Month: March 2013

Nitish beats Narendra Modi in ‘pichkari’ battle

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It is a contest between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi — and the former is ahead. “Pichkaris (colour sprinklers)” with pictures of the two leaders are doing brisk business in the markets here ahead of Holi.

Pichkaris bearing the photos of the two are more popular than those with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former chief minister Lalu Prasad.

“Demand for pichkaris with pictures of Nitish is high among girls, youth and children,” shopkeeper Maheshwar Singh said on the eve of Holi, the festival of colours.

Gang-rape accused seeks tutor for IAF exam

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One of the accused in the Delhi gang-rape has sought a tutor to prepare for an interview with the Indian Air Force (IAF), his counsel said here Tuesday.

Accused Vinay Sharma’s counsel moved an application before the fast-track court hearing his case seeking that a “tutor be provided to Vinay to help him prepare” for his interview for C grade category of the IAF and that “he will serve” the force.

‘Watching too much TV may turn kids anti-social’

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Children who watch TV for more than three hours a day are at a higher risk of developing antisocial behaviour such as fighting and stealing, a new UK study has warned.

According to the Glasgow University researchers, as many as 15 per cent of five-year-olds who spend at least three hours in front of the television each day are at a slightly higher risk of anti-social behaviour by the age of seven.

However, there was no noticeable impact of computer or other video games on behaviour, ‘The Telegraph’ reported.

Green Rice

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Ingredients
•Basmati rice,cooked 3 cup
•Spinach 10-15 leaves
•Green capsicum,1/4 inch pieces 2 medium
•Green peas 1/2 cup
•Oil 3 tablespoon
•Garlic,finely chopped 10-15 clove
•Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
•Green chilli,roughly chopped 4
•Onion ,cut into ¼ inch pieces SEGMENTS SEPERATED 2 medium
•Salt to taste
•Lemon juice 1 teaspoon
Method

16 years consent age for sex existed in IPC, 1860: Shinde

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Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday cited the 153-year-old IPC to defend his proposal for lowering the consent age for sex to 16 years, days after the anti-rape Bill passed by Parliament retained the age at 18.

Shinde, who was speaking at a conference on Police Reforms in the country, termed the criticism of his move for lowering the age as “ignorance of law” by some people.

“The consent age of 16 years was incorporated in IPC (Indian Penal Code) in 1860. No one had looked into it (then) but when my ordinance came for correcting this…Whole Parliament was against it.

Chicken Tikka Masala tossed with Pasta

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Ingredients
•Boneless chicken,cut into thin strips 60 grams
•Boneless chicken,thinly sliced 20 grams
•Fusilli,boiled 1 cup
•Oil 2 tablespoons
•Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon
•Onions,chopped 2-3
•Garlic,chopped 4-6 cloves
•Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
•Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
•Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
•Tomatoes,pureed 2-3
•Processed cheese,grated 1/4 cup
•Green olives,pitted 8-10
•Salt to taste
•Parsley,chopped 1 tablespoon
•Crushed black peppercorns 1 teaspoon
•Tofu,cut into small cubes 100 grams
Method

President greets nation on Holi

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President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday greeted the people on Holi and expressed hope that the festival of colours will strengthen faith in national values and promote oneness and harmony.

“On the joyous occasion of Holi, I convey my greetings and good wishes to all my fellow countrymen. This festival which marks the advent of spring, is a harbinger of joy, hope and fulfilment for all.

Place that transformed Gandhi into ‘Mahatma’

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India sent Gandhi to South Africa and South Africa sent back to India a Mahatma. This is often quoted by South Africans to reflect the strong bonding the two nations share. And the place that transformed India’ Father of the Nation is not far from this city.

It was in Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal province, some 80 km from here, where the infamous incident took place in 1893 when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a “brown-skinned” youth, was thrown out of a first class compartment at the instance of a European despite holding a valid ticket.

‘Centre should show courage to remove AFSPA’

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Commenting on the simmering issue of removing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the Valley, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that the Central Government should show a gut to experiment with its removal.

“If the central government could hang Afzal Guru knowing well that it would have repercussions in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, then why cannot it gather the courage to remove AFSPA? I do not understand this,” Abdullah told media here.

He further questioned the Delhi police’s role in arrest of alleged Hizbul Mujahideen militant Liyaqat Ali Shah.

Noodle Tadka

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Ingredients
•Noodles,boiled 2 cups
•Oil 3 tablespoons
•Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
•Curry leaves 8-10
•Onions,chopped 2 medium
•Potatoes,peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes 2 medium
•Shelled green peas 1 cup
•Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
•Green chillies,chopped 4
•Salt to taste
•Peanuts,fried 1/2 cup
•Lemon juice 3 tablespoons
•Scraped coconut 1/2 cup
•Fresh coriander leaves,chopped 3 tablespoons
Method

Ebisu Statue, Torii Gate wash up on US West coast

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Parts of a Japanese torii gate and a wooden statue of the luck god Ebisu were found on the US West Coast last week, leaving residents wondering if they were swept to sea from Japan’s Tohoku region after the 2011 Tsunami.

Local residents in Oceanside, Oregon, found what appears to be the top of a torii, a kind of traditional gate usually found at shinto shrines, on March 22 according to Chris Havel, a spokesperson at the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation.

US witnesses big jump in same-sex marriage support

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As the US Supreme Court hears two landmark cases on same-sex marriage, public support for such unions has witnessed a huge spurt with the coming out of several politicians on both sides of the political divide.

Two Democratic senators Monday joined other high-profile politicians like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in coming out in support of same-sex marriage ahead of the Supreme Court arguments Tuesday and Wednesday.

