Month: June 2013

New ‘Zanjeer’ must have consent from original makers: Farhan

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Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, whose father and writer Javed is embroiled in a legal battle with those remaking ‘Zanjeer’, says it is important to take the consent of those associated with the original and wishes that
the deserving party gets the royalty.

The remake of Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya starrer has been in the eye of storm regarding copyright and royalty issues. Both Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar who scripted the original, have been fighting for intellectual rights of the new version.

NASA’s Hubble discovers dying asteroid

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A mysterious object discovered by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 2010 has been identified as a dying asteroid.

In 2010, astronomers using the Telescope observed a strange X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust that suggested a head-on collision between two asteroids.

At first blush, the object founding soaring through the asteroid belt looked like a comet, most notably because of its long, well-formed tail.

Environment Day: India’s green mission caught in funds’ crunch

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India’s ambitious plans to fight climate change by enhancing the forest cover at a cost of Rs. 46,000 crore by 2020 have been stuck with no funds available since it was cleared by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change in 2011.

The Green India Mission, one of eight such under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), had aimed to increase the forest cover by five million hectares and improve the quality of forests on another five million hectares.

`Satyagraha` is about father-son relationship, says Jha

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Filmmaker Prakash Jha claims that his upcoming political drama `Satyagraha` has nothing to do with social activist Anna Hazare or Arvind Kejriwal, but is basically about a father-son relationship.

“The film is about an old and a young man… That does not mean it is about Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal. The old man is a retired principal of a school and has lost his son, while the young man has done great in life and is looking for a father,” Jha told PTI in an interview here today.

“It is about father-son relation and not about Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.

Richa Chadda ready for `typical` Bollywood romance

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‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ actress Richa Chadda says ‘Ishqeria’ will see her in a typical romantic role opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh.

“When I did `Gangs…`, everybody was asking me the same question – `When will I be seen playing a romantic film?` So finally I did a film with Neil, which is a typical romantic film,” Richa said.

“I will be doing the typical song and dance, which is a prominent part of the industry. I am really looking forward to this film. The film is titled `Ishqeria’,” she added.

Older adult clumsiness likely caused by brain changes

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Ageing process seems to go hand-in-hand with an annoying increase in clumsiness -difficulties in dialing a phone, fumble with keys in a lock or knock over the occasional wine glass while reaching for a salt shaker.

While it`s easy to see these failings as a normal consequence of age-related breakdowns in agility, vision and other physical abilities, new research from Washington University in St. Louis has suggested that some of these day-to-day reaching-and-grasping difficulties may be caused by changes in the mental frame of reference that older adults use to visualize nearby objects.

Reduction in BMI cuts diabetes risk in obese teens

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Researchers found that obese teenagers who reduced their body mass index (BMI) by 8 percent or more had improvements in insulin sensitivity, an important metabolic factor related to the later development of type 2 diabetes.

The teens followed a family-based, lifestyle-modification weight loss program that offers the potential to become a broader model.

BMI is a measure of body weight adjusted for height.

`People need to get less emotional about antibiotics`

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People need to talk about excessive use of antibiotics without getting emotional or mixing politics into the discussion, Ada Yonath, who won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, said.

“Perhaps we committed errors in using antibiotics for treating viral diseases … but we learned that that does not work. We learned a bunch of things … so it is incorrect to say we are abusing antibiotics,” Yonath said.

Yonath is one of the scientists participating in the 3rd World Summit on Evolution on Ecuador`s Galapagos Islands.

Researchers develop test to detect unsafe stem cells

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Australian scientists claim to have developed a test to check if certain types of stem cells were unsafe and could mutate at a later stage resulting in tumours.

According to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) report, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has been working for the last five years developing a safety test for induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells.

UPA has no right to remain in power: BJP

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Slamming the UPA government at the Centre for rampant corruption and misrule during its second term, BJP today said the ruling coalition has no moral right to remain in power as it has lost people’s faith.

The UPA government at the Centre has been riddled with corruption charges and failed to provide good governance in
the country as a result of which, it has forfeited the moral right to remain in power any longer, BJP national general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan told a ‘Jan Aakrosh Rally’ in Bihar’s East Champaran district.

Zydus Cadila gets DCGI nod for launch of its NCE for diabetes

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Cadila Healthcare today said Indian drug regulator has approved its new chemical entity, Lipaglyn to be used for treating a type of diabetes for launch in the country.

Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Lipaglyn to be used for treating `diabetic dyslipidemeia` for launch, the company said in a filing to BSE.

China slams EU solar duties, launches wine probe

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Criticising the EU for imposing anti-dumping duties on its solar panels, China today in a tit-for-tat move launched its own probe against French wine imports.

China has decided to begin an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into wines imported from the
European Union, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said today.

The country’s wine producers filed a petition to the ministry last year, calling for probes into the EU’s dumping
of wine that received unfair government subsidies and was damaging China’s wine industry, according to the ministry.

Four killed, 40 injured in bus accident in Nepal

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At least four people were killed and over 40 injured today when a passenger bus plunged into a river in Nepal.

The bus with some 70 people on board skidded off the road and fell some 100 metres down into the Karnali River at Siyala of Dailekh district, 700 km west of Kathmandu, according to the police.

