Month: September 2013

Oppn rubbishes Rahul’s blunt attack, BJP calls it belated

by

Rahul Gandhi’s blunt denouncement of the Ordinance on lawmakers was today rubbished by the Opposition with the BJP calling it a “desperate and belated” damage control exercise and saying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should quit if he had any self-respect.

As the Congress Vice President’s dramatic public attack on the government over the Ordinance raised the political temperature, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said it is a “belated realisation of nonsense” and that those responsible in the government for the Ordinance should resign.

Pak concerned over Jammu attack’s timing clashing with Nawaz-Singh meet

by

Pakistan has expressed concern over the timing of the Jammu attack in India on September 26, in which 10 security personnel got killed, as it comes just before the premiers of the two rival nations were to meet to resolve border disputes.

Spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry said no act of violence should be allowed to deter the nations from pursuing a path to a better future for their people, Dawn News reports.

Low treatment costs attract foreign heart patients to India

by

Low treatment costs and high levels of expertise have made India a leading destination for heart treatment for people from West Asian and African countries, doctors said.

According to doctors, the rates of heart treatment are 1/10th to 1/15th times lower as compared to the United States and Britain.

Richard Branson hints at ‘another idea’ for cheap space travel

by

Richard Branson has revealed that he has “another idea” for cheaper space travel.

During an interview with Business Insider, the 63-year-old said that the next ten years will be quite expensive for space tourism, but they have another idea for cheaper space visits and they will be announcing it in about four months time, Discovery News reported.

Branson’s company Virgin Galactic is currently offering its customers to pay 250,000 dollars for the joyrides on board the SS2 and the spaceplane is scheduled to take its first commercial flight in early 2014. (ANI)

Now, al-Qaeda joins Twitter bandwagon!

by

Al-Qaeda’s official website has reportedly opened its first account on microblogging site Twitter.

The Shamukh al-Islam website, restricted to members of the terrorist group and used as an official clearing house to communicate and issue propaganda statements, opened its @shomokhalislam Twitter account on Tuesday, which US officials said is an effort to resolve a major split over Syria’s Islamist rebels.

Facebook finally adds edit post feature

by

Facebook has finally added the much needed ‘edit posts’ feature, which allows users to edit posts after they have posted them.

The social media giant allows users to edit their comments since a year, but posts lacked the feature, which meant users had to delete and repost anything they wanted to tweak.

According to stuff.co.nz, the feature has only appeared on Android and some web users but will soon be rolled out on all platforms, including iOS .

The edit post feature will be similar to the edit comments feature, where other users will be able to see when the post was edited. (ANI)

4 arrested for trying to sell fake Tagore Nobel

by

Four persons were arrested for trying to sell fake Nobel medallion of Rabindranath Tagore, the police said today.

The accused were arrested from Bhawanipore area of Kolkata yesterday for trying to deceive people by trying to sell fake Nobel medallion of Rabindranath Tagore, Murlidhar, DC (South) Murlidhar said.

“Those who were arrested are impostors and cheat innocent people. We have verified that it is fake medallion,” he said.

The Nobel medallion of Rabindranath Tagore was stolen from Rabindra Bhavan Museum of Santiniketan in Birbhum district in 2004.

Proteins that help brain tumours spread identified

by

Scientists have identified a molecular pathway that contributes to the ability of malignant glioma cells in a brain tumour to spread and invade previously healthy brain tissue.

The findings, by scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, provide new drug-discovery targets to rein in the ability of these cells to move.

What your e-mail style reveals about your personality

by

Researchers have revealed that the words that we use in our messages can reveal our gender, emotions and even personality traits.

Saif Mohammad and his co-workers from the National Research Council Canada, uncover feelings inside an email by using sentiment analysis.

A huge “sentiment” database was created by the team by using crowdsourcing by hiring employees for Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to pair 24,200 words with emotions for instance “ice cream” was paired with “joy.”

PM invites US companies to invest in India

by

Citing long-term opportunities in sectors like infrastructure and defence, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today invited US companies to invest in India while asserting that concerns about the country’s growth prospects and economic policy environment are “mistaken”.

Seeking to assure the foreign investors, he told US industry leaders here that virtually all political parties in India have supported the process of reforms since 1991 which gives confidence about the future direction of the country’s economic policies.

Mumbai building collapse toll shoots to 25

by

The death toll in Friday’s collapse of a four-storey building here shot up to 25, with 32 people injured, including four who are serious, officials said Saturday.

The death toll could increase as at least another dozen people remain trapped below the debris, officials of the BMC Disaster Control said.

Till now, 20 people were rescued without injuries and search operations are underway on a war footing to save many more feared trapped under the rubble, said an official of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control unit.

Italian tourists travel abroad for child sex

by

At least 80,000 Italian “paedophile” tourists travel abroad each year in search of sex with children, mainly in developing countries, according to a new study.

Worldwide, a child is abused sexually every two minutes, according to the study by Ecpat Italia.

“Child prostitution, child sex tourism, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sex are old and new forms of slavery that involve poor countries but also countries like Italy, which is a destination for traffickers and one of the biggest consumers of paedophile pornography,” the report said.

Srinivasan likely to win BCCI poll despite SC directive

by

Braving scathing criticism he has encountered on issues of propriety, a defiant N Srinivasan is certain to be elected unopposed as the president of the BCCI during its AGM here tomorrow, although he won’t be able to discharge his functions due to a Supreme Court directive.

