Month: November 2012

The US planned to blow up the Moon with a nuclear bomb during the Cold War as a show of strength, a British media report said Wednesday.

American military chiefs allegedly devised the secret project, “A Study of Lunar Research Flights” – or “Project A119” – in the hope that the then Soviet Union would be intimidated by viewing the nuclear flash from the Earth, the Telegraph reported.

It would have given the US a much needed morale boost after the Russians successfully launched Sputnik in 1957, according to physicist Leonard Reiffel, who was involved in the project.

A CBI court on Wednesday dismissed the bail plea of YSR Congress leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in the alleged disproportionate assets case.

The special CBI judge dismissed one of his bail petition and adjourned hearing on another bail petition to November 30.

The Kadapa MP, currently under judicial remand and lodged in the Chanchalguda Central Prison in Hyderabad since his arrest on May 27 by the CBI on corruption charges, had on November 16 filed two separate pleas seeking bail.

The union sports ministry has ties with eight countries, including China, for cooperation in the field of sports.

Sports Minister Jitendra Singh, in his response to a question in the Lok Sabha, informed that India has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Argentina, Brazil, Belarus, China, Cuba, Turkey, Mauritius and New Zealand.

With the BJP and the Left parties sticking to their demand for a discussion on FDI in retail under a rule that entails voting, former UPA ally Trinamool Congress on Wednesday said it would take a stand only after Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar took a decision, but ruled out voting in favour of the government.

Its raining TV stars on ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.

“KBC with the TV stars -`Bade Acche Lagte Hain` – Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar, and `Kuch Toh Log Kahenge` with Sharad Kelkar and Kritika Kamra,” tweeted host Amitabh Bachchan Tuesday.

“Both groups playing for their respective charity… fun, informative and in the presence of beautifully talented artists,” added the 70-year-old veteran.

IANS

He is passionate about his work and believes in the power of cinema, the reason why he mostly manages to hit Box Office bull`s eye, says Karan Johar, the successful director and the man behind Dharma Productions.

“I am a great believer in cinema. I love films. I love the magic of the movies. And I think when you love the movies, you create the movies,” Karan told reporters in an exclusive interview.

This is true of everyone who is involved with his production house Dharma Productions, said Karan.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 kg Strawberries
4 cups Sugar (Cheeni)
1 tsp citric acid

How to make strawberry jam:
Remove the stalks and wash the strawberries.
Put the fruit in a heavy pan and stir till it boils, mash, and add sugar and lemon juice.
Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Remove the scum.
Boil rapidly till it sets when tested.
Cool, pour into clean and dry jars.
Seal with wax and close the lid tightly.

Private placement of listed debt securities seem to be gaining traction among Indian companies for raising funds, with the total amount raised through this route crossing Rs 2 trillion mark since the beginning of the current fiscal.

The Indian companies have raised a total of Rs 2,11,308 crore till October 31 in the current financial year 2012-13 — marking a sharp increase of 56 percent from the year-ago period, as per the data compiled by capital market regulator Sebi.

In private placements of debt, companies issue debt securities or bonds to institutional investors to raise capital.

The Income Tax department has decided to begin prosecution action against those having “substantial” amounts in their bank accounts in HSBC’s Geneva branch.

The department has now written to the Finance Ministry to suggest a benchmark for funds held on the basis of which the I-T department can initiate legal action for tax evasion and tax theft.

Top sources said a benchmark of about Rs five crore is being mulled for initiating court proceedings against those Indians whose names have figured on the secret list of HSBC Geneva, supplied to India by the French government.

As China unveiled its plans to become a maritime power after commissioning its first aircraft carrier, its strategic analysts say India and China can “rule waves together” by addressing contradictions in their “overlapping” maritime strategies.

“It is natural that China and India, as two regional emerging powers, will possess similar and even overlapping maritime interests,” an article from an official think tank in the state-run Global Times said on Wednesday.

At least 90 Pakistani infiltrators entered India through the Indo-Pak border this year, raising serious concern in the security establishment.

Apart from the Pakistani infiltrators, seven Bangladeshi nationals also entered India illegally through the border despite heightened security, according to a Home Ministry estimate, prepared on the basis of ground report sent by intelligence agencies.

Three Russian warships will enter Mumbai on Wednesday to hold joint naval exercises, code-named ‘INDRA’, with the Indian Navy from December 2.

The two-day naval exercises will be held off the coast of Mumbai from December 2 where the Indian side would be represented by Delhi Class destroyer INS Mysore and Tabar Class guided missile frigate along with different types of aircraft in the force, Navy officials said here.

The Russian side has come with destroyer Marshal Shaponishkov, fleet tug ship Alatau and fleet tanker Irkut for the exercises, they said.

Tehran has dismissed media reports stating it held secret talks with Washington.

Iran said that the alleged talks were an attempt by US politicians to encourage a bigger turnout in November presidential polls.