The bus was heading towards Surkhet from Kailali district.

Four people have been confirmed dead while 40 sustained injuries, police said.

A police team has been dispatched to the accident site and the rescue operation is underway.

——————————-PTI

Middle-aged men taking testosterone triple in last decade

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A new study has found that the percentage of middle-aged men in the United States taking testosterone to treat symptoms of low testosterone, or “low T,” has increased substantially in recent years.

According to the study, over the last decade, prescriptions for testosterone therapy among men ages 40 and older increased more than threefold, from 0.81 percent in 2001, to nearly 3 percent in 2011, the Huffington Post reported.

No rift in BJP: Rajnath

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BJP president Rajnath Singh today denied any rift within the party as L K Advani’s remarks comparing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan sparked a controversy.

Everything is ok (in the party),” Rajnath told reporters here to a question.

At a rally in Gwalior on Saturday, Advani had said Chouhan has brought about considerable progress in a sick
state, while Modi improved a state that was already marching on path of development.

Narendra Modi ignores Nitish Kumar at CMs’ meet in Delhi

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Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi ignored his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar on Wednesday at the chief ministers’ conference called here to deal with Maoist violence.

Modi walked past Nitish Kumar, who was talking to Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP leader Raman Singh, when he arrived at the venue on Wednesday morning.

I`m not pregnant: Esha Deol

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Actress Esha Deol has refuted rumours about being pregnant.

She took to micro-blogging site Twitter to set the record straight about her pregnancy.

“Sweet of the media, but I`m “NOT PREGNANT”,” tweeted Esha, 31.

“Would let the world know when that happens as it would be a proud moment for us,” she added.

Esha married businessman Bharat Takhtani June 29 last year. On the big screen, she was last seen in ‘Tell Me O` Khuda’.

IANS

Mahesh Babu not to leave Tollywood

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Film star Mahesh Babu said that he has no intention of leaving Tollywood.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating Rainbow Children’s Hospital here today he said, he is neither interested in politics.

Recalling his association with the city, he said, from his first film Rjakumar he has been part of the city.

He evaded a direct comment on the quality of films being produced in the Tollywood and said that will not leave it till at least ten years.

CBI asks court not to give bail to Mopidevi

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CBI today filed a counter asking the court not to give bail to Mopidevi Venkataramana.

The former minister, who is accused in the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Disproportionate Assets (DA) case, has applied for bail.

CBI has contended that as the investigation is in progress in the Vanpic case, it is not advisable to grant bail to Venkataramana at this juncture.

He can influence the process of investigation if bail is granted to him now, CBI contended. (INN)

Gali appears before court

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Gali janardhan Reddy was produced before the ACB court in connection with the cash-for bail case.

The former Karnataka minister was charged with bribing the CBI court judge for granting bail to him.

CBI cracked the case and handed it over to ACB.

He appeared before the special court in connection with the case. (INN)

TJAC getting threatening calls

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In wake of the Chalo Assembly call, TJAC leaders are getting threatening calls, Kodandaram has said.

Our leaders are getting threatening calls and this is an attempt to scuttle the Chalo Assembly programme, he said.

JAC leaders Pittala Ravindra, TNGO leader Deviprasad have received the calls, he said.

Despite all hurdles, our Chalo Assembly will be carried out, he said. (INN)

IPL scandal: Rajasthan Royals owner questioned

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Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra is being questioned by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in connection with the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal, a police official said Wednesday.

“We just wanted to know about the selection of S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan in the Rajasthan Royals team,” the official said, adding that the questioning was part of a formal procedure.

Delhi Police have arrested 26 people in the IPL spot fixing case, including Rajasthan Royals players Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan.

———-IANS

Pakistan minority communities to pressurize new govt. to promote religious freedom

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Members of Pakistan”s minority communities have pledged to pile up pressure on the incoming government to promote religious freedom. Minorities” representatives, both in the parliament and the provincial assemblies, want fresh legislation on religious freedom to protect the rights of an estimated nine million non-Muslims living in Pakistan, reports The Express Tribune.

Iran edges out Qatar to revive hopes for World Cup qualifying

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The Iranian national football team beat Qatar 1-0 to restore their hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

In the match held at Doha Al Sadd Stadium Tuesday, striker Reza Ghoochannejhad’s 66th-minute strike gave the Iranians the win against Qatar in Group A of the Asian Zone, reports Xinhua.

In another game of the same group, South Korea drew 1-1 with Lebanon in Beirut.

After Tuesday’s matches, Iran stay third, one point behind Uzbekistan and South Korea who lead the group.

Iran will play Lebanon and South Korea June 11 and 18, respectively.

———–IANS

BJP meet not to discuss PM candidate: Venkaiah Naidu

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The national executive of the BJP will not discuss its prime ministerial candidate at its three-day meeting beginning in Goa Friday, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said Wednesday.

He said the executive was not the forum to discuss and decide on the prime ministerial candidate.

Denying that there was a ‘civil war’ in the Bharatiya Janata Party over the issue, he said the parliamentary board would meet at an appropriate time to take a decision.

Addressing a press conference, he said the issue was never discussed at any level in the party and hence there was no difference of opinion.