Month: March 2013

Support US resolution against Sri Lanka: Karunanidhi

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DMK president M Karunanidhi on Wednesday urged the central government to announce that it would support the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka in the UN Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

In a letter to party cadres referring to the general strike called by Tamil Eelam Supporter’s Organisation (TESO) March 12, Karunanidhi said: “The central government without further delay should come forward in support of the US resolution and it should immediately announce its decision to that effect.”

Saina reaches pre-quarterfinals of All England Championship

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Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal on Wednesday made a positive start to her campaign at the All England Championship by notching up a difficult three-game victory over Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand to reach the pre-quarterfinals of the badminton tournament here.

The 22-year-old took 53 minutes to get across Sapsiree 21-8, 18-21, 21-16 in the opening round of the women’s singles competition at the National Indoor Arena here. She will next take on the winner of the match between Belaetrix Manuputi and Minatsu Mitani.

Unidentified men kidnap, rape 3-year-old girl

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In a horrific incident, a three-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by some unidentified persons and later abandoned near a building in Tirur, police said on Wednesday.

The child, belonging to a migrant Tamil family, was sleeping with her mother near a hospital on Monday night but next morning she was found missing, they said.

Government committed for women’s safety: PM

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that his government was committed to ensure the safety and security of every woman of the country.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the motion of thanks for the President’s speech, Manmohan Singh said: “Let me reiterate in this house the commitment of our government to ensuring the dignity, safety and security of every woman of this country”.

“The Nirbhaya Fund of Rs 1,000 crore announced by the finance minister (P Chidambaram) is further testimony of our government’s commitment,” he said.

Police raid cafe for illegally running hookah business

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Police today raided a cafe here at Supermart One in DLF Phase IV here for illegally running hookah business.

“A police team raided the cafe after we got a tip-off that hookah was served to customers there. We arrested its owner and two other persons besides seizing hookahs, flavoured tobacco,” Gurgaon Police Commissioner Alok Mittal told reporters.

A case has been registered under Section 188 of the IPC against the arrested persons for disobeying the government order promulgated in this regard, he said.

——PTI

Aggressive Manmohan Singh says UPA did better than NDA

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An unusually aggressive Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday took on the BJP saying the Congress-led UPA performed better than the BJP-led NDA.

“Our work and performance are the best judges,” the prime minister told the Lok Sabha while replying to the discussion on the motion of thanks on President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to a joint sitting of both houses of parliament.

He also expressed the hope that people would vote the ruling UPA back to power in 2014 as they did in 2004 and 2009.

Fresh IB inputs: Red Alert sounded in City

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With the inputs from national Intelligence agencies, the Hyderabad city police stepped up security measures like checking of motorists and bikers at all the busy centers in the State capital. High alert has been sounded in the state, especially in the twin cities and surrounding areas, and security has been beefed up at all important temples for the ensuing Sivaratri festival.

Gehlot announces laptops for journalists

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Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today announced laptops for accredited journalists and increased the amount of mediclaim policy for them from Rs two lakh to Rs five lakh.

In his budget speech, Gehlot also proposed to reduced the age limit from 62 to 60 years for monthly assistance amount of Rs 5,000 for eligible accredited journalists.

Gehlot also announced Rs five crore each for Journalist- Litterateur fund and artists fund.

–Agencies

15 injured in clashes in Kashmir

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Clashes between stone-pelting mobs and the security forces continued Wednesday at many places in Kashmir leaving 15 people injured, including seven security force personnel, even as curfew continued in many Srinagar areas and other parts of the Valley.

“Stone-pelting mobs clashed with the security forces in Batamaloo, Bemina, Parimpora, Zakoora, Soura, Nowhatta, Padshashi Bagh, Mehjoor Nagar and a couple of other places in Srinagar city,” police here said.

IIM-B student prefers entrepreneurship to job

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Breaking from convention, a bright student of the state-run Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) has preferred to be an entrepreneur in the education sector.

Opting out of placements for a lucrative job voluntarily, Aditya Kulkarni of the 2011-13 batch at the B-school in post-graduate management programme has co-founded ‘Learning Outcomes’ start-up with a view to making child assessment in schools a holistic process.

SC reserves verdict on Amit Shah’s plea

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The Supreme Court Wednesday reserved its verdict on a petition by Gujarat’s former minister of state for home Amit Shah challenging the filing of a separate chargesheet by the CBI in the Tulsiram Prajapati killing case.

Prajapti was killed in a police shootout Dec 28, 2006.

The apex court bench of Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice B.S. Chauhan reserved the verdict upon the conclusion of arguments by senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani, who appeared for Shah, and Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval who represented the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

One gang-rape, four rapes in Delhi

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In five separate cases, a woman was allegedly gang-raped in a moving car while four minors were raped here, police said Wednesday.

In the first incident, a 25-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by four people in a moving car in east Delhi’s Welcome area Monday night.

The incident came to light after the woman was found by a Police Control Room (PCR) van lying in an unconscious condition near a dustbin in east Delhi’s New Jafrabad area Tuesday morning. The woman was taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where her condition is stated to be out of danger.

Salman Khan seeks quashing of charges

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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan Wednesday sought the quashing of charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against him in a 2002 hit-and-run case.

