Month: May 2013

NASA’s Curiosity rover finds ‘rat on Mars’

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The Mast Camera on NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover has captured a dusty orange rodent among the stones on the rock-strewn surface of the Red Planet, starry-eyed enthusiasts have claimed.

The photo, taken Sept. 28, 2012, depict the “Rocknest” site, where NASA’s rover took a scoopful of sand, tasted it, and determined it was full of weathered basaltic materials.

According to Fox News, the “creature” was identified on the UFO Sightings Daily website, where its finder, ScottCWaring, is convinced that it’s a cute rodent on Mars.

Hunt on for Hrithik Roshan`s leading lady for `Shuddhi`

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Filmmaker Karan Malhotra is making ‘Shuddhi’ with Hrtihik Roshan in the male lead, but he has yet to finalise the leading lady for the film and says that the hunt is still on.

This will be his second film with Hrithik after ‘Agneepath’ remake, which was Malhotra`s directorial debut and the action revenge drama did so well at the box office that it entered the Rs.100 crore club.

There were reports that the director was considering Kareena Kapoor or Anushak Sharma for the part.

Iraqi officials say 16 dead in wave of bomb blasts

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A series of bomb explosions in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens in the latest eruption of violence rattling the country, officials said.

Iraq is facing its most relentless wave of bloodshed since the 2011 US military withdrawal, deepening fears that the country is heading back toward the widespread sectarian fighting that pushed it to the brink of civil war in the years after the invasion.

12 – Spice Fish Curry

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Ingredients-1
Fish fillets/pieces – 1 lb
Tamarind juice – made from 2-3 tamarind (lemon sized tamarind ball or 1 tblsp of tamarind pulp)
Tomato – 1 (optional)
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 strand
Oil (preferably coconut oil/sesame oil) – 3-4 tblsp
Green Chillies/banana peppers – (2 for garnish)
Cilantro – for garnish
Other veggies that can be added – Brinjal pieces, drumstick, banana peppers or raw mangoes
Salt (preferably sea salt) – to taste

Ingredients-2 (12 spice)
Dry/Fresh Coconut – 3 -4 tblsp
Corriander seeds – 2.5 tblsp

SHOCKING: Woman alleges Justin Bieber fathered her daughter four years ago

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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.

Masala Biscuit

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(Spicy Cookie)

Ingredients
All purpose flour (Maida) – 2 cups
Butter/Ghee – 3/4 cup (at room temp.)
Chilly powder – 1 tsp
Ginger – 1″ piece (minced)
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Green/Dry red Chillies – 1 or 2 (minced)
Curry leaves – 2 strands (minced)
Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
Asaefoetida – a pinch
Salt – 1/2 tsp ( or to taste)
Sugar – 2 tsp

Method
1. Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl to get a nice dough like chappatti dough.
2. If the dough is not moist enough add 2-3 tblsp of curd.
3. Grease an aluminium foil and roll out the dough into a big circle 1 “thick.

Tom Hardy surprises cancer patient with dream date and diamond necklace

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Tom hardy made the dream come true of a cancer patient by spending a fun-filled day with her, on Monday.

Kayleigh Duff, 23, who opened up about her rare liver cancer on British talk show “The Morning” earlier this year, told The Canterbury Times that a date with the 35-year-old ‘Dark Knight Rises’ star was in her wish list, the New York Daily News reported.

Hardy’s fiancee’s sister, Charlotte Riley, was watching the program and helped to arrange a meeting, while Duff’s pal, Katie Birch, helped set up the secret date.

Mandira Bedi plays government agent in Anil Kapoor`s `24`

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Actress Mandira Bedi, who is back on the small screen after a gap of nine years with the Indian adaptation of American drama series `24`, is essaying the role of a government agent on the show.

The Hindi version, which has borrowed the same name is written by Rensil D`Silva, directed by Abhinay Deo and produced by Anil Kapoor. It will premiere in August.

“I play a government agent in `24`. I have shot for ten days and will be shooting my part for another 45 days over four months. It has been a great experience. I am doing fiction after nine years,” Mandira said in an interview here.

Keshava Rao, two sitting Congress MPs, set to joint TRS

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In a setback to ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh, senior party leader and former MP K Keshava Rao and two sitting parliamentarians today decided to join TRS which is spearheading the movement for separate Telangana statehood.

They (the three leaders) had lost hope in the Congress that it would grant a separate Telangana state. They would
formally join the party on June 2,” K T Rama Rao, son of Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhar Rao told reporters.

The three–Keshava Rao, G Vivekananda and Manda Jagannatham, who were in the forefront of a campaign within

Indian Idol participant, father die in road mishap

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A 24-year-old aspiring singer and participant in a nationwide television talent hunt contest was today killed along with her father when their car collided with a truck in the Sandila area here, police sources said.

Namrata Singh, an ‘Indian Idol’ participant, and her father Ramesh Singh (50) were killed when their car collided
with the truck at the Saank turn on Lucknow road.

Police said that Namrata’s sister Richa (18), one Atul (45) and driver Suresh (30) were seriously injured in the
accident and have been admitted to a hospital in Lucknow.

Sarpanch’s husband murdered in Aurangabad

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Husband of a sarpanch of Khandevadi village in the district was hacked to death at a hotel here today, allegedly over political rivalry, police said.

The deceased Shivaji Bhushan Desai (48) sustained serious injuries after he was attacked with sharp-edged
weapons by some unidentified assailants inside his room at a local hotel in the wee hours today, they said.

He was rushed to hospital but died due to excessive bleeding, police said.

