Month: December 2013

Kejriwal seeks CAG audit of Delhi discoms

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Newly-installed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday asked the state’s electricity distribution companies to state their objections to their likely audit by the nation’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

”“We have given notice to power companies for audit. Power companies have been asked to send their reply on why there shouldn’t be an audit, by tomorrow (Wednesday),” the chief minister told reporters here after meeting CAG Shashi Kant Sharma to discuss the issue ahead of a meeting of the Delhi cabinet.

Kejriwal cuts power tariff, millions to benefit

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday fulfilled his second major election promise and cut power tariff by half to benefit an estimated 28 lakh households.

Kejriwal, who took oath Saturday, also suggested an audit into the power companies in the capital, giving them time until Wednesday morning to file their objections if any.

In the meantime, he said that those consuming up to 400 units — 0 to 200 units and 201 to 400 units — of electricity a month would get 50 percent subsidy.

The new power rates will go into effect from Wednesday — Jan 1.

Peer pressure may influence food choices

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Obesity may be a “socially transmitted disease,” suggests a new study which found that social norms influence our food choices.

Researchers conducted a systematic review of several experimental studies, each of which examined whether or not providing information about other peoples’ eating habits influences food intake or choices.

After examining the data, investigators found consistent evidence that social norms influence food choices.

PM lays foundation stone of Punjab cancer hospital

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday laid the foundation stone of a Rs.450-crore cancer hospital in Mullanpur of Mohali district in Punjab, 20 km from here, that will be run on the lines of Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital.

The hospital will cater to 10,000 new cancer cases and provide treatment to 40,000 old cases annually, the prime minister said after laying the foundation stone of the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre.

Lalu licking Congress’ feet, says Mulayam

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Attacking Lalu Prasad for going to Muzaffarnagar riot relief camps a few days after Rahul Gandhi’s visit, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today said the RJD leader was a sycophant who was “licking the feet” of Congress leaders.

Why smoking is so terribly addictive!

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Researchers have tried to explain how nicotine exploits the body’s cellular machinery to promote addiction.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine activates receptors known as nAChRs and, remarkably, unlike most other drugs of abuse, it acts as a “pharmacological chaperone” to stabilize assembly of its receptors within the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) and increase their abundance at the cell surface (up-regulation).

US ambassador Nancy Powell ‘regrets’ Khobragade arrest

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US ambassador Nancy J. Powell Tuesday expressed “regret” over the way Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was arrested and jailed for alleged visa fraud and underpaying her child’s nanny.

Powell said in a New Year message to India that the forward movement in Indo-US relations has been “jolted by the very different reactions to issues involving one of your consular officers and her domestic worker.

“I join Secretary (of State John) Kerry in expressing our regret for the circumstances of the consular officer’s arrest,” she said in a statement.

Delhi has chilly New Year’s eve, cold day ahead (Second Lead)

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It was a chilly New Year’s eve Tuesday in the national capital with the minimum temperature settling three notches below average at 4 degrees Celsius. The Met Office has forecast a foggy, cold New Year’s day.

“A partly cloudy sky is likely to become clear during the day. Some fog is expected in the morning,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department.

Tuesday’s maximum temperature was recorded three notches below average at 17.6 degrees Celsius.

The national capital recorded rainfall of 6.4 mm since Monday.

Two Australian boys nabbed for attack on Indian student

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Police in Australia Tuesday nabbed and charged two suspects over a vicious assault on two Indian students, one of whom is now lying in coma.

The victim, Manriajwinder Singh, 20, of Reservoir, a suburb in Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria, was nearly beaten to death by a gang in a city park Sunday.

Police Tuesday arrested three teenagers for the attack, The Age reported.

Kejriwal meets CAG over audit of power companies

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday met the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) over holding audit of power distribution companies in the capital.

Though a doctor Tuesday morning said the chief minister was still running fever and suffering from diarrhoea, Kejriwal held meetings to deliver on the Aam Aadmi Party’s promise of cheaper power for the national capital.

“Attempts are being made so our government falls. We do not know if our government will survive or not. We feel we have only 48 hours to serve the people,” said Kejriwal, who missed office Monday.

US envoy in Bangladesh meets Khaleda

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US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena met the country’s opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia Tuesday as anti-government protests continued.

Zia’s advisors Riaz Rahman and Sabihuddin Ahmed entered her house minutes after the US envoy reached there. Neither Mozena nor anyone from the BNP spoke to the media after the meeting, reported bdnews24.com.

This was the second meeting with Zia by a western diplomat since the launch Sunday of the March for Democracy by the country’s combined opposition comprising BNP and its 17 allies.

Ready to face defamation case from Virbhadra Singh: Jaitley

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Reiterating his allegations of corruption against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, BJP leader Arun Jaitley Tuesday said he had all evidence and was ready to face a defamation suit.

“Virbhadra Singh said he would consider filing a defamation action against me. He is certainly entitled to do so,” Jaitley said in a statement.

Alleging it was an “open and shut case of corruption” against Virbhadra Singh over payments from a power company’s promoter, Jaitley has demanded a probe and action from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress.

India, Saudi Arabia to ink labour cooperation agreement

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Saudi Arabia and India are set to ink an important agreement on labour cooperation when the kingdom’s Labour Minister Adel Fakieh arrives on a three-day visit on New Year. Saudi Arabia is one of the top destinations for Indian workers and the labour agreement is expected to standardise service conditions of Indian workers.

