uzma

Skeleton lying on police station terrace for the past two years

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Lucknow, October 27:Chukkan Nishad went missing in July 2007 and his dead body was recovered from a field near his house soon afterwards. His skeleton has been lying on the terrace of a police station for the past two years and his parents are running from pillar to post to get it and perform the last rites.

Chukkan, 22, went missing July 21, 2007 from Ahraula village in Azamgarh district of Utar Pradesh. His body was recovered July 25.

Several Bangalore doctors fall prey to swine flu

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Bangalore, October 27:Members of the medical fraternity across Bangalore’s hospitals are undergoing special screening tests for the H1N1 virus, after seven doctors in the city tested positive for swine flu recently.

The seven are from Victoria Hospital and Bowring Hospital, informed a health department official.

Govt’s failure

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Hyderabad,October 25:He alleged that the State Government has utterly failed in taking up enumeration and assessment of the damage in the flood hit areas.

The BJP leader demanded the government to cancel the collection of crop loans in the flood hit areas and issue fresh loans to the farmers. In addition to the ex-gratia, pass books should be issued to the tenant farmers, he added. The Government should construct the houses with a cost of Rs one lakh each for the people whose houses were damaged due to the flash floods.

Water supply to be affected on oct 28

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Hyderabad, October 25:There would be no water supply in majority areas of Greater Hyderabad city on October 28. As the Central Power Distribution Company Limited of Andhra Pradesh (CPDCL) proposed to erect new power transformers at Nasarlapally, it would shutdown power on Krishna Phase I and II for a few hours on October 28. Due to the power shutdown water supply will be affected partially on Oct. 28 in some areas, according to an official release. (NSS)

Refresher course

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Hyderabad, October 25:University of Hyderabad Academic Staff College is organizing a refresher course in life sciences from November 20 to December 11.

According to a press release here, lecturers from degree colleges and universities teaching life science, Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Genetics and Biotechnology are eligible for the course.

C M asks officials to be on high alert to contain outbreak of epidemics

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Hyderabad, October 25:The State government has declared a war on the epidemics in different parts of the State by launching a special drive to bring the diseases under control.

This was stated by Chief Minister K Rosaiah who had a telephonic conversation on the health scenario in the state with J.Satyanarayana, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health on Sunday.

The Chief Minister has called for a high-level meeting for a detailed review on the subject on Monday, especially with regard to outbreak of dengue and chikungunya.

BSP legislator extends support to Congress in Haryana

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Chandigarh, October 25:The lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator in the Haryana assembly, Akram Khan, Sunday extended his support to the Congress government in the state, far from the political battlefield of Uttar Pradesh, where BSP and the Congress do not see eye to eye.

Akram Khan said that he had been directed by BSP president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to do so to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and others out of power in Haryana.

“I have extended support to the Congress government,” Akram Khan told IANS.

Confident Chavan says numbers game favours Congress now

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New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) Set to take over as the Maharashtra chief minister for a second time, Ashok Chavan Sunday said the Congress party has more numbers than its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), this time – making clear that the Congress would keep key portfolios with itself in the new government.

“Our strength is more now (than 1999). Aankde badal chuke hain. (The numbers game has changed),” Chavan told reporters here, hours after he was chosen by party president Sonia Gandhi to head the Congress Legislature Party in the state – and as the result be the chief minister.

Infosys techie raises bomb scare on GoAir flight, arrested

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New Delhi, October 25: A 25-year-old Infosys software professional, who feared missing his Bangalore-bound GoAir flight because his train was running late, landed behind bars Sunday for causing a bomb scare at the Delhi airport.

Abhishek Gupta was coming from Lucknow in Gorakhnath Express and was expected to reach Delhi railway station by 6 a.m., and then catch a Bangalore-bound GoAir flight from the capital’s domestic airport around 8.45 a.m.

However, Gupta’s train got delayed.

Obama to approve military aid to Pakistan with new conditions

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Washington, October 23:US President Barack Obama is set to sign a defence bill, which includes tough new conditions on the over $2.3 billion American military aid to Pakistan.

The president is likely to sign the $680 billion fiscal 2010 defence authorisation bill passed by the Senate 68-29 Thursday despite objections to its funding for a controversial backup jet fighter engine. The House of Representatives had passed the bill on Oct 8.

14-year-old raped, killed in Uttar Pradesh; two held

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Lucknow, October 23:A 14-year-old Dalit girl was gang raped and killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district. The two men involved in the crime have been arrested, police said Friday.

The incident took place Thursday evening in Shahpur village of Muzaffarnagar, about 350 km from Lucknow.

“Two friends Salim and Kalim – both residents of Shahpur village – abducted the girl while she was returning from the fields and raped her at a secluded place. Later, they strangulated the girl to death,” Deputy Superintendent of Police S.K. Shukla told IANS.

Raqeeb is Pakistan cricket team’s new manager

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Karachi, October 23:Former Test cricketer Abdul Raqeeb was Friday appointed the new manager of the Pakistan team for its series against New Zealand after Yawar Saeed stepped down from the key post.

A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman said Raqeeb has been named as the manager for the limited-overs and Test series against New Zealand after Saeed informed PCB chairman that he will not be able to continue his job any longer.

Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan pacer, returns as the assistant coach after being sacked following Pakistan’s Test and one-day series against Sri Lanka.