The Tamil Nadu strongman, who is vying for his third term as the BCCI President, can only resume his duties once the Supreme Court gives its final verdict on the case filed by Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma.

PM flags India’s concerns over US immigration law changes

by

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told President Barack Obama that certain aspects of the proposed changes in the American immigration laws will hit Indian IT professionals, eliciting a promise from the US that concerns will be looked into.

Singh raised the issue during his three-hour discussion with Obama in Washington yesterday and said that the Indian IT sector is a major contributor to US’ GDP and employment generation besides being a cementing force between the two countries and any barriers would be counter-productive.

Mallika Sherawat injured after bike fall

by

Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat has injured herself while shooting a promo for her upcoming debut TV show ‘The Bachelorette India – Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika’.

The 36-year-old actress, who is currently shooting for the reality dating show in Udaipur, fell off from a bike and suffered minor bruises.

Will use diplomatic efforts to resolve Iran issue: US to India

by

Lauding India’s efforts to stand by its side on sanctions against Iran despite facing challenges on the energy front, the US has informed India that it will pursue diplomacy to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.

Iran along with Syria did crop up during the meeting between President Barack Obama and Manmohan Singh yesterday in which the Prime Minister emphasised on diplomatic efforts, sources familiar with the discussions said.

Pak actress shot dead by unknown gunmen

by

A Pakistani stage-actress was shot dead by unknown gunmen while on her way home after a late night performance in Punjab’s Multan district.

Aarzoo Khan was travelling in her vehicle when the attackers opened fire near Rehmanpura area of Multan city, killing the actress on the spot.

Her body was taken to a nearby hospital for autopsy. Police said the incident appeared to be result of personal enmity, Geo News reported.

2 girls raped and killed in Pak’s Punjab province

by

Two teenaged sisters were allegedly raped and shot dead in Pakistan’s Punjab province, weeks after the brutal gang-rape of a five-year-old girl which caused outrage across the country.

The bodies of the girls, aged 16 and 17, were found in a drain in Nowshera Warkan on outskirts of Gujranwala district, about 80 kilometres from here.

Police recovered the bodies on Thursday and sent them to District Headquarters Hospital Gujranwala for autopsy. The medical report revealed that the girls were raped.

Families of Muzaffarnagar victims to get govt jobs: UP govt

by

An order has been issued by the Uttar Pradesh government to provide government jobs to the families of those killed during riots in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas, an official spokesman said here.

“Implementing the announcement made by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on September 15 that kin of those killed in riots will be given government job according to their qualification an order has been issued,” he said.

The spokesman said that 62 people were killed in the violence of which five remain unidentified.

Woman raped in interior hill district of Manipur

by

A 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped by six personnel of the village defence force (VDF) in Interior Tamenglong district of Manipur.

The incident occurred on September 21 last while the woman was returning to her village Disland, officials said on Saturday.

The drunk VDP personnel, attached to Noney Police Station, started teasing the victim and then allegedly raped her in a nearby jungle.

MCOCA court issues warrant against IM operative Afzal Usmani

by

The MCOCA court on Friday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Afzal Usmani, an Indian Mujahideen operative accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad bombings, who escaped from the sessions court premises here a week ago.

The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court judge A L Pansare issued the arrest warrant against Usmani after Mumbai police’s crime branch on Thursday filed an application, saying that he had not yet been traced. Usmani escaped from the court premises on September 20 where he had been brought for a hearing in connection with a terror-related case.

FIFA World Cup trophy arrives in Costa Rica

by

The FIFA World Cup trophy arrived here as part of its global tour in the lead-up to the 2014 extravaganza in Brazil.

Considered to be the world’s most coveted prize, it arrived Friday at the Juan Santamaria International Airport in the capital here, reports Xinhua.

Costa Rica’s Deputy Vice President Luis Liberman and a host of national athletes were there to receive it.

Crime In Hyderabad (28.9.2013)

by

Failed love affair led to suicide
(Siasat News): A man on his failed love affair took the extreme step of ending his life. This incident occurred in Alwal police station limits where one Shiva Kumar, 24, poured kerosene on his body and set himself ablaze.

He was admitted in the hospital where he died during the treatment. The deceased was a driver and was in love with a girl.

However, when his love was not reciprocated by the girl, a dejected Shiva Kumar took the extreme step. A case has been registered and further investigations are on.

Doing yoga during menopause may help treat insomnia

by

Taking a 12-week yoga class and practicing at home has been linked to less insomnia – but not to fewer or less bothersome hot flashes or night sweats, according to scientists.

Lead author Katherine Newton, PhD, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute, said that many women suffer from insomnia during menopause, and it’s good to know that yoga may help them.

British model punches topless feminist protester at Paris Fashion show

by

A British model has admitted that she punched a topless feminist protester after they interrupted her catwalk at a show during Paris Fashion Week.

Hollie-May Saker told the Liverpool Echo that she punched one of the protesters as they had grabbed her hand, which angered her as they ruined her “favorite show”, Sky News reported.

According to TV footage, the 18-year old Liverpool-born model was forced to shake off the hand of a topless activist from the Ukrainian group ‘Femen’ who grabbed her as she appeared in the Nina Ricci show.