Month: February 2013

Sharmila Tagore hospitalised, misses inaugural Pataudi lecture

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The inaugural Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Memorial lecture was unfortunately missed by the late cricketer’s immediate family members with wife Sharmila Tagore being hospitalised because of bout of food poisoning. “I am really very sad that I couldn’t make it to Chennai for the inaugural lecture. I am suffering from severe bout of food poisoning and it became impossible for me to attend the event. I fell so ill that I have been admitted to a local nursing home,” the veteran actor told PTI from Aashlok nursing home where she has been admitted.

MBA student among three held for fomenting communal trouble

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Three persons, including an MBA student, were arrested today for allegedly torching cars with an intention to reignite the communal flare-up in Old City area during the row over Bhagyalaxmi temple issue last year, police said. “The sleuths of south zone Task Force apprehended Khaja Mohammed Mujeebuddin alias Mujeeb, a second-year MBA student, Mohd Luqman and Mohd Jaffar Patel alias Jaffar”, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) LKV Ranga Rao.

Lot needs to be done for security of women: Aishwarya Rai

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Former beauty queen and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan feels strongly about safety of women in the country and says a lot needs to be done to make them feel secure. The 39-year-old actress, also a mother of a one-year-old girl, says she is angry because a lot is being said but very little action is taken to rectify the situation. “I don’t feel fear, rather there is a lot of anger and I don’t hesitate to say this. Many of us are privileged to have a lot of assurance about our safety but most of the women in our country do not have that.

Doctor booked for conducting sex determination tests

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A lady doctor was detained and her clinic raided for allegedly conducting sex determination tests, a district health official said today. Renuka Shah, who ran a clinic near the Jamnagar Civil Hospital, allegedly conducted a sex determination test to determine the gender of the child a woman was carrying, the official said. When a team of district health officials raided her clinic, it was found that she had taken Rs 10,000 from the woman despite test reports confirming that the woman was carrying a dead child.

25 vehicles set on fire during trade union protest,50 arrested

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Over 25 vehicles were set ablaze and several industrial units damaged as the nationwide strike by trade unions today turned violent, prompting police to arrest 50 persons. Taking a serious note, Divisional Commissioner Meerut has ordered a inquiry into the violence by a senior official. The SHO has been transferred and attached to police lines, while two policemen and as many fire personnel were injured in the violence. Workers went on a rampage in Noida Phase 2 area and damaged industrial properties and set vehicles, including a fire brigade, on fire.

Attacks on journalists rise in Bangladesh: Amnesty

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A string of recent violent attacks against journalists and media workers, including the murder of a blogger in Bangladesh, shows the urgent need to better protect individuals commenting on Bangladesh’s ongoing war crimes tribunal, Amnesty International has said. The latest attack which took place yesterday morning left a journalist from an online news site seriously injured. Those targeted include journalists and bloggers calling on the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to impose death sentences on people accused of mass scale human rights abuses during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war.

Sixty more swine flu cases in Delhi, total 570

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Sixty people tested positive for swine flu here Wednesday, taking the total number of those infected by the Influenza A (H1N1) virus to 570, an official said.

“Sixty people tested positive for swine flu, but there have been no deaths today (Wednesday),” a doctor of the Delhi Health Service (DHS) told IANS.

According to doctors, there has been a sudden spurt in the number of swine flu cases; there were 39 cases and one death in January alone, and 531 cases and 10 deaths in February as of Wednesday.

‘Sharif beleived Pak army would get him for Kargil truce’

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Even as Nawaz Sharif struck a deal with US President Bill Clinton in July, 1999, to end the Kargil conflict with India, the then premier believed that the powerful Pakistani army would “get” him for brokering a truce.

Sharif never doubted there would be a military takeover and while the agreement was being documented, he anxiously whispered to Clinton, “They will get me Mr President.” Clinton quipped, “Yours is a rogue army. Keep them under civilian oversight”.

Modi woos all sections in Gujarat budget

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The Narendra Modi government today presented Budget 2013-14 for Gujarat at Rs 1,14,450 crore, trying to ensure “inclusive and comprehensive” development by bringing all sections of society on board amid talk of the national role for its leader.

While the Budget levies new taxes of Rs 289 crore, it gives tax relief of Rs 245 crore to different sectors, generating an overall surplus of Rs 840.45 crore.

The budgetary allocations in areas of women and child development, health, education and youth and cultural departments has gone up by Rs 4,053 crore, to Rs 24,586 crore.

Shinde regrets ‘Hindu terrorism’ remarks

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A day ahead of parliament’s budget session, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Wednesday expressed regret for his “Hindu terrorism” remark that threatened to stall the functioning of the house and was roundly criticised by the BJP.

“Since a controversy has been created on account of my statement, I am issuing this clarification and express regret to those who felt hurt by my statement,” Shinde said.

The minister said his statement in Jaipur last month has created a misunderstanding.

Microsoft unveils IT tools for the disabled

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In a bid to empower the physically challenged with computer education and heighten their employment prospects, Microsoft India Wednesday showcased several IT tools that promise to help the handicapped take to computers.

Be it the magnifying function on the mouse which enlarges a particular area on the computer screen for partially visually impaired people or the narrator which reads out data written on the screen — the tools were a hit.

