Month: March 2013

Investigation ordered into Chamel Singh’s death: Salman Bashir

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Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Salman Bashir, on Thursday said an investigation has been ordered into the death of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh, and added that there should be no anxiety over the issue.

“The Punjab Government has taken notice of it and an investigation is in process, that is all that I know that I’m in a position to convey to you and there should be no anxiety on this issue,” he told mediapersons on the sidelines of an event here.

Graeme Smith receives Test mace, India ranked third

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South Africa captain Graeme Smith Thursday received the ICC Test Championship mace and enhanced prize money of $450,000 for leading his team to the top of the championship table at the April 1 cut-off date.

It is the first time, since the current ranking system was introduced in 2003 that South Africa, have finished as the number-one ranked Test side by the cut-off date.

Man shot dead after spat with friends on Holi

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A 25-year-old man was shot dead outside his house by one of four drunken people he was playing Holi with, police said Thursday.

The incident occurred in Kalyanpuri in east Delhi Wednesday when four friends of the victim, Rahul, came to his house to play Holi.

Rahul, a cleaner with East Delhi Municipal Corporation sanitation department, came out.

“They started putting colours on each other and dancing. Soon, Rahul had a verbal spat with his friends that turned ugly. One of the men took out a pistol and shot at Rahul and the four then fled,” said a police officer

L&T completes acquisition of valve-maker Audco

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Engineering major L&T Thursday said it has completed acquisition of Audco India Limited (AIL), a leading manufacturer of industrial valves.

The $13.5 billion conglomerate bought entire stake in AIL, a joint-venture with Audco Limited, UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based Flowserve Corporation.

As a result of these transactions, L&T obtained full ownership of AIL and acquired the key product line, the company said in a regulatory filing to Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Eight killed in road accident in Haryana’s Mewat

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At least eight people died and 29 others were injured, some of them seriously, when a private bus collided head-on with a truck in Haryana’s Mewat district Thursday, police said.

The bus, ferrying passengers from Firozpur Jhirka to Barkali Chowk, collided with the truck carrying building material near Bari Kothi.

“At least eight people died on the spot and 29 were injured. Seven people, who were local residents, have been identified. Some of the injured are said to be in critical condition,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Subhash Sharma told IANS, adding that the death toll could go up.

Being defending champions brings pressure: KKR coach

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Admitting that the tag of defending champion added more pressure, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach Trevor Bayliss Thursday said the axing of their skipper Gautam Gambhir from the Indian Test team will not affect his performance in IPL’s current edition beginning April 3.

“He is a class player and has proved time and again his value for the team. His dropping from the Indian Test squad will not hamper his performance. We are looking forward for big contributions from him,” Bayliss told media persons here.

Poll panel stalls subsidised rice scheme in Karnataka

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The Election Commission Thursday directed Karnataka’s BJP government not to go ahead with its Rs.2 per kg rice distribution scheme to poor families in view of the model code of conduct (MCC) in force for the state assembly elections May 5.

“We have told the state government that sale of subsidised rice to ration card holders through the public distribution scheme would violate the MCC, which is in force since March 20 when the state assembly election was announced,” state’s chief electoral officer Anil Kumar Jha told reporters here.

National shooter attacked for protesting wife’s harassment

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National level shooter Bibaswan Ganguly and his family members were injured after they were attacked by a gang of miscreants in West Bengal’s Hooghly district after he protested their harassment of his wife, police said Thursday.

“Ganguly, his wife and some other members of his family were injured after they were attacked by a gang of seven to eight people. We are probing the matter and the culprits will be apprehended soon,” said an officer of Uttarpara police station, before which Ganguly had filed a complaint.

Karnataka BJP law-maker in sex CD row

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A CD allegedly showing Karnataka BJP law maker Raghupathi Bhat in sexual acts has surfaced, prompting him to announce that he would not contest the May 5 assembly polls in the state.

Bhat, a second-time law-maker from Udupi, about 400km west of Bangalore, however, denied he is the man shown in the CD and sought a probe to establish the truth.

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Pralhad Joshi told reporters here that the party would take action only after it is proved that the man in the CD is Bhat.

Rajinikanth surprises with fast-paced dubbing for ‘Kochadaiyaan’

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Rajinikanth has started dubbing for his upcoming Tamil period-drama “Kochadaiyaan” and the work pace of the southern superstar has amazed Oscar-winning sound engineer Resul Pookutty.

Directed by Rajinikanth’s daughter Soundarya, “Kochadaiyaan” is India’s first motion-capture film, made along the lines of “Tin Tin” and “Avatar”. The film also features R. Sarath Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Aadi Pinisetty, Shobana, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Jackie Shroff and Nasser.

New kind of supernova discovered

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Astronomers have discovered 25 examples of a new type of fainter and less energetic supernova.

The team of astronomers from Carnegie Institution reported the discovery of a new type of supernova called Type Iax.

Previously, supernovae were divided into either core-collapse or Type Ia categories. Core-collapse supernovae are the explosion of a star about 10 to 100 times as massive as our Sun. Type Ia supernovae are the complete disruption of a tiny white dwarf.

Tea, coffee can activate cancer gene

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Consumption of black and green teas, coffee and liquid smoke flavouring can activate the highest levels of a gene associated with cancer, scientists, including Indian-origin researchers, have warned.

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavourings on the DNA of cells.

They found that liquid smoke flavouring, black and green teas and coffee activated cancer-linked gene called p53.

