administration came to power in 2009, reported Xinhua.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister in Assam

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka arrived here on Saturday on a three-day goodwill mission aimed at wooing back the North-East people who had left Bangalore and some other cities following rumours of attacks on them.

The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, who also looks after the home portfolio, is likely to visit the northeastern state of Manipur also.

Ashoka arrived at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport near Guwahati around 10.30 am and headed straight for Assam capital Dispur where he is expected to meet Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Mumbai violence: NCP president defends R R Patil

Maharashtra NCP President Madhukar Pichad has come out in support of the State Home Minister R R Patil saying there was no need for his resignation as demanded by the opposition over a deteriorating law and order situation and the August 11 violence in Mumbai.

“Patil is a honest and strong leader of the party. It is the job of the opposition to criticise. The question of his resignation does not arise,” he said on the conclusion of a day long study camp of district NCP workers held here Friday.

Govt not targetting individual accounts, websites: Sibal

The government today sought to downplay its action in the cyberworld in the wake of problems in the northeast, saying it is not targetting individual accounts and websites but wants to block objectionable content.

Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal said the government is ready to hold discussions with stakeholders to find a “permanent solution” to the issue.

Mexican firm ordered to clean up oil spill

Mexican environmental authorities are demanding that state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos clean up a crude spill that occurred when a loading buoy sank nearly two weeks ago and polluted six beaches.

The sinking of the buoy (used to load crude onto tankers in deep water) happened off the coast of the southern state of Oaxaca, near the Salina Cruz refinery in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Media reported Thursday that a boat collided with the buoy because it lacked signaling lights, causing it to sink and spill the crude it was storing.

Bipasha Basu: I don`t think I can get better than `Raaz 3`

Bipasha Basu admits she has given her best shot for Vikram Bhatt`s ‘Raaz 3’ and says she doubts if she can deliver a better performance than this.

“For me, in my filmography of work, this is the most challenging role I have done and I don`t think I can get better than this,” said Bipasha.

“Everyday was a struggle, I was emotionally drained, exhausted. I wanted to finish it soon because it was really disturbing me,” she added.

‘Raaz 3’, slated to release Sep 7, deals with the subject of black magic.

New tactic to disarm superbugs

A new tactic to disarm harmful bacteria may permit the body`s immune system to destroy them, rather than use drugs to kill them.

Christian Baron, professor of biochemistry at the University of Montreal, who devised the new tactic, said: “One could imagine harmful bacteria being like Darth Vader (central character in Star Wars saga), and the anti-virulence drug would take away his armour and lightsaber.”

Alzheimer`s affects women more rapidly than men

Men can stave off the effects of Alzheimer`s for longer than women, whose condition deteriorate faster when affected by the disease, a new study has found.

The study found that women suffering from Alzheimer`s deteriorate faster than men, even when both are apparently at the same stage of the disease.

The findings suggest that women sufferers show greater loss of their mental faculties than men, whose brains are better at coping with the ravages of the disease.

Lance Armstrong to be banned for life

US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart says the agency will ban Lance Armstrong from cycling for life and strip him of his seven Tour de France titles for doping.

Armstrong on Thursday night dropped any further challenges to USADA`s allegations that he took performance-enhancing drugs to win cycling`s premier event from 1999-2005.

Armstrong says USADA doesn`t have the authority to vacate his Tour titles. However, Tygart told The Associated Press that USADA can do it.

Tygart called the Armstrong case a “heartbreaking” example of a win-at-all costs approach to sports.

Rupee trims initial loss against dollar

The rupee reduced some of its initial losses Friday but was still down 14 paise at 55.40 against the dollar on demand for the American currency from banks and importers.

The rupee resumed lower at 55.35 a dollar as against the last close of 55.26 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) Market and moved between 55.34 and 55.45, before quoting at 55.40 a dollar.

Besides fresh dollar demand from banks and importers, the American currency was also quoting stronger against other currencies in the overseas markets and that too impacted the rupee value against it, a forex dealer said.

Toyota launches all new Camry in India starting Rs 23.8 lakh

Japanese car giant Toyota on Friday launched next generation of premium sedan Camry in India at an introductory price of Rs 23.8 lakh (ex showroom Delhi).

The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar group, will be assembling the car at its Bangalore facility.

“This is the seventh generation of Camry. We will be manufacturing it locally in India so that it can be available easily,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Manging Director Hiroshi Nakagawa told reporters here.