Month: December 2013

Dy CM writes to GoM against Rayala Telangana

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Deputy Chief Minsiter Damodar Rajanarasimha on Wednesday wrote a letter to Group of Ministers (GoM) opposing the formation of Rayala Telangana.

According to sources, the Deputy Chief told the GoM that people of Telangana would not accept the proposal under any circumstances. He advised the GoM to prepare its report based on the resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee. He said any modifications in the Telangana proposal, as passed by the CWC and later approved by the Union Cabinet, would trigger massive protests in the region.

Women find sexually explicit ads ‘unappealing’ unless products are priced high

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A new study has suggested that women tend to find ads with sexual imagery off-putting, unless the advertised item is priced high enough.

Psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs, a researcher at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and colleagues predicted that women’s negative attitudes toward sexual imagery might soften if sex is depicted in a way that is consistent with the values of sex being seen as highly valued and of great worth.

US theatre shows porn to kids instead of screening Disney movie

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The movie screening of Disney movie ‘Frozen’ in a Florida theatre became awkward when the projectionist by mistake put on porn on the screen.

The audience in a Florida cinema saw two minutes of explicit oral sex scenes featuring Shia LaBeouf from upcoming film Nymphomaniac, while they were watching ‘ Frozen’ with their kids, Stuff.co.nz reported.

According to Fox 13, the mistake happened when the theatre was experiencing some technical difficulties delaying the start of the animated movie and decided to play another cartoon.

Alzheimer’s gene ‘starts’ changing brain patterns early in life

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A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has suggested that people who are more prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life show changes in their brains from childhood.

The gene, called SORL1, is one of a number of genes linked to an increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of the illness.

SORL1 carries the gene code for the sortilin-like receptor, which is involved in recycling some molecules in the brain before they develop into beta-amyloid a toxic Alzheimer protein.

Elderly, disabled turn up to vote in Delhi despite hardships

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Notwithstanding their physical limitations and absence of facilities, elderly and differently-abled people turned up in large numbers at the polling stations across Delhi to exercise their franchise today.

Many came to the polling booths with the aid of walking sticks and some even on wheel-chairs, with the help of their kin.

79-year-old Suk Bir Singh, who is visually impaired, had come with his six-year old grandson to cast his vote.

Genelia to appear in a cameo in Salman’s ‘Jai Ho’

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Actress Genelia D’Souza, who has been away from the big screen post her marriage to actor Riteish Deshmukh, will be seen in Salman Khan’s ‘Jai Ho’.

Genelia married Riteish in February 2012 and her last Hindi film was ‘Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya’ which came in the same month, and also starred her husband.

She will now be seen in Salman Khan-starrer ‘Jai Ho’, apparently in a cameo appearance.”Yes Genelia is there in ‘Jai Ho’. She is playing an interesting cameo,” sources close to the development told PTI, without divulging her role.

Rupee gains 31 paise to one-month high of 62.05 against dollar

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The rupee recovered from early losses and gained 31 paise to close at a one-month high of 62.05 against the dollar today on fresh selling by exporters and banks, amid foreign capital inflows into local stocks.

The rupee opened lower at 62.40 per dollar against the previous close of 62.36 at the interbank foreign exchange market and dropped further to 62.55 on dollar demand from banks and importers.

It recovered to 62.04 per dollar before ending at 62.05, a gain of 31 paise or 0.50 per cent. The rupee is at the highest level since it ended at 61.62 on November 5.

Nigeria frees 16 girls, women in ‘baby factory’ raid

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Nigerian police on Wednesday said they raided a home and freed 16 pregnant girls and young women allegedly being forced to have babies to be sold.

“We carried out a raid on a residence in Owerri following an intelligence report and rescued 16 expectant mothers,” Imo State police spokeswoman Joy Elomoko said.

“The girls were between 14 and 19 years old and in different stages of pregnancy.”

The male owner of the home, who was arrested, had registered it as a non-governmental organisation promoting women’s and children’s issues, Elomoko added.

No scope of Pakistan winning a war: PM

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said there was no possibility of Pakistan winning any war against India in his ‘lifetime’.

“There is no scope of Pakistan winning any such war in my lifetime,” he told reporters.

LIKE A BOSS: PM Manmohan Singh is all set to reshuffle his cabinet for the last time before the 2014 general elections.

He was reacting to a reported statement of Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a daily newspaper that Kashmir is a flash point which “can trigger a fourth war” with India.

Dhoni says pitches in Proteas series `would be real baptism of fire` for Indian batsmen

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India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that their tour in South Africa will be a big learning curve for their batsmen, according to reports.

According to Sport24, India arrived in Johannesburg on Monday for a three-match one-day series, which will be followed by two Tests.

Indian teams in the past have always struggled on the South African wickets that offer more pace and bounce, and Dhoni said that it could be a real baptism of fire for a few of their batsmen, the report said.

World Cup prize money set for huge increase

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The prize money at next year`s World Cup finals will be increased by at least a third from that on offer in South Africa in 2010, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said on Tuesday.

The overall prize money for the tournament will rise to approximately $560.0 million, around $140m more than the $420m available in 2010, when $30m was on offer to the winners.

It means the winners of next year`s tournament in Brazil will pick up around $40m.

Assembly Elections 2013: 4-0 sweep for BJP, show exit polls for four big states

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The different exit polls held in the four states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi show a clean sweep for the BJP.

Rajasthan: The poll shows the BJP ousting the Congress from power.The half-way mark for the state assembly is 199. The BJP lands 130, the Congress just gets 48.

Madhya Pradesh: The BJP and Shivraj Singh Chouhan return to power for a third term. The half-way mark for the state assembly is 115. The BJP grabs 144, the Congress gets 77.

