Month: June 2012

Sangma files nomination, says it’s victory of tribal unity

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Terming it a “victory of tribal unity”, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential candidate P.A. Sangma Thursday filed his nomination papers for the July 19 presidential election.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, BJP president Nitin Gadkari and party leaders L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were amongst those who were present at the Rajya Sabha secretariat when Sangma filed his nomination.

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pranab Mukherjee filed his papers earlier in the day.

Humanity may have originated in the woods: Study

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The immediate ancestor of humans may have lived almost exclusively on a diet of leaves, fruits, wood and bark instead of a menu based on the open savanna as other extinct relatives of humanity did, scientists claimed.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, are based on two million years old fossils of the extinct hominin Australopithecus sediba that were accidentally discovered by a scientist’s nine-year-old son in a South African cave in 2008.

T20 World Cup ticket sales exceed 100,000

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More than 100,000 tickets have been sold for the ICC World Twenty20 Cup in Sri Lanka, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement here Thursday.

The majority of these tickets have been sold in the Sri Lankan market, ICC said.

Around 55 percent of the sales generated are from the local market and nearly 40 percent of the tickets sold were purchased by fans over the internet, reported Xinhua.

The highest demands so far are for the matches featuring Sri Lanka, the semifinals and the final, ICC said.

Srinagar old city restrictions enter third day

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For the third day Thursday, the authorities continued restrictions in six areas in the old quarters of this Jammu and Kashmir capital to maintain law and order following tension over the gutting of the revered shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani in the Khanyar area, an official said.

“Restrictions in areas of Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj, Safakadal and Kralkhud will continue today (Thursday) till further orders”, a senior police officer told IANS.

Joint Russia-India missile to be ready by 2017

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The first prototype of the hypersonic BrahMos 2 cruise missile being jointly developed by Russia and India will be ready for flight testing in 2017, an official said.

Russia and India have recently agreed to develop hypersonic BrahMos 2 missile capable of flying at speeds of Mach 5-Mach 7.

“I think we will need about five years to develop the first fully-functional prototype (of the hypersonic missile). We have already carried out a series of lab tests at the speed of 6.5 Mach,” said Sivathanu Pillai, chief executive officer of the Russian-Indian joint venture Brahmos Aerospace.

Nizamuddin Basti: Centuries-old Delhi urban sprawl lives in secular harmony

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As the summer heat settles on Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti every morning, the 700-year-old urban sprawl in south Delhi comes to life blurring the boundary between the past and present. It is a strange cluster of old Mughal buildings, archaeological relics and new concrete homes that exist in secular harmony in the Indian capital.

The government schools open shutters, a gymnasium for Muslim women sees its first batch troop in to get into shape, the health care clinics, vocational training schools and computer centres begin their grind for the day.

‘Not enough being done to tackle drought’

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With several states reeling under a drought-like situation as they await the monsoon, experts have pointed out that not enough is being done to deal with the situation arising out of scanty rainfall.

Drought management, they say, assumes significance in view of changing weather patterns.

“We are not prepared to handle the effects of climate change on agriculture. It is reflected through our management of drought situation in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,” veteran agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan told.

Three Chinese astronauts set to return home tomorrow

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China’s first woman astronaut and two of her colleagues, who successfully accomplished the country’s first-ever manual space docking, would return home tomorrow after remaining in the space for two weeks.

The three astronauts will return to Earth around 10 am (Beijing Time) tomorrow in Shenzhou-9 (Divine Grace) manned spacecraft, a spokesperson for China’s manned space programme announced here Thursday.

The return capsule is due to land in Inner Mongolia’s Siziwang Banner (county). The landing zone has been used for all previous Shenzhou space missions.

Strawberry Ice-Cream

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One of my favourite flavours of Ice-cream! To make this ice-cream, carefully select the sweeter strawberries. Choose the smaller variety as they are usually much sweeter than the larger ones. If the strawberries are sour, you may need to increase the quantity of sugar required. The variation of this ice-cream with bananas makes an amazingly different flavour. Bananas greatly improve the texture of this ice-cream.

Add your private note
Preparation Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 10 mins.
Serves 4.

Ingredients

2/3 cup strawberry puree
1 cup milk
2 tsp cornflour

Indian political parties have become ‘feudal’: Trivedi

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Removed unceremoniously as Railway Minister at the behest of Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, party MP Dinesh Trivedi today said that most of the political parties in India, particularly the regional ones, have become “feudal” where decisions are taken at the whims and fancies of their leaders.

“Sycophancy or ‘chamchagiri’ is not serving any leader,” Trivedi, who is here as part of a Parliamentary delegation, told PTI.

–PTi

Soon, a jab to help you quit smoking

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Struggling to kick the butt? Don`t worry, as scientists have developed a new “genetic vaccine” that can halt your nicotine cravings, a breakthrough they say could help millions of smokers to quit the habit.

The DNA injection, just a shot of which makes antibodies against nicotine, could also be used to vaccinate children to stop them ever getting hooked, researchers said.

The jab has so far been tested on mice, but researchers hoped that human trials could begin in as little as two years, a newspaper reported.