The agreement on Labour Cooperation for Domestic Service Workers Recruitment is to be inked on Thursday.

The agreement is also expected to do away with the role of middlemen in employing Indian labour.

Schumacher shows signs of improvement, still critical

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Legendary Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher has shown signs of improvement but is still critical at the Grenoble University Hospital, doctors said Tuesday.

The seven-time former World Champion underwent another surgical procedure but is not out of danger. The surgery, which took around two hours, was done to remove the largest of a series of blood clots in Schumacher’s brain, according to media reports.

Harassed over a moustache!

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Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are investigating a case of a passport control official who allegedly held back an Indian man’s passport because he did not like the latter’s moustache.

Sujeev Kumar, a software engineer from Thiruvananthapuram in the Indian state of Kerala, arrived at Sharjah International Airport last Friday.

He said that the passport control officer told him he would return the passport if he shaved off his moustache, the Gulf News reported.

Crimes against women rising in Andhra Pradesh

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There was a marked increase in the number of sexual assault cases in Andhra Pradesh in 2013, state police chief B. Prasada Rao said Tuesday.

The number of rape cases went up by over 20 percent while cases of outraging the modesty of a woman rose sharply by over 47 percent.

Director General of Police Rao attributed this to the registration of cases by police immediately after receiving complaints from victims.

Earlier, cases were registered after verification of the complaints.

B-schools to oppose UGC bid to curb autonomy

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Leading business schools are likely to oppose a move of the UGC to affiliate them with state-run universities, which will curtail their autonomy, a delegation of management institutions has said.

Deans and chairmen of B-schools offering post-graduate diploma in management (PGDM), described the Dec 23 University Grants Commission (UGC) proposal as retrogade, similar to the December 2010 notification issued by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which was suspended by the Supreme Court.

Indian stocks among best performers; Sensex hits new high (2013 in Retrospect)

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Indian equities emerged as the best performer among the major emerging economies with a return of nearly 10 percent for a key index on the back of the close to $20 billion foreign fund inflow into the $1.1 trillion market.

Returns on India’s major stocks have beaten equities in BRICS partner countries Brazil, Russia and China. The performance of the 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) was also among the best globally.

The two widely tracked indices of the Indian equities markets – Sensex and Nifty – scaled a new peaks in 2013.

Want to do maximum good for people in 48 hours: Kejriwal

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Ahead of the trust vote on January 2, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said he wants to do maximum good for the people in the next 48 hours whether the government stays or not.

“Not sure of Congress and BJP. We are not bothered whether the government survives or not. We are running the government assuming that we have just 48 hours with us. We want to do the maximum good to the people, if we can in this time,” he told reporters.

In a lighter vein, he said he can recoup his health in a couple of days but he won’t get these crucial 48 hours.

Kiski Chai Bechata Hai Tu (Whose Tea Do You Sell)

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Apane ko chaiwala kyun kehta hai tu

Baat-baat mein natak kyun karta hai tu

Chaiwalon ko kyun badnaam karata hai tu

Saaf-saaf bata de! kiski chai bechata hai tu!

(Why do you call yourself a teaseller Why do you act and lie all the time Why do you give a bad name to teasellers
Say it clearly! Whose tea do you sell!)

Khoon lagakar anguthe mein shahid hota hai

Aur corporate mafia mein masiha dekhta hai

Ambani-Adani ki dalali se ‘vikas’ karata hai

Arre badmash bata de! kiski chai bechata hai tu!

Rahul is natural leader of Cong: Manish Tewari

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Amid talk of Congress preparing to project Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate, Union Minister Manish Tewari today said the party Vice President is its “natural leader”.

He, however, dismissed as “unnecessary speculation” the media reports about the possibility of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resigning, saying, “I know on December 31 there is little news but this does not mean that absurd, baseless and incorrect news stories should be run.”

BJP youth wing protests against Himachal CM in front of Rahul’s house

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The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, on Tuesday protested in front of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s house here, condemning Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who has been accused of graft.

The protestors gathered in front of Rahul’s 12, Tughlak Lane residence, and raised anti-Congress slogans. Some even tried to cross the steel and iron barricades.

The protestors led by BJP leader and BJYM president Anurag Thakur , demanded action against Virbhadra Singh.

Dubai set to dazzle tonight!

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Palm Jumeirah, the World Islands, Burj Khalifa and Dubai Festival city will be putting up a combined show of fireworks tonight.

The staggering display of fireworks will include a world record attempt that will see 400,000 shots fired in the sky from 400 locations on the Palm island and the islands of The World, Gulf News reported.

Samsung launches ‘Stay New’ plan to upgrade to new smartphones

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Electronics major Samsung today launched its ‘Stay New’ ownership plan for its flagship Galaxy devices, which will offer consumers 18-month EMI scheme as well as an option to upgrade to newer models.

‘Stay New’ empowers the customer to own a Galaxy smartphone of choice and upgrade the same in future, Samsung said in a statement.

High ‘good’ and low ‘bad’ cholesterol levels are healthy for the brain too!

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Researchers have said that high levels of “good” cholesterol and low levels of “bad” cholesterol are correlated with lower levels of the amyloid plaque deposition in the brain – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Lead study author Bruce Reed, associate director of the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center, said that their study shows that both higher levels of HDL – good – and lower levels of LDL – bad – cholesterol in the bloodstream are associated with lower levels of amyloid plaque deposits in the brain.