World’s only ‘coffee-fueled’ vehicle sets Guinness speed record in UK

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London, Feb 20 (ANI): A truck in the United Kingdom has been touted as the only vehicle in the world using coffee chaff pellets as fuel, and has also set a speed record in the Guinness World Records to go more than 65 metres per hour (mph). The specially modified Ford P100 pick-up truck is owned by an English conservationist Martin Bacon and is commissioned by a food brand, The Co-operative Food, the Daily Mail reports. The truck had achieved the speed record at the Woodford Aerodrome in Cheshire, England.

`Smoking rock` that can inhale cigarette in 5 mins found in China

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London, Feb 20 (ANI): A rock found in China can inhale a cigarette in under five minutes, it has been revealed.

Mystery surrounds the nicotine-addicted rock, which was put on show by collector Luo Yuanshui, from Longyan in southeast China’s Fujian Province.

Cigarettes, with variations for length and brand, take around six minutes to burn down naturally if left unsmoked, the Daily Mail reported.

Luo said that his puffing pebble knocks an incredible minute off that time, somehow.

He said that he found the 2.2kg rock in the mountains of Shangyou.

Protests erupt in Karnataka after Centre notifies Cauvery Tribunal’s Award

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Mysore, Feb. 20 (ANI): Protests erupted here in Karnataka on Wednesday after the Central Government endorsed a gazette notification of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s (CWDT) final award.

Under the banner of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Karnataka protection forum), the protestors damaged the windowpanes and furniture of the Divisional Railway Manager’s office and pelted stones on police officials.

The CWDT awarded both the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to share 270 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet of water.

BJP welcomes and accepts Shinde’s apology over his ‘Hindu terror’ remark

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New Delhi, Feb. 20 (ANI): Welcoming Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s apology over his ‘Hindu terror’ remark, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday accepted his regret and said that though satisfied now, but it would have been better if the former had regretted much earlier.

“We accept the Home Minister’s apology and now we are happy that the Parliament would function peacefully. But, we again warn the government that such baseless allegation will compromise the national interests and national security,” said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.

Tsunami survivor India’s medal hope at Asian Cycling Championships

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Tsunami survivor Deborah is making rapid strides in cycling and has emerged as one of India’s best bet in the Asian Championships scheduled here March 7-17.

Deborah, 17, had to take shelter in a forest after the tsunami hit Car Nicobar island in 2004. Her family managed to get things back on track and she soon she took up cycling, a sport she says is popular in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Urdu varsity for exchange with Saudi universities

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Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Miyan Wednesday proposed academic exchange programme between his varsity and universities of Saudi Arabia.

Addressing a seminar on “Teaching Arabic language in India: curricula and scope for promotion”, he said MANUU with the approval from the government of India could start exchange programmes.

Undertrial shot dead, cop injured in Delhi court

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An undertrial was shot dead and an escorting Delhi Police constable was injured when two men opened fire in a city court Wednesday. One of the attackers has been arrested, police said.

The firing was the outcome of a gang war, police said.

The attack took place in the Rohini court compelx in north Delhi around noon when police presented Naveen, 25, an undertrial in a murder case, in the court for hearing, a police official said.

Akbar Owaisi moves HC seeking relief from numerous cases

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MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on Wednesday approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking relief from being subjected to numerous cases in different courts for his alleged hate speech.

The High Court has posted the case for next hearing during next week.

Low Calorie Kheer

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Try this healthy lip-smacking dessert today!

Ingredients:

¼ cup Cashew Nuts (powdered)
½ kg Dates
100 g Jaggery
Silver Vark for Garnishing
1 tsp Green Cardamom (powdered)
1 cup Broken Wheat
1 litre Skimmed Milk

Procedure:

In a pressure cooker, boil dry & roasted wheat for 10 minutes.
Now add jaggery, milk and diced dates.
Cook until reduced and thickened.
Now mix cashew (powdered) and cardamom; cook for 5 minutes approximately.
Garnish it with silver vark and serve it hot.

Yogurt Fruit Salad

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Try this mouth-watering, healthy salad!

Ingredients

16 ounces thick and creamy key lime pie yogurt
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup strawberry halves
2 cups green grapes
1 cup blueberries
2 cups cubed cantaloupe
¼ cup flaked or shredded coconut, toasted

Step 1
Mix yogurt and orange juice; set aside.
Step 2
In 2 1/2-quart clear glass bowl, layer fruit in order listed. Pour yogurt mixture over fruit. Sprinkle with coconut. Serve immediately.

India, Israel to enhance cooperation on counter-terrorism

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India and Israel today agreed to enhance dialogue and cooperation in the area of counter- terrorism and discussed terror threats in regional and globalarenas.

The discussions were part of the 8th meeting of India- Israel Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism held
here.

The Indian delegation was headed by Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Special Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Israeli delegation was co-led by Ambassador Jeremy Issascharof, Deputy Director General, Head of Strategic

Congress hopes all parties will cooperate for smooth functioning of Parliament

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A day before the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament, the Congress party on Wednesday expressed the hope that all the political parties will cooperate for smooth proceeding of the session, saying some very critical Bills needed to be cleared.

“It is a very important session and some very critical Bills are coming up, we hope that we will get cooperation from all the parties,” said Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit, while addressing a press conference here.