Month: August 2013

1st talking `robot astronaut` takes off for International Space Station

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The world’s first talking robot “astronaut” blasted off for the International Space Station on Sunday.

The 13-inch tall Kirobo said the mission was “One small step for me, a giant leap for robots” as he prepared for launch from Tanegashima, in south western Japan, the Mirror reported.

Kirobo will keep Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata company when he arrives at the ISS in November.

Designer Tomotaka ­Takahashi made the robot to see how machines can lend support to isolated people. (ANI)

MP govt order to introduce Gita in madrassas triggers storm in Muslim community

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Madhya Pradesh government has decided to introduce Bhagavad Gita even in the curriculum of Urdu schools from academic session 2013-14, inviting rebuke from opposition Congress which accused the government of diverting attention of people from overall “mis-governance”.

In its latest circular issued on August 1, Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has decided to add one chapter each based on incidents from Bhagavad Gita in the textbooks of General Hindi prescribed to class III-VIII, Special English and Special Urdu in Class I and II for this academic session.

1,500 hours of Assam shutdown for new states

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Assam is likely to witness several hundred hours of shutdown in the coming days as several organisations demanding separate states Monday called for 1,500 hours of ‘bandh’.

The All Bodo Students Union’s (ABSU) 48-hour Assam strike and the United Democratic Peoples Front’s (UDPF) 1,500 hours of shutdown started Monday.

The All Koch Rajbongshi Students Union (AKRSU), which seeks a separate Kamatapur state, called for a 36-hour Assam strike. This too began Monday.

Shahnawaz Hussain accuses Congress of wasting Parliament’s time

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Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Monday criticized the Congress for not being able to maintain order in Parliament, after both Houses were adjourned prematurely on the first day of the Monsoon Session earlier today. Due to uproar against Telangana and demand for the creation of Bodoland, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were adjourned on Monday. “The Congress is responsible for wasting the time of the House today. The BJP peacefully sat throughout the Parliamentary session and raised important questions before the House.

Need to address issues on Telangana: Chidambaram

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A number of substantive issues need to addressed on the decision to carve out a separate Telangana state, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told parliament Monday.

He added that the home ministry would bring a comprehensive note to the cabinet containing both substantive and procedural issues.

The BJP objected Chidambaram’s statement and accused the Congress of “playing a double game” on Telangana.

JNU student molested inside campus

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In the second such incident within a week, a girl student of Jawaharlal Nehru University was attacked and molested inside the campus allegedly by a former student of the prestigious institute.

Police said the 20-year-old student of the University was molested and slapped inside the campus by her friend last evening.

Abhinendra Jain, 24, was arrested today after a case under sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force against women with intent to outrage her modety) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered against him.

Mekapati quits Lok Sabha

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YSR Congress MP from Nellore Mekaptai Rajamohan Reddy has submitted his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. His resignation was in protest against the way in which the state bifurcation was handled by the Centre and is unilateral and authoritarian attitude.

“I am sending the resignation to the Speaker and if she wants me to personally hand it over, I will go and give it to her,” he told reporters here on Monday.

CM directs officials to speed up flood relief

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Chief Minister Mr N Kiran Kumar Reddy today reviewed the situation arising out of heavy rains and floods in various parts of the state with the Chief Secretary Dr PK Mohanty and other senior officials in camp office. According to Disaster Management officials, a low pressure area has formed over west central Bay of Bengal and adjoining North West Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh-South Odisha coasts.

56,000 house ready under JNNURM scheme: GHMC Commissioner

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GHMC Commissioner MT Krishna Babu on Monday informed that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has constructed 56,000 houses under JNNURM Housing scheme.

Addressing the media after Prajavani and responding to their query regarding delay in completion of JNNRUM Housing, the Commissioner said that the problem is identifying the beneficiaries who are not willing to pay the beneficiary contribution and he will be holding a meeting with both the Collectors of Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad Districts in this regard.

Numerologist predicts president’s rule in AP

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Clear-cut Impact of Numbers can be seen on the agitations of Telangana and Seemandhra regions”, said Rachaa Suresh, Numerologist and Founder-Director of My destiny Numerology & Cosmic Vaastu Research Centre’.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, Rachaa Suresh explained the affects and effects of Numbers according to Numerology. He pointed out that from the formation day of Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956 till date Numerology analysis shows the role of Numbers at each and every part of agitations.

HC refuses to pass order on NIA plea for Pune blast footage

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The Bombay High Court today refused to direct Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to provide copy of the CCTV footage of 2010 German Bakery blast in Pune to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), saying it would deal with the issue later.

The division bench of justices V K Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar was hearing an application filed by NIA
seeking the footage.

The court said it would consider NIA’s prayer later, as it would start hearing the appeal filed by lone convict in the case, Himayat Mirza Baig, against the death penalty awarded to him by Pune court from August 8.

Ishrat case: Guj court reserves order on accused cops’ plea

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A special CBI court today reserved its order on an application filed by two policemen accused in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan fake encounter killing case, seeking copies of all the previous statements of witnesses as recorded by the earlier probe agencies.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) H S Khutwad of CBI court here today concluded the hearing on an application filed by former IPS officer G L Singhal and Tarun Barot and will pronounce the order on August 7.

