Month: April 2012

Scientists develop ultra-thin solar cells

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Austrian and Japanese researchers today unveiled solar cells thinner than a thread of spider silk that are flexible enough to be wrapped around a single human hair.

The thin-film device, comprising electrodes on a plastic foil, is about 1.9 micro-metres thick, a tenth the size of the thinnest solar cells currently available, the researchers said.

One micro-metre is one millionth of a metre. “The total thickness of this device is less than a typical thread of spider silk,” the researchers said in a report carried by online science journal Nature Communications.

Bio-energy crops could be ruinous to wildlife

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Converting farmland to grow bio-energy crops could be ruinous to wildlife, says a study.

“The Skylark is an indicator species for agricultural areas because it occupies many habitats…,” noted Jan Engel, from Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig in Germany, who led the study.

“Improving the habitat suitability for Skylark, accordingly, would improve conservation of natural vegetation, insects, and other ground breeding farmland bird species,” added Engel, the journal Global Change Biology Bioenergy reported.

RIM launches software to accommodate Apple users

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Research In Motion (RIM.TO) on Tuesday launched software that enables its large “enterprise” customers to manage Apple and other rival devices through the same servers as they use for the BlackBerry smartphone and Playbook tablet.

The new Mobile Fusion software, first announced in November, is a recognition by RIM of a growing preference by many users inside big corporations and government to access professional communications over their personal devices, often the Apple iPhone or iPad, or devices running Google’s Android.

Physicists re-writing the history of solar system?

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The early days of our solar system might look quite different than previously thought, claim physicists.

In its research, a team at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory used more sensitive instruments to find a different half-life for samarium, one of the isotopes used to chart the evolution of the solar system.

“It shrinks the chronology of early events in the solar system, like the formation of planets, into a shorter time span,” said team leader Michael Paul in the ‘Science’ journal.

KKR will suffer similar fate as Naidu: E Rajendar

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Police have arrested TRS activists who were trying to lay siege on Vidhyut Soudha against increased power tariff. TRS floor leader Mr. E Rajendar wanred chief minister that if power tariffs are not revised then he will suffer similar fate as Chandrababu Naidu.

TRS held agitating dharna agianst power tariff in Telangan region. Police arrested all agitating activists.

Seven killed in blast in northwest Pakistan

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At least seven persons were killed and nine others injured when a passenger van was targeted with a bomb in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said.

The van with 15 people was going from Khurrakai village to Jamrud, one of the main towns of Khyber Agency, when the bomb went off.

It was unclear whether the blast was caused by a roadside bomb or an explosive device planted in the van, officials told the media.

Seven persons were killed instantly and nine others injured. The wounded were taken to a nearby hospital.

Akshay Kumar rubbishes No.1 race

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While Bollywood seems to be obsessed with the No 1 tag, Akshay Kumar begs to differ. The actor says he is not in the race to be tagged as No. 1.

“We all work in this film industry. We all work together. We are not horses at Mahalakshmi Race course who are tagged with nos. like 1, 2 or 3,” Akshay said.

The actor doesn`t like being compared to Salman Khan, who gave hit action films like ‘Dabangg’ and ‘Bodyguard’.

Sonakshi Sinha, who worked with Salman and teams up with Akshay in ‘Rowdy Rathore’, feels the same.

Woman commits suicide after poisoning her kids

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A woman and her three children died when she allegedly committed suicide after administering poison to them in Gauhani Mishrame village here, police said.

Karma (28) poisoned her nine-year-old twins Ramu, Shamu and six-year-old son Sanjay before consuming poison herself over a family dispute, Superintendent of police, Ravi Shankar Chavvi said.

All three children died in the incident that took place under Piparpur police station area.

–PTI

Deoband issues fatwa against beauty parlours

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Islamic seminary Darul Ulum Deoband has issued a fatwa against beauty parlours saying running such a place is against the Shariat Law.

The fatwa was issued in response to a question posed before the Darul Uloom asking whether the profession of running beauty parlours by Muslim women is justified by the law according to the Shariat.

The dictat said Muslim women are not permitted to practice this profession under Shariat.

“Women are not allowed to run beauty parlours as it is against the norms of parda,” Mufti Arif of Darul Ulum Deoband said.

–PTI

Recipe: Methi Chicken

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Try the exquisite flavour of methi and spices with chicken.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken cut into pieces
1 cup curd
1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 ½ tbsp green chilli paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 onions
2 tomatoes
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
3 tbsp refined oil
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Clean chicken. Mix the chicken with curd, ginger-garlic paste, green chilli paste, red chilli powder and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bilawal attacks Pak SC

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Launching a scathing attack on the Supreme Court, Pakistan’s ruling PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has asked it to apologise for the “role it played in the judicial murder” of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and to ensure there are no “double standards” in the contempt case against Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani.

23-year-old Bilawal, the nominal Chairman of PPP, made the remarks during a strongly-worded speech he delivered at an event at the Bhutto family’s stronghold of Naudero in Sindh province late last night to mark the death anniversary of former President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Relish the delicious Egg Biryani

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A lover of Mughlai food, but never sure about the right biryani recipe? Try this out for the original feel and taste of true Mughlai khana.
Ingredients

2 cups of basmati rice
3 and a half cups of water
6-8 spoons of oil
4 boiled eggs
5 green chillies
2 spoons ginger-garlic paste
1 onion
2 small sticks of cinnamon (dalchini)
3 cloves
1/4 spoon haldi
salt to taste
corriander leaves

Method:

Cut eggs into half(8 pieces),also chillies and onion into small pieces.