Desai’s wife Sangeeta is the sarpanch of the village.

Minor raped by cousin: NCW says accused be hanged

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Terming as shameful the alleged rape of a seven-year-old girl by her teenage cousin here, NCW chairperson Mamata Sharma today said the accused should be hanged.

Either he (accused) should be hanged or I… it’s unbearably painful for me to see the girl’s condition,”
Sharma, who met the victim at Kota Medical College yesterday, said.

The Dalit minor of Baghariya community in Kethuda village, who was found by her mother with bite and scratch marks all over her body on Sunday, is in deep mental shock, but her condition is stable, her doctors said.

Two youths arrested for raping 36-year old woman in Raj

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Two persons were today arrested for allegedly looting and raping a 36-year old woman, who police claimed was a prostitute and was accompanying a customer when the incident occurred in the city.

The woman was with an auto rickshaw driver on the night of May 19 at an isolated area in the city when three youths came on a bike and allegedly raped her after beating the driver, Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph said.

The three also snatched their mobile phones and Rs 700 cash.

After the incident, the woman reached Galta Gate police station and filed a complaint.

Being with my kids de-stresses me: Madhuri Dixit

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Madhuri Dixit is in the thick of showbiz — from hosting to acting to endorsements — with a chock-a-block schedule. But the busy actress says spending time with her two sons lifts stress and keeps her energetic.

She just wrapped up ‘Gulab Gang’ and is about to finish ‘Dedh Ishqiya’. From June 1, she will be seen hosting the sixth season of dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’. If that is not enough, she is also running an online dance academy.

Elderly man found dead

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A 70-year-old man was found dead under “suspicious circumstances” at a school in Anantnag district of south Kashmir, police said today.

Ghulam Mohammad Tak, a resident of Bijbehara, was found dead at a local school last evening, a police spokesman said.

He said police has started inquest proceedings to ascertain the cause of Tak’s death.

His body was handed over to his family after legal formalities, the spokesman added.

———————PTI

Cong always adopting soft approach on Naxalism: BJP

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BJP today hit back at Congress accusing it of “always adopting” a soft approach on Naxalism and said the entire party was confused on the issue of tackling the problem.

Under attack over killing of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, BJP also rejected suggestions that the Raman
Singh government and Maoists in Chhattisgarh were working closely to serve each other’s purpose, saying Congress leaders who have made these irresponsible statements are “not in their senses”.

New targets for prostate cancer treatment found

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Scientists have identified a sub-group of cells that contribute to prostate cancer recurrence, opening up potential new targets to treat the disease.

Researchers led by Monash University in Australia found that some prostate cancer cells survive androgen withdrawal treatment. Previously unidentified, these cells are potential targets for future treatments.

As they are present early in disease development, there is the possibility of therapy before the cancer reaches the aggressive, incurable stage, researchers said.

Prolonged use of painkillers could raise heart attack risk

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A group of most commonly used drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can increase long-term users` heart-attack risk by more than a third, a study has shown.

In the study, the researchers analysed 639 random drug trials and assembled information on more than 350,000 patients, and found that for every 1,000 arthritis sufferers, the rate of people who suffered a “major vascular event” like heart attack, stroke or death increased from 8 per 1,000 to 11 per 1,000 with long-term, high-dose use of common NSAIDs, the Independent reported.

Andhra seeks US investment in IT sector

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Andhra Pradesh has sought US investment in its booming IT sector, particularly in the upcoming Gaming and Animation Park.

In a presentation made at the Capitol Hill at an event organised by the Indo-US Business and Political
Association, state’s Information and Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said Andhra Pradesh offers the best
incentives to IT companies both in the hardware and software field.

Increasing numbers of media and production companies working across a breathtaking array of platforms

Nordic diet lowers cholesterol level

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A healthy Nordic diet lowers cholesterol levels, which thereby cuts the risk of cardiovascular disease, a new study has found.

There was also decreased inflammation associated with pre- diabetes.

“The subjects who ate a Nordic diet had lower levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and higher levels of `good` HDL cholesterol. The amount of harmful fat particles in the blood also declined,” Lieselotte Cloetens, a biomedical nutrition researcher at Lund University, said.

Two killed in road mishap

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Two persons were today killed and one more injured when their motorcycle fell into a pit in Kachauna area, police sources said here.

Dharmpal (40) and Brijlal (36) were killed when the motorcycle they were riding slipped and fell into a pit near
Deviyapur village, they said.

Another rider Kinderlal was injured in the accident, police said.

——————-PTI

Diseases can rapidly evolve to become more virulent

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In a new study, researchers have observed that a novel disease in songbirds has rapidly evolved to become more harmful to its host on at least two separate occasions in just two decades.

The research provides a real-life model to help understand how diseases that threaten humans can be expected to change in virulence as they emerge.

Death of Taliban’s no 2 in Pak may hit talks with rebels

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The death of Waliur Rehman, the deputy chief of the Pakistani Taliban, in a US drone strike could hit the incoming PML-N government’s plans to hold peace talks with militants.

More details about Rehman’s death emerged today, with the media quoting security officials and sources in the tribal belt as saying that the top Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan leader was killed yesterday in a drone strike on a compound in Chashma Pul, a short distance from Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency.

The US had offered a USD five million bounty for Rehman.

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

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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.

Ganja

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A ganja whole sale trader was arrested near Tiruppur bus stand, police said today.

Police said Mokkairaj was being searched eversince they seized 100 kgs of ganja at Dhanushkodi a few days back.

The Ganja was to be exported from Dhanushkodi near here to Sri Lanka.

———————- PTI