Pipeline attack in Iraq halts oil exports

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Insurgents blew up a major oil pipeline in northern Iraq, halting the country’s oil exports via Turkey, a police source said Tuesday.

The attack took place late Monday when gunmen bombed the oil pipeline near the area of Tulool al-Baj, some 250 km north of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua.

The blast struck the main pipeline that convey crude oil from Iraq’s largest refinery in Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, heading north to Turkey and then to its port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea.

Myanmar riot death toll rises to 40

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The death toll in a communal riot in Myanmar has risen to 40, according to an official media report on Tuesday.

The toll rose from 32 as eight more bodies were found when troops cleared the wreckage in the wake of the riot which lasted three days in Meikhtila from March 20, leaving 9,600 people homeless.

Meikhtila is in Myanmar’s northern Mandalay region, Xinhua reported.

The situation is now normal following the declaration of a state of emergency and with the intervention of the army to help bring about peace.

Vendor arrested under blasphemy law in Pakistan

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Pakistani police have arrested a vendor under the controversial blasphemy law for allegedly burning the pages of Quran in Lahore, officials said on Tuesday.

Police had to rescue Ghulam Hussain, said to be in his thirties, from an angry mob that gathered outside his house in Shahdara area of Lahore yesterday.

“Before the angry mob broke into Hussain’s home, police reached the area and controlled the situation,” a senior police official said.

A case was registered against Hussain under the blasphemy law.

Kayani meets caretaker PM; briefs him on security situation

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Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Tuesday briefed caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso on the security situation across the country ahead of the general election scheduled for May 11.

Kayani called on Khoso at the Prime Minister’s House this morning and briefed him on “security matters and remained with him for some time”, an official spokesman said.

The Army chief also congratulated Khoso on assumption of the office of premier.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Khoso assumed office yesterday.

Pak militants kill woman school teacher

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A female school teacher was shot and killed by suspected militants in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said.

The teacher, identified only as Shahnaz, was going to her school when she was intercepted and shot by armed men riding a motorcycle in Shahkus area of Jamrud sub-division, officials of the local political administration said.

The suspected militants fled after the shooting.

Shahnaz sustained critical injuries and died later in a nearby hospital.

Mumbai slips to 66th rank among world’s leading financial hubs

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India’s financial capital Mumbai slipped to 66th rank in the list of world’s leading financial centres, but New Delhi failed to make a mark, according to the latest Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) released on Tuesday.

GFCI which provides profiles, ratings and rankings for 79 financial centres worldwide ranked Mumbai at the 66th place, down three places from last year when it was ranked 63rd on the coveted list.

Mumbai is the only Indian city on the list, which was topped by London.

Govt clears Airasia, Tata JV proposal for passenger airlines

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Government on Tuesday said it has cleared Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia’s proposal to start a passenger airline in India in partnership with the Tata Group with an investment of Rs 81 crore.

The proposal was cleared by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), Finance Ministry said in a statement.

AirAsia recently said it would set up a 49:30:21 joint venture with the Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace of Indian investor Arun Bhatia to launch a new Indian airline.

6 signs that show your iPhone is stressing you out

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A co-dependent relationship with your iPhone could be contributing to anxiety in more ways than most people realize, a study has revealed.

A 2011 study found that when youngsters are unplugged from technology for just 24 hours, most of them experience physical and mental symptoms of distress, the Huffington Post reported.

The six signs that your smartphone might be majorly stressing you out are:

Venus polar vortices change chaotically everyday

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Venus’ South Polar Vortex has a much more chaotic and unpredictable nature than previously thought, a new study has found.

The analysis reveals that the center of rotation of the vortex wanders around the pole differently at different altitude levels in the clouds of Venus. In its stroll around the pole, in layers separated by 20 km, the vortex experiences unpredictable changes in its morphology.

Watson’s place not guaranteed: Inverarity

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Despite his elevation as the Australian Test captain, Shane Watson’s place in the side – both as vice-captain and batsman – will be hotly debated due to his poor form during the disastrous tour of India.

John Inverarity, Cricket Australia (CA) national selection panel chairman, said Watson’s position in the team is not guaranteed — either as Michael Clarke’s deputy or as a specialist batsman.

‘Finding Earth-like planet a near certainty’

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If you have wondered whether there is another planet similar to Earth out there in space, the answer is absolutely yes.

According to Sara Seager, a professor of physics and planetary science at MIT, there are hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy and upward of 100 billion galaxies in our universe.

“So the existence of a planet similar to Earth somewhere is, in my mind a certainty,” she told CNN Light Years.

“Less certain is if such a planet is near enough to us that we can find and identify it sometime in the future,” she said.

Hrithik Roshan to skip Holi celebrations for a cause

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Actor Hrithik Roshan has decided to stay away from Holi celebrations in view of the prevailing water shortage in Maharashtra.

The 39-year-old will not waste water by being part of the Holi celebrations.

“Hrithik won`t be celebrating Holi as a mark of solidarity with those who are suffering from acute water shortage in Maharashtra. Instead, he will only use only a small amount of gulaal to apply a shagun tika as part of the traditional ritual,” a source said.

The actor is also said to have decided not to play with too much of dry gulaal, as washing it off requires a lot of water.

Engg students prefer IT, Google most wanted employer

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The Information Technology sector is the most preferred choice for India’s engineering students, with Google, Microsoft and Infosys emerging as the top three most desired employers among them, according to a survey by market insights and information provider Nielsen.

As per the Nielsen’s Campus Track Technology School survey 2012, the Class of 2013 is looking at a starting salary of over Rs 11 lakh per annum, a 20 per cent rise from the previous batch, where the average expected starting salary was Rs 9.3 lakh.