Month: May 2013

Syrian oil output shrinks 95 per cent

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oil production in war-torn Syria has plummeted by 95 per cent since the conflict started in the country in the spring of 2011, the country’s Oil Minister Suleiman Abbas has said.

“Crude oil production fell to 20,000 barrels a day compared with 380,000 bbl/d that Syria produced daily before mid-March 2011,” Abbas told a Syrian El Baas daily.

The minister blamed “the terror of (rebel) armed formations and an oil embargo on Syria” for slashing domestic crude oil output.

Syria’s natural gas output fell by half over the same period, he said.

State associations fuel Srinivasan’s resignation row

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The clamour for the removal of BCCI chief N. Srinivasan, under tremendous pressure to step down ever since the arrest of his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings chief Gurunath Meiyappan in connection with the IPL spot fixing scandal, intensified Friday after more cricket associations joined in the quit-chorus.

Thirty associations are affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and two-thirds of them need to vote in favour of a resolution to impeach the board president for it to succeed.

Femen activists arrested for disrobing in front of Tunisian Justice Ministry

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Johannesburg, May 30 (ANI): Femen, a Ukrainian feminist group that uses nudity in protests has again created furor when three of its activists disrobed in front of the Tunisian Justice Ministry protesting against the detention of the group”s member Amina Tyler.

The protesting women of German and French origin approached the entrance to the ministry and disrobed revealing naked torsos scribbled with ”Breasts Feed Revolution” and chanted ”Free Amina” and ” Women”s spring is coming”.

”Second Internet revolution” will bring great changes in technology: AOL chief

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London, May 30 (ANI): Internet pioneer Steve Case, co-founder of AOL ”America On-Line” said that the second revolution of Internet would bring about significant changes in the Internet technology, and will improve education, health care, energy and transportation.

Case founded AOL in 1991, at a time when only few Americans used the Internet. Today more than 80 percent of the Americans have Internet access.

Case believes that more important innovation will occur in the second revolution than the first, as Internet is now omnipresent and mobile, reports Fox news.

Cricket”s reputation not dented, will speak at right time: Dhoni

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Birmingham, May 30 (ANI): Making it clear that he would not answer questions related to the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal, Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni today said that he would definitely speak at the right time. “It is not as if the reputation is gone, when the right time comes I will answer all the questions relating to the recently concluded Indian Premier League,” Dhoni told in a press conference here.

Kirti Azad says BCCI should call for a general body meet before taking final descision

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Former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad on Thursday said that the BCCI should call for a general body meeting and then take a final decision, rather ””blowing smoke in the air””. “Why don””t they, if they are that eager for the resignation of Mr. Srinivasan, why doesn””t somebody, BCCI has lot of money, why doesn””t somebody sign a resolution, pay air ticket to whichever person they want to send and let him take signatures from nine to 10 people and ask for a general body meeting. What is wrong with it?

Akshay squashes rumours of box-office clash with Shah Rukh Khan

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Mumbai, May 30 (ANI): Cast and crew of an upcoming gangster romantic film ”Once upon a time in Mumbaai again”, launched the first look of the movie, while Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar denied any chances of box office clash with another film on the same date. Slated to release on August 8, the film, ”Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Again” would simultaneously hit the theatre screens with ”Chennai Express”, starring another mega Bollywood actor from Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan.

Short bouts of high intensity training `enough to improve fitness in inactive men`

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Washington, May 30 (ANI): Even four minutes of vigorous activity three times per week is enough to be fit and healthy, new research has shown, dispelling the commonly held belief that getting in shape and maintaining it requires hours of training.

Regular training improves maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), which is a well-established measure of physical fitness. However, just how much exercise, and how intense that exercise should be to deliver the biggest benefit remains unclear.

Use of nuclear power prevents air-pollution deaths, greenhouse gas emissions: Study

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Washington, May 30 (ANI): The use of nuclear power has led to prevention of 1.84 million air pollution-related deaths globally and has also prevented the release of 64 billion tons of greenhouse gases that might have erupted from burning coal and other fossil fuels, a new study has revealed.

Pushker A. Kharecha and James E. Hansen from the International Energy Agency have said that nuclear power has the ability to aid in controlling of both global climate change and illness and death associated with air pollution.

Woman alleges Justin Bieber fathered her daughter four years ago

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New York, May 30 (ANI): Justin Bieber has been hit with a paternity claim once again as an unidentified “European” woman, 25, has alleged that the singer allegedly slept with her when he was 15-year-old.

According to Star magazine, the duo supposedly met at a T.G.I. Fridays after Bieber’s concert in Florida and he took her back to his room at the Gansevoort South hotel, on Feb. 4, 2010, the New York Post reported.

A source said in the report that after the alleged one-night stand, the woman gave birth to a baby girl in late October 2010.

Vidya Charan Shukla still remains critical: Medanta Doctors

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Doctors treating Vidya Charan Shukla at the Medanta Medicity Hospital in Gurgaon on Thursday said that the veteran Congress leader is still in a very serious condition.

“As compared to yesterday, his condition remains steady. In fact, there has been a slight response to the supportive care, the antibiotics and the other treatment being given to him. Let me clarify that Mr. Shukla still remains critical and not out of danger,” said Dr. A.K. Dubey, the spokesperson of Medanta Hospital.

Meanwhile, Shukla”s nephew Amitesh hoped for his speedy recovery.

Brit millionaire forks out £300K on one round of champagne

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A British millionaire splashed out a staggering 330,000 pounds on one round of champagne.

