Month: June 2012

Monthly allowance to Singur’s unwilling farmers doubled

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The West Bengal government Wednesday doubled to Rs.2,000 the monthly allowance of Singur’s farmers unwilling to sell their lands after the Calcutta High Court struck down the government’s Singur land act.

“We had earlier announced a monthly allowance of Rs.1,000. But prices have gone up. They can’t make ends meet. So, we have decided to increase the amount to Rs.2000 per month till we officially return the land to them,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at the state secretariat here.

She said both farmers and agricultural labourers would be entitled to receive the allowance.

Sarabjit fiasco: Swamy demands India break ties with Pakistan

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After Pakistan’s flip-flop on Sarabjit Singh’s release, Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy today demanded that India break diplomatic ties with the neighbouring country.

Swamy said the entire incident of mixing up of names of Sarabjit Singh and Surjit Singh is “clearly pre-mediated,
malafide and intended” to play with the sentiments of the people of India.

“Diplomatic relations are meant for preventing such miscommunications if genuine. But in this case the Pakistan

Rahul should join government: Krishna

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It was “necessary” for Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to come into the government, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Wednesday.

“I am one of those who feel that it’s necessary for Rahul Gandhi to come into the government and help the government in solving many problems the country faces,” Krishna told reporters against the backdrop of speculation about a cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Pranab Mukherjee as the finance minister to contest the presidential poll and Virbhadra Singh quitting after graft charges were framed against him.

Amitabh’s special connect with number 786

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The Number 786 has special significance for megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who recalled his “Deewaar” and “Coolie” days as he posted his 786th tweet.

“T 786 – in ‘Deewaar’, the 786 billa in his coat pocket saved him when he was shot at… when it dropped out in the climax, he was shot and died. In ‘Coolie’ climax, the ‘chaadar’ draped over his body though shot at, saved him… many stories that relate to 786,” tweeted Big B.

Hitting the gym boosts your libido

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Middle aged men who exercise get a boost to their sex drive, a higher sperm count and stronger erections, a study has found.

Losing weight reduces the chances of low testosterone levels by up to 50 percent in more mature males.

The results come from a study by Dublin doctors of 900 men with an average age of 54 taking part in a US diabetes prevention programme, Daily Mail reported.

Weight loss can delay or avoid the onset of diabetes among those men who are most susceptible to the disease.

Pharma bigwigs join hands for new TB drug

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Pharmaceutical companies and research institutions in association with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have stepped up efforts to aid research on a new drug for tuberculosis (TB), a disease that annually kills about three lakh in India.

“The partnership, TB Drug Accelerator (TBDA), will target the discovery of new TB drugs by collaborating on early-stage research. The long-term goal of the TBDA is to create a TB drug that cures patients in only one month,” a statement from pharma firm Sanofi said Wednesday.

Many chief ministers want FDI in multi-brand retail: Sharma

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Many chief ministers, including non-Congress ones, support the proposal to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said Wednesday.

“Now you have a fairly good number of chief ministers who have come out in support…We have continued a dialogue in a democratic spirit, a very open dialogue with the states,” Sharma told reporters here after Coca-Cola Chairman Muhtar Kent met him.

Monkey gets pig heart

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The heart of a genetically modified pig has been successfully transplanted into a monkey by scientists in South Korea, it was reported here.

It is the first time the country has claimed to have accomplished such an inter-species operation, Daily Mail reported.

Known as xenotransplantation, it is seen by some as a way to end the chronic shortage of human organs available for transplants.

Before the controversial procedure, conducted in Seoul, the cloned pig had its genes responsible for immune rejection removed.

Coke and Pepsi contain alcohol: study

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Coca-Cola and Pepsi contain minute traces of alcohol, a study has revealed.

According to tests carried out by the Paris-based National Institute of Consumption, more than half of leading colas contain traces of alcohol, Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

These include the brand leaders Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola, while it is mainly only cheap supermarket versions of the drink which are alcohol-free.

“60 Million Consumers”, the French magazine, published the results of the tests in its latest issue.

Sarabjit and Surjeet: Shock in one home, joy in another

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The fate of two Indians in Pakistani jails — Sarabjit Singh and Surjeet Singh — by the turn of events since Tuesday has made their families in Punjab go through jubilation as well as shock and despair.

Midnight calls from the media to the family of Surjeet Singh in Punjab’s Ferozepur district set the family rejoicing after having waited for his return home for over 30 years.

Only ‘asexual’ songs from ‘Jism 2’ on TV: Pooja Bhatt

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Filmmaker Pooja Bhatt has chosen to promote “Jism 2” songs with adult content through internet, “a more than worthy competitor of TV”, rather than showing them on television channels.

“We have six songs in ‘Jism 2’. Only three cater to a universal audience without losing their essence. The other three cannot be made to seem asexual! Hence, we will only submit to the censor board and plug on TV those songs of ‘Jism 2’ what WE feel is appropriate for a family audience,” Pooja tweeted.