Coming up: Vehicle fitness centres to curb road accidents

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New Delhi, October 23:In an effort to curb the rising number of road accidents in which India has surpassed all other countries, the central government plans to set up state-of-the-art vehicle fitness centres across the country to ensure proper functioning of their safety components.

Researchers engineer proteins to help restore vision

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Washington, October 21:Engineered light-sensitive molecules, introduced into a blind rodent’s eye caused it to see, according to results from an interdisciplinary collaboration among labs.

The results could lead to treatment for people with inherited blinding eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa which affects one in every 3,000 individuals.

In past studies, researchers made a blind animal’s visual cells respond to light by introducing a light-sensitive algae protein into the eye.

No need to hike fuel prices, suggests PM’s panel

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New Delhi, Ocober 21:The Prime Minister’s economy advisory panel Wednesday said there was no need to hike fuel prices if global prices remained between $70 and $75 (Rs.3,150-Rs.3,375) a barrel, equal to 159 litres.

“I don’t see the need to raise prices if international crude prices remained around $70 to $75 a barrel,” said Govinda Rao, a member of the panel, on the sidelines of the release of the Economic Outlook for 2009-10.

“We expect global crude oil prices around $70 to $75 per barrel. If prices go beyond it consistently, then the numbers will have to change,” Rao said.

Some irresponsible states help cross-border terror: Meira Kumar

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New Delhi, October 21:Stating that some irresponsible states were “covertly helping the perpetrators” of cross-border terrorism, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has called for an internationally acceptable mechanism to counter the threat.

Addressing the first standing committee of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) assembly in Geneva Tuesday, she said measures like law enforcement cooperation, mutual legal assistance, extradition and technical assistance were needed to help tackle all forms of organised crimes “more effectively in a collective manner”.

Pink taxis for women now on Mexico’s streets

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Puebla (Mexico),October 21:Thirty five pink taxis – driven by female cabbies and picking up only women as customers – travel back and forth in this central Mexican city, leaving residents astonished and curious.

“The people stop us on the street to congratulate us and the women ask us how they can request one of our units,” Lidia Hernandez, one of the cabbies with Pink Taxis, a company that says it’s the first of its kind in Mexico, told the Spanish news agency EFE.

Sensex ruling in volatile zone, down 0.22 percent

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Mumbai,October 21:A key Indian equity index was ruling on a volatile note Wednesday and was down 0.22 percent from its last closing figure, less than 90 minutes before the end of trade.

Profit booking was putting pressure on the indices with investors looking to exit stocks at current high levels.

At 2.16 p.m., the sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened higher at 17,229.72 points, was ruling at 17,184.64 points — 38.37 points or 0.22 percent down from Tuesday’s close at 17,223.01 points.

Dhaka to survey Bay of Bengal to fix maritime boundary

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Dhaka, October 21:Bangladesh has decided to conduct a seismic survey in the Bay of Bengal to gather data for delineating its maritime boundaries with India and Myanmar.

Dhaka needs the data to submit its claim to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to settle disputes with its neighbours, the New Age newspaper reported Wednesday.

A Dutch firm will conduct the survey at a cost of Tk 800 million ($11.77 million) and its report would be the basis of the detailed report to be placed to the UN by July 1011.

Infant’s thumb sucking may impair speech

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Washington, October 21:Pacifier, baby bottle or thumb sucking may hamper a child’s speech development if the habit goes on too long, says a new study.

The children were more likely to have difficulty producing certain word sounds and to simplify their pronunciation.

A team led by Clarita Barbosa from Corporacion de Rehabilitacion Club De Leones Cruz Del Sur in Patagonia, Chile, conducted the study with University of Washington (UW) Multidisciplinary International Research Training (MIRT).

Arrest of cricketers in Bangalore shocks valley

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Srinagar, October 18:The arrest of two Kashmiri cricketers on suspicion of carrying explosives and their subsequent release has shocked cricket lovers here who say the players were harassed as they belonged to the valley.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) has demanded an apology from the Karnataka police and lodged a strong protest against the arrest of the two players in Bangalore where they had gone to participate in a national championship.

60 held from areas near Pakistani military HQ

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Rawalpindi, October 18:More than 60 suspicious people, among them numerous Afghans, were arrested Sunday during a search operation in areas near the Pakistani military headquarters, which was the scene of a hostage drama eight days ago.

Police sources told Online news agency on Sunday that more than 60 suspicious people have been arrested during search operation in the areas located near the headquarters.

Sniffer dogs were also used during the operation.

While a larger number of people were initially rounded, police released all those who had identity cards and other documents.

Blues beat Somerset, make it to semi-final

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Hyderabad, October 18:New South Wales Blues stormed into the semi-final of the Champions League Twenty20 with a thumping six-wicket victory over Somerset here Sunday.

Somerset, put in to bat, could make only 111 for seven in 20 overs, thanks largely to vital contributions from the lower order after the top five caved in for 44 runs.

In reply, New South Wales got an explosive start through David Warner, who smashed 40 off just 16 balls that included six fours and two sixes.

At least one civilian killed, nine injured in Iraq bomb blast

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Baghdad, October 18:At least one civilian was killed and nine were injured when a bomb blast tore through a parking lot in the central Iraqi city of Iskandariya Sunday, police said.

The blast in the city roughly 100 km south of Baghdad destroyed many surrounding shops and cars, police told DPA.

The region had mostly been quiet in recent months, though the area remains the site of sporadic, deadly attacks.

A bomb planted in a cemetery in the town Sep 20 killed one person and injured four family members.