Month: December 2013

Male contraceptive pills come closer to reality

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A new breakthrough by an Australian scientist could finally make a male contraceptive a reality.

Dr Sabatino Ventura, who aims to develop a pill that temporarily prevents sperm from leaving a man’s body, said that it will take at least 10 years to build the final product.

Till now, Ventura has managed to block sperm in mice, but only through a permanent genetic modification that leaves them without two specific proteins; his next step is to develop a chemical that achieves the same effect.

Pakistan’s Shias, Sunnis frame code of conduct

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Close on the heels of communal clashes that claimed at least a dozen lives, leaders of the Shia and Sunni sects in Pakistan have framed a code of conduct to avert sectarian confrontations.

Leaders of the Sunni Barelvi and Ahl-e-Hadith sects and the Shia Ahl-e-Tashih sect yesterday signed the nine-point code of conduct in the presence of a government minister and other officials and vowed to end bickering between the two sides.

Taliban lauds Karzai for not inking US security pact

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The Taliban militants Tuesday praised President Hamid Karzai for delaying and not inking security pact with the US, a Taliban statement said.

“The obvious conditional opposition shown by the head of Kabul administration Karzai to inking the security agreement indicates that he has realised the demand of the Afghans, who are resisting invading forces. The Afghans never accept invading forces in their land,” Xinhua quoted the statement as saying.

Pranab Mukherjee pays tribute to Rajendra Prasad

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President Pranab Mukherjee paid tribute to India’s first president Rajendra Prasad on his 129th birth anniversary Tuesday.

The President along with his officers and staff paid floral tributes before a portrait of Rajendra Prasad in the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Prasad, born in 1884, was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution.

He is the only president to have been elected twice for the post and his term began Jan 26, 1950 and ended May 13, 1962. He passed away in 1963.

———–IANS

Pakistan facing shortage of US dollars

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Pakistan is facing a shortage of US dollars in the kerb market leading to fluctuating exchange rates and rising concerns.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar took notice of the shortage of dollar notes with exchange companies and scheduled banks and directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to ensure adequate supplies are made available in the market, said a statement from the Ministry of Finance.

Eight-member lawyers panel to defend Musharraf in treason case

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A panel of eight lawyers will represent former Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf in the “high treason” case registered against him by the Nawaz Sharif government that entails life imprisonment or death penalty if convicted.

The trial is set to start soon.

The eight-member panel include Sharifuddin Pirzada, Khalid Ranjha, Ilyas Siddiqui, Ahmed Raza Kasuri, Ibrahim Satti, Anwar Mansoor and Waqar Rana.

Security forces seize arms, ammunition in Mizoram

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The security forces have seized a large cache of arms and ammunition, including foreign-made arms, from a truck in Mizoram’s Serchhip district, police said here Tuesday.

Two people, including the driver of the vehicle, were arrested.

“Acting on a tip-off, Mizoram Police and Assam Rifles troopers in a joint raid have seized arms and ammunition Monday night from Khawlailung village (in eastern Mizoram), bordering Myanmar,” a police spokesman told reporters.

Chorus mounts in Tamil Nadu against India’s offer to train Sri Lanka naval officials

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After stepping up attacks on the Union government over India’s participation in the CHOGM meet in Sri Lanka last month, chorus is mounting in Tamil Nadu among opposition parties over the country’s offer to train Sri Lankan Naval personnel.

AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and arch rival DMK president M Karunanidhi have voiced strong protests over India’s offer to train Sri Lankan Navy personnel.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently, Jayalalithaa had expressed her strong protest over India’s offer to train Sri Lankan Naval officials.

New Pak Taliban chief returns to tribal areas after years long stay in Afghanistan

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New Tehrik-i- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah has returned to the country’s tribal areas after spending years in Afghanistan, a spokesman of the banned outfit said.

A TTP spokesman said that Fazlullah was now commanding from Pakistan, but he did not reveal the exact place where he was based in the tribal areas, Dawn News reports.

Fazlullah was elected as leader of the TTP last month after his predecessor Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by a U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan on November 1.

Union Cabinet to decide T or RT on Dec 5?

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Even as the Central government is moving forward to quickly complete the process of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, suspense continues to reign supreme as to whether it would be a 10-district Telangana or a 12-district Rayala-Telangana State.

Indian woman found dead in Sharjah

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An Indian woman was found hanging at her home in Abu Shagara area of Sharjah.

The woman, 30, apparently committed suicide by hanging herself with a cloth Sunday, Gulf News reported on Monday.

The woman’s body has reportedly been sent for autopsy and the investigation in the case has begun.

—-IANS

India test-fires N-capable missile

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India on Tuesday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile from a military base in Odisha for the third time within two months, a senior official said.

The indigenously-developed ballistic missile with a maximum range of 350 km was fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar.

“The mission was hundred percent success. It met all mission objectives,” test range director MVKV Prasad told a news agency.

Money for Kashmir going inside pockets of corrupt: Naqvi

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said the money collected for the progress of Jammu and Kashmir goes inside the lockers of a limited section of society instead of the common man, due to corruption.

“We are an open democracy. So, we have the right to discuss each an every issue openly and talk about its benefits or losses to the people of Kashmir, then why is the Congress having a problem with it,” asked Naqvi.