Jews of Italy Mourn Muslim Leader

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Born in 1930, Scialoja reverted to Islam in 1988 when he was Italy’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Paying tributes to his role in promoting inter-faith dialogue, Italy’s Jews have mourned a leading Muslim leader, who passed away earlier this week as reported by JTA News today.

“A sincere friend with whom we shared genuine dialogue initiatives has left us,” Riccardo Pacifici, president of the Rome Jewish community, was quoted as saying by JTA News.

Men are happiest when sharing housework

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Men are happiest when sharing housework, according to a study.

Arguments decline and general happiness of the home gets better when men do more of the job of looking after the house, it says.

Husbands and boyfriends feel guilty when they don’t do their share of the work around the home, Daily Mail reported Wednesday quoting Cambridge researchers.

But it also said that men prefer a quiet life with the domestic chores to a noisier one with a discontented other half.

Pak SC asks PM to revive graft cases against Prez

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Piling up pressure on new Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday asked him to respond by July 12 to its order to reopen graft cases in Switzerland against President Asif Ali Zardari, an issue that had cost his predecessor his job.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk reminded Attorney General Irfan Qadir that former Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani had been convicted for contempt and sentenced for refusing to act on the apex court’s orders to revive the corruption cases.

“Circumcision for religious reasons is a crime”, German court triggered uproar

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Circumcision for religious reasons amounts to a crime, a German court has triggered uproar by ruling that
sparking religious outrage in the European country as reported in the German Daily The Local on Wednesday, July 28.

Chairman Islamic Religious Community Mr. Ali Demir said that “I feel the decision is discriminatory and counters efforts to promote integration,” in a statement cited by the German daily The Local.

A regional court in Cologne in western Germany ruled Tuesday that circumcision for religious reasons amounted to bodily harm and thus a crime.

Mother, daughter ticked off for ‘habit’ of lodging rape cases

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A woman and her mother have been ticked off by a Delhi court for their ”habit” of lodging false rape cases with ulterior motives, including those for grabbing property.

The court, while acquitting a man accused of raping the woman, observed that she and her mother had earlier too lodged several cases of rape, some of which have already been found to be false.

Assailants attack Microsoft HQ in Athens

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Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft in Athens early Wednesday, driving a van through the front doors and setting off an incendiary device that burned the building entrance, police said.

There were no reports of injuries in the pre-dawn attack on the US company’s headquarters in the Greek capital, located in the Maroussi suburb north of the city center.

Police said initial information indicated three people had been inside the van. They forced the two security guards at the building to leave before they reversed the van into the front entrance, smashing the door.

Bombs in Baghdad suburb kill 8

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Police in Iraq say two bombs have exploded in a Baghdad suburb, killing at least eight people.

It is the latest attack in a particularly bloody month as the Iraqi government struggles to provide security.

A police official says the first blast went off early on Wednesday morning outside a house belonging to a Shiite family in Wahda, a suburban neighbourhood just southeast of Baghdad.

Minutes later, as neighbours gathered at the scene, a second bomb exploded near the crowd.

Chavez foe demands limits on leader’s on-air talks

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Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles is demanding election officials prevent President Hugo Chavez from taking over the airwaves of the nation’s TV and radio stations for lengthy speeches while campaigning for re-election.

Capriles criticised his adversary on Tuesday for attempting to take political advantage of special broadcasts ahead of Venezuela’s October 7 presidential election, and he demanded the National Electoral Council intervene.

Adarsh scam: Deshmukh passes the buck to Chavan

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Mumbai Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Vilasrao Deshmukh leaves after being questioned by Adarsh Commission in Mumbai on Tuesday. (PTI file photo)
A day after former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde deposed before the judicial commission probing the multi-crore Adarsh scam, another former CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, who took the hot seat on Tuesday, continued with the blame game.

Ocean ‘green rust’ could scrape toxic metals

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A rare kind of mineral known as “green rust”, which could be used to scape toxic metals and radioactive species from the environment, also played a similar and crucial role early in Earth’s history.

Research suggests for the first time that ‘green rust’ was likely widespread in ancient oceans and may have played a vital role in the creation of our early atmosphere.

Led by Newcastle University, the study shows that during the Precambrian period, green rust ‘scavenged’ heavy metals such as nickel out of the water, the journal Geology reports.

CII, World Bank Group ink pact to save tiger

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The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the World Bank Group have agreed to establish the India Wildlife Business Council (IWBC) to promote tiger and biodiversity conservation for sustainable development.

A memorandum of understanding to set up the IWBC to improve the dialogue between business, conservation stakeholders as well as decision makers was signed here Tuesday by CII Deputy Director General Indrani Kar and World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick.

Women fearing childbirth have longer labour

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Women who fear childbirth tend to have longer labour than women who have no such fear, suggests a new research.

Researchers found that average labour duration was eight hours for women with fear of childbirth, compared to six hours and 28 minutes for women without fear.

The Norwegian study looked at 2,206 women with a single pregnancy who intended to deliver vaginally. Study co-author Samantha Salvesen Adams, Health Services Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway said: “Fear of childbirth seems to be an increasingly important issue in obstetric care.”