PM raises Brahmaputra issue during first meeting with Xi

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In the first-high level contact after the leadership changes in China, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Chinese President Xi Jinping and pledged to take the ties on a “higher growth trajectory” while raising the issue of Beijing’s plans to build three dams on the Brahmaputra river.

Singh called on Xi, who took over as President earlier this month as part of the once-in-a-decade change of guard in China, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit which the two leaders attended here. This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders at the highest level.

Risk of Italy’s isolation decided marines’ return to India

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Serious and objective risks that Italy could become “isolated in the international community amid a crisis of grave proportions with India” over the two marines led the Italian government to decide to send them back to India, outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti has said.

The two marines – Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone – have been at the centre of a bilateral dispute since February 2012, when they were arrested in India on charges of shooting two Indian fishermen dead while on anti-piracy duty off its southern coast.

Katju says he will seek pardon for Sanjay Dutt, Zaibunnisa

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Notwithstanding actor Sanjay Dutt’s statement that he would not apply for mercy, Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice (retd) Markandey Katju today said that he would still go ahead and seek pardon for Dutt and 1993 Mumbai blasts case convict Zaibunnisa.

Asked about the Bollywood actor’s statement that he would not apply for mercy, Katju said, “That makes no difference to me, I am going to apply for pardon to the President and to the Governor (of Maharashtra). I think he (Dutt) and Zaibunnissa both deserve pardon.”

US Congressmen invite Modi, will work with govt for visa

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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was today invited by a US Congressional delegation to visit America notwithstanding the US administration’s denial of visa to him over the 2002 riots.

After the delegation’s meeting with Modi, Aaron Schock, a Republican in the House of Representatives who led the team, gave no assurance on a visa for Modi but said the members along with other Republican lawmakers will work with the US administration towards this end. It was the highest-level US delegation to meet Modi since the riots.

Tea, coffee flavourings linked to cancer gene

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A study has found that tea, coffee and liquid smoke flavouring can activate a gene associated with cancer.

Pairing food chemistry and cancer biology in a laboratory study, scientists at the Johns Hopkins University`s Kimmel Cancer Centre tested the potentially harmful effects of foods and flavourings on the DNA of cells.

They found that liquid smoke flavouring, black and green teas and coffee activated the highest levels of a well-known cancer-linked gene called p53.

Sex discrimination in India begins in the womb: Study

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Women in India are more likely to get prenatal care when pregnant with male babies, according to a groundbreaking study that has implications for girls` health and survival in patriarchal societies.

The study by Leah Lakdawala of Michigan State University and Prashant Bharadwaj of the University of California, San Diego, suggests sex discrimination begins in the womb in male-dominated societies such as India.

“It paints a pretty dire picture of what`s happening,” said Lakdawala, MSU assistant professor of economics.

Scientists claim to discover genes influencing cancers

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A group of scientists in Australia claimed to have discovered the genes which can increase a person`s risk of developing several cancers.

Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) has been working with an international study led by Cambridge University in England for the research project that examined the DNA make-up of more than 200,000 people, a news report said.

CM assures to protect State’s interest in Babhli issue

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Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday said that the decision on the Supreme Court verdict on Babhali Project will be taken in the best interests of the State, after taking legal opinion from the top legal experts from the Supreme Court.

Before the next move, whether it is a review petition or clarification petition, the Chief Minister said another All Party meeting will be convened here and all opinions/suggestions of the parties will be taken into consideration.

Last date to apply for Haj pilgrimage extended to March 30

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The last date for submission of applications for this year’s Haj pilgrimage has been extended from March 20 to March 30.

People aspiring to go on Haj pilgrimage can now submit their applications latest by March 30 instead of March 20, Uttarakhand Haj Committee chief Haji Rao Sher Muhammad said here today.

The date has been extended for the convenience of Haj pilgrims, he said, adding that the process for issuing passports to the applicants has also been simplified.

Who shot Bin Laden? Media feud among Navy SEALs

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A new version of the events surrounding the killing of Osama Bin Laden was unveiled sharply contradicting earlier claims by a Navy SEAL who said he pulled the trigger. Esquire magazine published a long interview in February with a man identified only as “the shooter” who said he had shot

 

 

the Al-Qaeda leader twice in the head on the night of the May 1, 2011 raid on his Pakistan hideout.

The commando said he had been alone when he entered bin Laden’s third floor room in his Abbottabad hideout.

 

Kiran Asks Police To Ensure Crime-Free Society

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Chief Minister N.Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday reminded the police that have a tremendous responsibility to get of crime in the society and ensure safety of protection of the people.

The Chief Minister was speaking on the occasion of the passing out parade at the A.P. State Police Academy when 1265 Sub-Inspectors were commissioned after completion of one year training. Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy and DGP Dinesh Reddy besides senior IPS and IAS officials were present.

APIIC official appears before CBI court

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Former APIIC Zonal Manager Dasaradharami Reddy has appeared before the CBI special court here today.

He appeared before the court in connection with the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s disproportionate assets case.

Recently former Special Advisor to the Government KVP Ramachandra Rao was summoned by CBI and he was questioned for one full day. Earlier, some former officials of APIIC had deposed before the court in this connection. (INN)

YSR CSO appears before CBI court

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It seems, the Central Bureau of Investigation is expediting the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s DA case.

Former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s Chief Security Officer Ramesh Reddy on Thursday deposed before the CBI court. The IPS officer is now the SP of West Godavari district. (INN)