Beef echoes in OU campus

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Prof. Political Science, Osmania University and Director Academic staff college Osmania University Mitaya told that he has opposed Prof. Kancha Ilaya’s stand on the issue and has adviced him to persuade the backward classes, to which he belongs, to eat beef, before advocating for serving beef in the hostel menu.

Potential target to lower risk of high blood pressure identified

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University of Southampton scientists have discovered a new process that controls the ability of arteries to regulate blood pressure.

The finding could lead to a better understanding of the causes of cardiovascular disease and the development of new treatments.

Arteries are able to control blood pressure by relaxing and constricting. In healthy people, the ability of arteries to relax or constrict is kept in balance. However, this balance shifts in people who are at risk of developing high blood pressure or atherosclerosis.

Diet literally `shapes our teeth`

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The roughness of tooth surfaces can reveal what we have been eating, according to a new research.

Indeed, evidence from teeth can be used to determine what has been eaten by an animal providing a new way of working out the diets of wild animals that doesn’t involve the unpleasant task of looking at the contents of their guts.

Scientists say it is also possible to use these methods to investigate diets of extinct animals such as giant marine reptiles and dinosaurs.

Research led by the Department of Geology at the University of Leicester,

Saudi Romeo stuns friend with sister’s pic

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A Saudi man dubbed Romeo in his neighbourhood for boasting about his numerous girl friends got the shock of his life when he showed a friend the latest girl he has just known – for she was his friend’s sister.

Romeo was dining with his childhood friend, also Saudi, at a restaurant in Riyadh at night when he give him his mobile phone and asked him to see his latest girl friend. Once his friend saw the picture, he went pale.

Heroin smuggler beheaded

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The Minister of Interior issued a statement Tuesday announcing that Saleem Shah Sayed Shah, a Pakistani national, was beheaded for attempting to smuggle heroin into the Kingdom.

He was found guilty by the Jeddah General Court. The verdict was endorsed by the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court and a Royal Decree was issued to execute the verdict. The smuggler was beheaded Tuesday in Makkah Region.

TCS faces legal battle by US staff

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Employees of Tata Sons Ltd who were deployed from India to work in information technology jobs in the US have won the right to proceed with a class action lawsuit against the Indian corporate giant over unpaid salaries.

California federal judge Claudia Wilken granted classaction status to the suit on Monday, which accuses Tata and its subsidiary Tata Consultancy Services ( TCS) of breaching employee contracts and violating California labour laws.

Telangana erupts as activists take their own lives

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The movement for a separate Telangana state, which had been lying dormant for the last five months ever since the All People’s Strike was suspended abruptly in October last, has been reignited.

The reason: a spate of suicides by frustrated Telangana youth in the last few days. At least 10 youth have committed suicide in the last 10 days, most of them by self- immolation. In their dying declaration, they claimed that they were giving up their lives due to the insensitive attitude of the Congress- led UPA government in granting separate statehood for Telangana.

Daily soft drinks could affect cardiac health

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Children who consume soft drinks daily had narrow arteries at the back of their eyes, which could increase their chances of heart disease and high blood pressure in later life, says a study.

By examining the back of the eyes researchers could see the health of a person`s entire blood vessel system.

Researchers from Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, the University of Sydney, found that these children consuming one of more soft drinks daily, had narrower arteries in the back of their eyes.

Taller women more prone to ovarian cancer

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Increasing height and increased body mass index are risk factors for developing ovarian cancer, a new study has suggested.

These findings are important as in high income countries, the average height and average body mass index of women have increased by about 1 cm and 1 kg/m2 respectively per decade.

These findings suggest that if all other factors that affect ovarian cancer risk had remained constant, the increases in height and weight among women would have resulted in ovarian cancer incidence increasing by 3percent per decade.

A vitamin that helps the critically ill

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Vitamin D, which the body synthesises with the help of sunlight, has an important bearing on the functioning of our auto-immune system, says a study.

Howard Amital, professor at the Tel Aviv University`s (TAU) Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Centre, has discovered that the vitamin may also improve the well being of patients in intensive care.

Healthy ageing a global challenge: WHO

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Making life for the elderly healthy and productive is a global challenge, top World Health Organisation (WHO) officials said here Tuesday ahead of World Health Day April 7.

“The challenge for India, as for all countries over the world, is not only to add further years to life but more importantly to add life to years and to ensure that the elderly can live full, enriching and productive lives. For this to be possible, good health is essential,” said WHO representative in India Nata Menabde.

Dr. M A Shareef appointed as Director CRIUM

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Dr. Mohammad Ataullah Shareef has been appointed as Director Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine, Ayush Department, Govt. of India, New Delhi) and has already taken charge from Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed, retd. Director.

Earlier Dr. Mohammad Ataullah Shareef has also remarkably served in other centres such as Kurnool, Aligarh, Mumbai, Patna, Lucknow etc.

Keeping in view his venerable administrative skills it can be hoped that the institute of Hyderabad will reach new heights during his tenure.

Siasat news

Helpline centre launched to prevent students’ suicides

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A helpline centre has been launced by pro Telangana students’ organisation ‘Telangana Vidyarthi Ikya Vedika (TVIV)’ in a bid to stop the spate of suicides taking place for separate statehood.

Counseling will be arranged among pro Telangana students to check the rising trend of suicides among them.