2014 to experience more cyber crimes: Report

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Cyber crime reports have revealed that 2014 will experience more cyber attacks and corporations will have to conduct more boardroom scrutiny to manage their data supply chains.

Security firms Kroll and Experian reported that the corporate boards will have to intensely scrutinise how their C-suite executives are managing and protecting their data pipelines from problems that could lead to regulatory penalties, shareholder lawsuits and reputational damage.

The number of data breaches reported are also expected to rise in 2014, the report added.

ANI

India’s Mars Orbiter crosses Earth’s sphere of influence

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India’s maiden mission to Mars has traversed beyond the sphere of influence (SOI) of Earth extending about 9,25,000 km in its 10-month long voyage to the red planet.

The spacecraft crossed the SOI of Earth at around 1:14 hrs (IST) today, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The Mars orbiter spacecraft had slung out of its earth-bound orbit in the early hours of December one during the critical 22-minute Trans Mars Injection, a manoeuvre billed as the “mother of all slingshots.”

Scientists discover ‘super gene’ that boosts rice yields

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A rice gene that can increase the production of indica rice varieties, which includes basmati, by up to 36 per cent, has been discovered by a group of international scientists.

Most of the rice produced in Southern Asia, including India and Thailand, is indica rice.

In preliminary testing, researchers from Japan and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) here found that incorporating the SPIKE gene increased the yields of modern long-grain indica rice varieties – the world’s most widely grown types of rice – by 13 to 36 per cent.

Modi extols record voter turnout in state elections

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Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Wednesday lauded the record voter turnout in Delhi and four other states, where elections were held between Nov 11 and Dec 4.

“We have seen yet another successful demonstration of the strength of our democracy over the past few weeks. Congrats to the Indian voter,” Modi said on twitter.

“I congratulate Election Commission of India for spearheading a spectacular effort in conducting the polls,” he added.

Set up plastic parks, provide technology upgrade fund: Group

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The apex body of plastic industry Tuesday appealed to the Centre to set up plastic parks across the country and provide fund for technology upgradation of units operating in the key sector.

Indian plastics industry is poised for a substantial growth on the back of increasing demand from various sectors such as agriculture, automobile, engineering, infrastructure, packaging and healthcare, All India Plastics Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) President Anand Oza said here.

Dad hasn’t accepted I can have girlfriends: Ranbir Kapoor

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Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor may have girls drooling over him, but his father and yesteryear star Rishi Kapoor still hasn`t come to terms with him having a girlfriend.

The 31-year-old Kapoor scion, who is reportedly dating his ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ co-star Katrina Kaif, talked about his camaraderie with his dad while chatting on Karan Johar`s celebrity talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’.

The second episode of the fourth season of ‘Koffee With Karan’ will be aired Sunday 9 p.m and Ranbir`s cousin and actress Kareena Kapoor will also join him.

Jay-Mahi to appear in ‘Nach Baliye 6’

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TV actors Jay Bhanushali and his wife Mahi Vij, who won the fifth season of the celebrity couple dance reality show ‘Nach Baliye’, will make a guest appearance in the ongoing sixth season.

“I am really happy that ‘Nach Baliye’ has called us again,” Jay told reporters here Tuesday during the promo shoot for the show.

“This is the show (`Nach Baliye`) where I proved myself as a dancer and people started taking me seriously as a dancer I am happy with that,” he added.

Shah Rukh Khan enjoys lazing around at home

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Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose time is mostly occupied by film shoots, promotions and more, cherishes a relaxed day at home.

“Had an outstanding day of hanging around the house doing little. Cleaned my closets, took out the skeletons then placed them back neatly,” he posted on Twitter Tuesday.

The 48-year-old is currently busy with the shooting of ‘Happy New Year’, which is expected to release next year.
IANS

New Pakistan Army chief visits ISI headquarters

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Pakistan’s new army chief Gen Raheel Sharif was briefed on the security situation in the country during a visit to the Inter-Services Intelligence agency’s headquarters today.

The 57-year-old army chief appreciated the ISI’s role in strengthening national security.

ISI chief Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam briefed Sharif on national security issues.

Sharif took over as chief of the 600,000-strong Pakistan Army last week.

–PTI

Injured Sonakshi skips movie promotion down south

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Actress Sonakshi Sinha’s sprained foot has come in the way of promotions of her forthcoming film ‘R… Rajkumar’.

‘R… Rajkumar’, which also stars Shahid Kapoor, is set for Friday release and Sonakshi regrets not being able to travel for the last lap of promotions.

“Sorry Hyderabad and Bengaluru – couldn’t make it today! ‘R…Rajkumar’ ka power man, sprained my foot! That too only after interval! Three days to go,” she posted on Twitter Tuesday.

She was recently seen limping around while promoting the film on one of the reality shows.
IANS

It’s a joy working with Boman: Amitabh Bachchan

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is overjoyed to work with actor Boman Irani in ‘Bhootnath Returns’ after eight years.

The last time they shared screen space was in the 2005 movie ‘Waqt – The Race Against Time’.

“The shoot of `Bhootnath Returns` with the wonderful and most affable Boman Irani. Always a joy. Working with him after `Waqt`,” Amitabh tweeted Wednesday.

Boman thanked him for his kind words.

“Thanks Mr. B for your warm words. Always a pleasure to meet you,” said Boman.
IANS

Hong Kong confirms first human case of H7N9 bird flu: Report

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Hong Kong today confirmed its first human case of the deadly H7N9 bird flu, according to a report, in the latest sign of the virus spreading beyond mainland China.

A 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper with a history of travelling to the mainland city of Shenzhen and coming into contact with live poultry has been infected and is in critical condition, Health Secretary Ko Wing-man said, according to the broadcaster RTHK.