Shah Rukh Khan crosses six million followers on Twitter

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Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has touched a new benchmark on his Twitter fan following which has risen to over six millions.

The 48-year-old actor, who has beaten his competitors including Salman Khan (5,636,870) and Aamir Khan (5,105,283) on the micro-blogging site, thanked his fans for their love and support.

“Thanks for the 6 million. Our love goes beyond numbers. Wish you all happiness beyond count and love beyond measure,” Shah Rukh posted.

HC Sends Rajpal Yadav to 10 days in jail for misleading court

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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sent Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav to 10 days in jail for misleading the court in a recovery suit filed against him and his wife by a businessman here.

The court also detained his wife Radha Yadav, who was carrying their infant, till the rising of the court.

Yadav and his wife, along with their child, appeared before Justice S. Muralidhar, who had directed them to appear in-person as they had failed to appear in the court earlier.

New Taliban chief reaches Pakistan

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The new chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mullah Fazlullah has arrived in Pakistan, a media report said Tuesday.

Mullah Fazlullah arrived in the country’s North Waziristan region along with 15 aides from Afghanistan, reported Geo News citing sources.

The TTP chief will preside over the meeting of the Taliban Shura (council) in the next few days, the report said.

Government to table Telangana bill soon: Kamal Nath

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There was a consensus among various political parties on tabling a bill for the creation of Telangana state in the Winter Session and it will be the government’s endeavour to bring it “as soon as possible”, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters after an all-party meeting ahead of the Winter Session commencing on December 5, Kamal Nath said all political parties had agreed upon bringing the Telangana bill in the Winter Session.

“It will be the government’s endeavour to bring the bill as soon as possible,” he said.

First toll-free helpline for disabled launched

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Now help is only a phone call away for people with speech and hearing disabilities in the eastern part of the country with the launch of a toll-free helpline Tuesday, the first in this region.

Ushering the International Day of People with Disability, Bengal Speech and Hearing Aid Pvt. Ltd. (BSHPL), the largest chain of clinics for hearing and speech disability patients in this part of the country, kicked-off the venture here.

US Justice Department approves Microsoft-Nokia deal

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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has given its approval to Microsoft”s acquisition of Nokia”s mobile devices and services business. The DOJ and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) signed off on a 7.2 billion dollars deal allowing Microsoft to purchase Nokia. According to the Verge, shareholders of the Finnish smartphone maker recently approved the deal, allowing Microsoft to ship its own Windows Phones with or without the Lumia branding.

PM inaugurates Rs.4,500 crore gas pipeline project

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday inaugurated a Rs.4,500 crore ($722 million) 1,000 km-long gas pipeline that connects Dabhol in Maharashtra to Bangalore in Karnataka.

The project has been developed by the state-run Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

The prime minister dedicated the project to the nation at the inaugural ceremony of the 8th Asia Gas Partnership Summit organised jointly by GAIL and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here.

Mukherjee hosts banquet for Japanese royals

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Japan;s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday evening.

The President warmly welcomed the Emperor and Empress of Japan to India and conveyed that the people and Government of India feel honoured by their visit.

He said it was wonderful to have them back in the Rashtrapati Bhavan after 52 years and that memories of their earlier visit as Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan in 1960 are still fresh in the minds of the people of India, who hold them in the highest esteem.

Imran Khan: ‘Dhoom 3’ to create Rs.300 crore club

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Imran Khan feels that his uncle and superstar Aamir Khan-starrer “Dhoom 3” has the potential to set a new box office record.

Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, “Dhoom 3” is set for a Dec 20 release and expectations are high from the new offering by Yash Raj Films, especially because the first two instalments were blockbusters.

“I think, there will be some new club. Rs.200 crore club has already been made, and for this film there will be a Rs.300-Rs.400 crore club,” the 30-year-old told reporters Monday at a Bru coffee contest event here.

Aerobic exercise boosts memory in young adults

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A new research has revealed that aerobics may be beneficial for brain health and cognition, as certain hormones, which are increased during exercise, may help improve memory.

Hormones called growth factors are thought to mediate the relationship between exercise and brain health. The hippocampus, a region of the brain crucial for learning and memory, is thought to be uniquely affected by these hormones.

Professor’s remark causes stir in AMU

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Irfan Habib, an Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) professor, has created a stir by questioning the demand for the varsity’s minority character.

Speaking at an old boys’ association meet called “Dialogues Initiative”, held at the Kennedy Hall, Habib said that under the AMU Act. the university could not be given the status of a minority institution.

His statement has now been challenged by several Muslim intellectuals, with some of them demanding that action should be taken against him.

NASA to build vegetable garden on moon by 2015

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NASA is planning to send seeds to the moon by 2015 to see if it would be possible to grow a vegetable garden there.

According to a UK website, the space agency will send the seeds in sealed containers that are rigged to release a small reservoir of water upon landing.

A team of researchers, dubbed the Lunar Plant Growth Habitat group, are going to monitor the seeds’ growth from Earth, and will test how the seeds react to lunar gravity, radiation and various other stresses that they will be encountering on the moon’s surface, the Washington Times reported.