The sessions court, however, deferred the arguments in the case to March 8, since a magistrate had referred the case for trial.

Sessions Judge A.N. Patil told Salman Khan’s lawyer Ashok Mundargi that the appeal for quashing the charges should be filed in the Bombay High Court.

Hindutva key to forming next govt, says VHP patron

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The next government at the centre will be formed with the support of Hindutva forces after the 2014 general elections, and Narendra Modi could be a catalyst in that, Vishwa Hindu Parishad patron Ashok Singhal said on Wednesday.”In 2014, the government will be formed with the support of the Hindutva forces and Narendra Modi may be a catalyst,” Singhal told reporters.

Responding to a question on his preference for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate, Singhal said, “It is up to the BJP. It will have to choose an able person who can take the Hindu society forward.”

Chavez played important role in radicalising Latin American politics: Yechury

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Tripura, Mar. 6 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday said the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was a profound loss and a major setback to the radicalisation movement in Latin America.

“Along with Fidel Castro of Cuba, Chavez played a very important role in radicalising the whole of Latin American politics and immediate result was the Bolivian government of Morales in Bolivia and Bolivia, Venezuela and Cuba played the key core in the process of radicalisation, which is now seen in nine countries anti-American forces winning,” said Yechury.

UPA will continue to focus on inclusive growth: PM

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New Delhi, Mar. 6 (ANI): Expressing concern over the current slowdown in industrial growth, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the UPA Government will continue to focus on inclusive growth.

Dr. Singh said the government is fully capable of putting the country back on a high-growth path of 7-8 percent.

“We need to increase investment in infrastructure. Aim to achieve GDP of 8 percent in 12th Plan,” he said, while winding up the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President”s address in the Lok Sabha.

NYC sex workers avoiding condoms due to fear of getting caught for prostitution

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New York, Mar 6 (ANI): Carrying condoms has resulted in arrest for a growing number of women in New York.

Experts said that the issue may be contributing to a public health crisis in which sex workers are beginning to use condoms less frequently.

In an incident cited by Vice magazine, a New York woman was arrested and charged with “loitering for the purpose of prostitution” after an officer found a condom in her purse, the New York Daily News reported.

Syrian refugees fleeing war-ravaged country hit 1mln mark, says UN

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Islamabad, Mar. 6 (ANI): The number of Syrians who have fled the war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance has now reached the one million mark, the United Nations’ refugee agency has said.

In a statement released in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said that the figure is based on reports from his agency’s field offices in neighbouring countries that have provided refuge to Syrians escaping the civil war.

Woman molested, robbed by duo in autorickshaw

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A 22-year-old woman was molested and robbed by miscreants after she accepted their offer for a lift in an autorickshaw in Masuri area of the district, police said on Wednesday.

The two arrested youths Ankit and Pervez were involved in the theft of an autorickshaw from Dasna before

they approached the woman, a resident of Delhi, and molested her, superintendent of police (rural) Jagdish Sharma said.
Sharma said they were taking a drive in the stolen vehicle when they came upon the woman, who works in a Noida firm.

Cyberabad police plans help desks for women’s safety

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In order to curb crime against women, Cyberabad Police here has started the process of setting up exclusive women help desks across all its police stations.

The existing reception centres in 40-odd police stations under Cyberabad Police Commissionerate will also act as ‘exclusive women help desks’, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Ch Dwarka Tirumala Rao said.

Insomnia `can triple your risk of heart failure`

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Washington, March 6 (ANI): People who suffer from insomnia have an increased risk of developing heart failure, according to a new study.

The study followed 54,279 people between the ages of 20-89 for an average of more than 11 years, and found that those who suffered from three symptoms of insomnia had a more than three-fold increased risk of developing heart failure compared to those with no insomnia symptoms.

Why fish is so good for your health

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Washington, March 6 (ANI): Scientists of Jena University and Jena University Hospital have shed light on why fish is a healthy diet.

Fish is easy to digest and with a high level of precious proteins, fish is considered an important part of a healthy diet.

Playing video games makes old people happier

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Washington, March 6 (ANI): Older adults who play video games report higher levels of emotional well-being, North Carolina State University researchers say.

Researchers asked 140 people aged 63 and older how often they played video games, if at all. The study participants then took a battery of tests to assess their emotional and social well-being. 61 percent of study participants played video games at least occasionally, with 35 percent of participants saying they played at least once per week.

Iran declares day of mourning following Chavez death

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Tehran, March 6 (Xinhua-ANI): The Iranian government declared a day of mourning on Wednesday following the death of Venezuela”s President Hugo Chavez, local media reported.

On Tuesday, Venezuela”s President Chavez died in a military hospital in capital Caracas of Venezuela.

In honor of the deceased president, the Iranian government declared a mourning day in the country on Wednesday, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Green tea holds promise against Alzheimer”s

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Washington, March 6 (ANI): Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that a molecule in green tea can prevent misfolding of specific proteins in the brain, which is associated with amyloid plaques in Alzheimer”s disease.

The aggregation of these proteins, called metal-associated amyloids, is also associated with other neurodegenerative conditions.