“As long as the US sticks to past policies, there will be no need for negotiations,” reported Press TV quoting Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast.

“When fair conditions for talks are provided, we will welcome [negotiations], but we have not yet observed any fundamental change [in US behaviour].”

IANS

NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has lent support to a British charity’s initiative to establish playgrounds dedicated to giving a secure playing environment to disabled children.

Lord Paul and his wife Aruna, who lost their young daughter Ambika in 1968, visited the playground last evening and spent some time with the children at the site.

On the occasion, Aruna also unveiled a plaque in memory of their daughter who died at the age of four after a battle with leukaemia.

Egyptian judiciary has rejected a request made for transferring country’s former president Hosni Mubarak from prison hospital to a military hospital, Xinhua reported.

Mubarak and his former interior minister Habib al-Adli are serving life sentence in prison over charge of ordering to kill protesters during the uprising last year.

The country’s Cairo Administrative Court refused Tuesday the appeal to transfer Mubarak from the hospital of Tora prison to a military hospital, according to official news agency MENA.

Seven members of a family were shot in a town near Baghdad Wednesday, while six others were injured in two blasts in the Iraqi capital, Xinhua reported.

Before dawn, unidentified gunmen broke into a house of a leader of a government-backed Awakening Council group in the town of Tarmiyah, some 30 km north of Baghdad, and shot him dead with their silenced weapons, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attackers also shot dead two women and four children of his family before they fled the scene, the source said.

Praising the contribution made by immigrants, including Indians, to the UK, opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband has asserted there is no going back on the multi-ethnic diversity in Britain.

Miliband, who was the Chief Guest at the annual Diwali Banquet of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan UK, cited NRI hotelier Joginder Sanger, the chairman of the bhavan was an example of the success of immigrants to this country.

Siasat has begun providing educational aid to Assam victims through Siasat Millat Fund. Siasat had announced collection of Millat fund for the victims of the worst riot of Assam, on which readers of Siasat, philanthropists of India and abroad sent generous donations. Mr. Zahed Ali Khan collected information regarding requirement of Muslim families in Assam. He also consulted local political leaders and other leaders of Muslim organizations, after which Siasat has decided to spend the fund on the educational development of the victims.

The US special envoy to Af-Pak, Marc Grossman, is stepping down after leading the American diplomatic campaign in the volatile region for two years as President Barack Obama’s pointsman to the crucial zone.

Grossman would be replaced by his Deputy Special US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, David D Pearce in an acting capacity. His resignation would come into effect from December 14.

Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had roped in Grossman, a former State Department diplomat, after the sudden death of Richard Holbrooke, in 2010.

A remarkable demonstration of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood was seen at Care hospital, when a Muslim woman saved the life of a Hindu by donating her kidney. At the same time a Hindu woman donated her kidney for a Muslim man and both the lives were saved.

The rare kidney transplanted at Care hospital was successful. This was the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh.

Miscreants have prepared a structure on the land, right in front of Eidgah Mir Aalam entrance; and efforts are on to give it a shape of temple. Puja was performed at the place last year on the occasion of Bonal festival inspite of the fact that there was no sign of a temple in the past. Sources have to say that in a hush hush move, at first kum kum was sprayed at the tree right in front of the right-side entrance of Eidgah. Locals didn’t pay attention to it. Then a boulder was placed there. Gradually the number of boulders increased; then it was tried to create a temple structure.

At least 90 Pakistani infiltrators entered India through the Indo-Pak border this year, raising serious concern in the security establishment.

Apart from the Pakistani infiltrators, seven Bangladeshi nationals also entered India illegally through the border despite heightened security, according to a Home Ministry estimate, prepared on the basis of ground report sent by intelligence agencies.

Physicist Albert Einstein’s brain, though of average size, contained an unusually high number of folds which may have provided the genius with the ability to think in “extraordinary ways”, scientists claim.

The Nobel Prize-winning scientist’s brain was divided into 240 blocks and distributed to researchers after his death in 1955. Most of the specimens were lost and little was written about its anatomy.

The criticism against Sachin Tendulkar might be mounting rapidly after a string of poor performances but his former India teammate Rahul Dravid feels the senior batsman is needed “more than ever now”.

Tendulkar has been a major disappointment in the ongoing four-Test series against England which is tied at 1-1 after the visitors humiliated the hosts by 10 wickets in the second Test in Mumbai.

“India need him now more than ever. At 1-1 in a tight series, it’s going to be very important for senior players to stand up and who better than Sachin to do that,” Dravid said.

A delegation of social and religious personalities belonging to minority community called on chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday and expressed thanks on formation of commissionerate for minorities. The delegation was comprised of representatives of Muslim, Christian and Sikh communities.

Chief Minister told the delegation that Minority Welfare schemes are seriously being implemented and the government has not implemented them keeping elections in view.