Marilyn Monroe confessed about JFK affair to Jackie Kennedy

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Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe called Jackie Kennedy to confess to an affair with John F Kennedy and was told “that’s great, I’ll move out and you have all the problems”, a new book has revealed.

In ‘These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack with Jackie’, author Christopher Andersen describes how the First Lady normally turned a blind eye to JFK’s cheating, but his relationship with Monroe seemed to bother her the most, reported The Independent.

Not spoofing South India in ‘Chennai Express’: Deepika

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Deepika Padukone’s Tamil tinted Hindi dialogues in “Chennai Express” may not have gone down well with some critics but the actress denies that the film caricatures South India in any way.

Deepika says she is a South Indian herself and would never spoof her own culture. In fact, it took her a while to master the Tamil-Hindi tone in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer movie.

Directed by Rohit Shetty, the film releases this Friday.

Row over Durga Sakthi intensifies between UP govt, Centre

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Confrontation between the Centre and UP government over Durga Sakthi Nagpal intensified with SP today threatening to seek withdrawal of all IAS officers from the state after the Union government suggested that it could step in if the suspended official writes to it directly.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “We are in touch with the state government to find out the full details of the issue.”

He told reporters in Parliament complex that the laid down rules to deal with such cases will be followed.

Army officials illegally transferred land in Jodhpur: Antony

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An inquiry has prime facie found that Army and defence estates officials allegedly colluded to illegally transfer defence land to a charitable trust in Jodhpur after which a CBI inquiry has been ordered, Defence Minister A K Antony informed the Lok Sabha today.

The 4.84 acres of piece of land was handed over Major Maharaja Hari Singh charitable trust by the local military authorities on August 23, 2007.

World’s first edible meat grown in lab

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The world’s first lab-grown burger, with an estimated cost of 215,000 pounds, will be unveiled and tasted for the first time at a news conference here.

Scientists said initial sampling suggests the burger will not taste great, but it is expected to be “good enough”.

Researchers took cells from a cow and, at an institute in the Netherlands, turned them into strips of muscle which they combined to make a patty.

They claim the technology could be a sustainable way of meeting what they say is a growing demand for meat, ‘BBC News’ reported.

Parl fails to function because of Telangana effect

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The first day of Monsoon session of Parliament today was marred by uproarious scenes over the decision to form Telangana even as the government said substantive and procedural issues related to the new state would be dealt with in a Cabinet note being prepared.

There were also demands for creation of new states, including Bodoland out of Assam. Two members from Bodo areas also staged a protest outside Parliament building to press the demand in the wake of Telangana decision.

High alert in Pakistan after serious Taliban threat

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Pakistan has taken unprecedented security measures to fend off a looming threat by Taliban militants to launch the “biggest attack” on some unspecified important installation, officials said today.

Joint teams of commandos from the army, navy and air force went into action yesterday and took control of important facilities like the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Rawalpindi and several key sensitive security buildings in Islamabad.

Elite police units were deployed at prisons, the parliament building, diplomatic enclave, five-star hotels and

Three of a family electrocuted in Guj

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Three people of a family were today electrocuted when one of them came in contact with a live electric wire and two others tried to save her in Jol village here, police said.

Sejal Parmar(20) was laying washed clothes on a wire for drying on the terrace of her house in Radhaswamy society
here early this morning when she suddenly got electrocuted.

Seeing this, her mother-in-law Sita (48) and father-in-law Ambalal Parmar (52) rushed to save her following which they also fell victim,” they said.

BMW to hike prices by up to 5 pc across models from Aug 15

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German luxury car maker BMW group today said it will increase prices of its products across models, including the Mini, by up to 5 per cent amid higher import costs due to the declining rupee.

BMW Group India is announcing a price increase of up to 5 per cent across the BMW and Mini product range effective 15 August 2013, according to a company statement.

We are making price decisions with all due care and consideration, ensuring that they pay off in the long run,”
BMW Group India President Philipp von Sahr said.

Dec 16 gangrape: Verdict involving juvenile deferred to Aug 19

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The judgement in the December 16 gangrape case involving a minor was today deferred till August 19 by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) pursuant to a direction of the Supreme Court.

The JJB presided over by Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel postponed the verdict for August 19 considering the fact that the Supreme Court has asked it not to pronounce its order till it decides a petition concerning the interpretation of the term “juvenile”, police sources said.

Man gets advance bail in sexual abuse case

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The Bombay High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a man, who has been accused by his wife of sexually abusing their two children.

Granting anticipatory bail in the sum of Rs 15,000, Justice Sadhana Jadhav, last week, directed that accused shall not make any contact with the children, or tamper with the evidence otherwise, and shall report at the police station every Sunday till the charge sheet is filed.

The accused is facing a case against Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Indian Penal Code.

Rahul Gandhi inaugurates hospital; shown black flags

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Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today inaugurated a hospital here named after his great grandmother, Kamala Nehru, wife of the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Gandhi, who is on a day-long visit to the city, was shown black flags by activists of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha, youth wing of BJP, while his cavalcade was on way to the venue.