Afghanistan minister shores up investor confidence

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In an attempt to dispel fears over security, Afghanistan Thursday said investors would not only be rewarded with significant returns but also play an important role in the restoration of peace and stability within the region.

This appeal was made by Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul at the daylong Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan here.

Hang Abu Jundal if he is guilty, say his parents

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Parents of LeT operative Syed Zabiuddin alias Abu Jundal have reportedly said they won’t mind their son being hanged if he is found guilty of involvement in terror activities.

Jundal’s father Syed Zakiuddin had not been keeping well for some time and his condition deteriorated when he came to know about his son’s arrest on Monday, neighbours said.

Zakiuddin, who is in his 60s and has suffered two heart attacks in the past, was admitted to civil hospital, from where he was discharged on Tuesday, they said, adding he once worked as an insurance agent.

‘Pancham drew inspiration from sounds made by beggars, shepherds’

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Very few know that legendary music composer R.D. Burman, who is credited with revolutionising Indian film music by bledning classical and western scores, had even drawn inspiration from the sounds that beggars make while doing their rounds and shepherds make while grazing their cows, those who worked with him said.

A day after his 73rd birth anniversary Wednesday, musicians talked about innate qualities of the late musician, who was fondly called Pancham-da by his fans and close ones.

Health ministry mulls ban on cosmetic testing on animals

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India`s health ministry Wednesday said it is considering a proposal by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for a ban on testing of cosmetics on animals, a PETA statement said Wednesday.

PETA`s science policy advisor Chaitanya Koduri and Guru S. Nair of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Wednesday held talks with S. Manivannan, deputy drug controller at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, under the health ministry, as part of PETA`s ongoing campaign against cosmetic testing on animals.

Esha Deol’s grand mehendi ceremony

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After a star studded sangeet ceremony, Bollywood veteran Hema Malini organised a grand mehendi ceremony for her daughter Esha Deol at her residence in Mumbai. The event was more of a family occasion with close friends and relatives attending the ceremony.

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Esha Deol’s sangeet ceremony a gala affair

Esha Deol looked exceedingly beautiful in a yellow and green Neeta Lulla lehenga at her Mehendi Ceremony Party at the Royalty Club in Bandra, Mumbai held on June 27.

Crime In Hyderabad (28.6.2012)

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Man dies in suspicious circumstances

(Siasat News): A man was found dead in suspicious circumstances near a bar at Chaderghat. The deceased Dhanraj, 35, was a salesman.

He was waiting for his friend near the bar and all of a sudden he collapsed on the ground and died. Police Chaderghat has registered a case and further investigations are on.

Financier murdered in Tappachabutra

Heavy rain lashes Mumbai, disrupts normal life

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Heavy rain lashed the city on Thursday disrupting rail and road traffic and causing inconvenience to commuters, officials said.

According to the weather office, more rain is in store for the next 24 hours till Friday morning.

According to weather officials, Colaba (south Mumbai) recorded 21 mm rain, while Santacruz (north Mumbai) recorded rainfall of 75 mm till 9am on Thursday.

Rail and road traffic was hit as trains were running late by 15-30 minutes. Most arterial roads of the city were flooded with water, making it equally difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to commute.

No slanging match with Pakistan, says Krishna

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India does not get into “any kind of slanging match” with Pakistani dignitaries, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Thursday, refusing to enter into a debate with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik over 26/11 suspect Abu Jindal Hamza.

“We do not get into any kind of a slanging match with any distinguished persons from Pakistan,” Krishna told reporters here on the sidelines of an event to attract investments into Afghanistan.

Surjeet Singh crosses over to India after 31 yrs in Pak jail

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After spending 31 years in Pakistani jail, Indian prisoner Surjeet Singh today walked free and crossed over to his home country to an emotional renunion with his family.

69-year-old Singh, who released from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail this morning, crossed to the Indian side at Wagah border where he was welcomed with garlands and red shawls by his family and villagers, after completing official procedures on the Pakistan side of the border.

–PTi

Urdu University Satellite campus starts from next year

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The Satellite campus of Maulana Azad National Urdu University will start functioning from the next academic year i.e. 2013-14. Urdu University is starting M.Ed. course this year in Kashmir.

The students of Kashmir Valley are more attracted towards B.Ed. and M.Ed. courses of Urdu University. Taking their interest into consideration, University is starting M.Ed. course this year.

Effective representation on Muslim reservations in Supreme Court

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Central Govt. is facing a lot of criticism from all the corners for not dealing with the case of 4.5% reservation for Minorities in the Supreme Court. It has commissioned the services of Mr. P.S. Krishnan, former IAS officer. He has been invited to New Delhi by Govt. of India where he is busy in consultations with central officials. On the basis of these consultations, a petition would be filed in Supreme Court for 4.5% reservations for Minorities.

Teacher held for giving passing grades for sex

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A teacher in northern Italy has been arrested for giving students passing grades in exchange for sex.

The teacher in Piacenza city is accused of using social networking website Facebook to arrange meetings of sexual nature with students below the legal age of consent.

The suspect threatened one student who refused his approaches, and ordered her to tell other students that she had misunderstood his proposal over Facebook, police said.

–IANS