Charles Shaker forked out the fortune in an exclusive bash at the Monaco Grand Prix.

In front of overjoyed VIPs, including Formula One boss Flavio Briatore, 12 waiters carried nine different sized champagne bottles aloft into the party, the Mirror reported.

Star of the Armand de Brignac Brut Gold Dynastie collection was a colossal 30L Midas, which weighs over 100lb and equals 40 standard bottles.

It needed four men to lug it in a golden bucket.

Iraqi farmer addicted to eating live scorpions every day

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An Iraqi farmer has claimed that he eats at least one live scorpion every day and is addicted to them.

Samarra based Ismail Jasim Mohammed told NBCNews.com that after he became tired of getting stung by the dangerous creatures, he decided to turn the tables and do the biting, the New York Daily News reported.

The 34-year-old also claimed to have developed immunity to their venom because he has been eating them for 15 years now.

Mohammed says that he gets withdrawal symptoms if he goes three days without consuming one. (ANI)

Newsweek to be sold yet again, says leaked report

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Inter Active Corp (IAC) is reportedly looking forward to put Newsweek
on sale again after nearly six months of shutting down the 80-year-old print edition of the magazine, according to a leaked memo.

The now all-digital magazine, Newsweek merged with the online news site, The Daily Beast in 2010, although each continues to have its own brand, News.com.au reports.

According to the report, the first report on the possible sale came from Variety, which quoted unnamed sources familiar with the intentions of parent company IAC.

Ex-Pak quick Zahid backs Wahab Riaz as ”matchwinner” for Champions Trophy

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Karachi Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Zahid has backed bowler Wahab Riaz as a matchwinner for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. According to Zahid, the combination of pace bowlers Pakistan have selected for the ICC Champions Trophy is the right one for the conditions, with very good bowlers for all types of pitches – bounce, swing and seam, www.PakPassion.net reports.

”Generation Jihad” in Australia is homegrown: Report

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Sydney Australian suburbs like Bankstown, which are surrounded by family homes, are in danger of being turned into ghettos by young men who are usually born in Australia to Lebanese parents and are cannon fodder for hardline Muslim preachers. These young men are part of generation jihad.

Now, high-efficiency zinc-air batteries that are cheaper to make

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Scientists have created an advanced zinc-air battery, which has higher catalytic activity and durability than the ones that are constructed of costly platinum and iridium catalysts.

The results could lead to the development of a low-cost alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries widely used today.

Hongjie Dai, a professor chemistry at Stanford and lead author of the study, said there have been increasing demands for high-performance, inexpensive and safe batteries for portable electronics, electric vehicles and other energy storage applications.

Man who survived 15 years with pencil inside head

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Melbourne Doctors from Germany have removed a pencil from an man’s head after it got stuck there 15 years back.

According to Aachen University Hospital, the 24-year-old man from Afghanistan started seeking for help in 2011, after suffering from headaches, constant colds and worsening vision in one eye for years, News.com.au reported.

When doctors looked at the CT scan, they discovered that a 10-centimetre pencil was lodged from his sinus to his pharynx and had injured his right eye socket.

Britain justifies engaging Narendra Modi

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The UK’S interests in Gujarat were best served by engaging with the elected leadership there, the British High Commissioner to India James Bevan here said on Thursday while clarifying his country’s decision to end a decade-long boycott of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

In his first ‘twitter interaction’, Bevan also said “it is the views” of Indian voters that count when asked how the UK views Modi and his role at the national level.

Chinese think tank warns of military clashes with

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A Chinese think tank has warned that China may get involved in a military conflict with Japan over the disputed Diaoyu Islands, as “big powers” have intensified their efforts for geopolitical and military dominance in the strategic Asia-Pacific region.

An annual report released Tuesday by the Centre for National Defence Policy (CNDP), a part of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), has stated that big powers have intensified their efforts for regional dominance and United States has accelerated its eastward shift of its strategic focus.

Engine trouble caused BA crash land at Heathrow

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The dramatic emergency landing of a British Airways (BA) plane at Heathrow airport last week was the result of engine trouble, according to US investigators.

Engine cowls, or coverings, on both the US-made engines of the Oslo-bound Airbus A319 came off and fell on the runway as the plane took off from Heathrow on May 24, the US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) team concluded.

The pilots reported that they shut down one engine and there was a fuel leak which meant they had to return.

US woman arrested after calling police on her pimp

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A woman has been charged with prostitution in Connecticut after calling police to complain about how she was being treated by a pimp.

Police say they did not find the pimp when they arrived at a Super 8 Motel in West Haven on Sunday, but they did find 35-year-old Jennifer Lowery with a man they describe as a customer.

Police charged Lowery with prostitution and 60-year-old Richard Burford of New Haven with patronising a prostitute.

Police say Lowery told them she thought it would take police longer to show up, so she decided to conduct some business while waiting.

Acid thrown at 11-year-old boy in China

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An 11-year-old student in east China’s Nanjing city was seriously burnt when a 51-year-old man threw acid at him on Thursday, police said.

Police are offering 10,000 yuan (around $1,600) as reward for information leading to the capture of the suspect, identified as Cai Shilin, Xinhua reported.

Cai is suspected to have poured acid on the fourth-grade student from Chalu Primary School, when the boy was on his way to school around 7.40 am.

The child’s face was seriously burnt and he had to be hospitalised. He remains under treatment in the intensive care unit.