Month: January 2014

NYC heiress claims hubby `duped` her into spending $744K on mistress

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A newly married underwear heiress, Candice Feinberg, has accused her husband of ‘conning’ her into spending 744,000 dollars on his New Jersey lover.

Feinberg is seeking 10.7 million dollars from her estranged husband Steven Lalicata in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit, the New York Post reported. According to Feinberg, Lalicata, 30, persuaded her into withdrawing the amount from her trust fund so that he could pay off his supposed gambling debts, but all the while he “was stealing the money to live a double life.

NSUI, Youth Congress activists protest near BJP chief Rajnath Singh’s house

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Activists of the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) were baton charged by Delhi Police on Wednesday, as they sought to undertake a protest march towards the official residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh.

Media reports said that between 40 to 50 Youth Congress and NSUI protesters were taken into custody and moved to the Parliament Street Police Station, as the demonstration took a turn for the worse.

Delhi Assembly session begins, MLAs take oath

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The first session of the newly elected Delhi Assembly began here on Wednesday afternoon with Pro-tem Speaker Mateen Ahmad in the chair.

The session will come to end on January 7.

On the first day of the session, newly elected MLAs took oath to perform their responsibilities in good faith and to uphold the Constitution of India.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government will also seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the assembly during this period.

The election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker has been fixed for January 3.

Kejriwal violated assembly rules, says Jolly

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Delhi BJP leader Vijay Jolly Wednesday accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of violating rules of the legislative assembly by wearing his Aam Aadmi Party cap inside the house.

Jolly said the AAP chief attended the first session of the assembly Wednesday wearing a cap depicting his party’s name.

As per assembly rules, no one is allowed to wear or display badges of any kind in the house.

“Wearing the AAP cap with party slogan is against the rules,” Jolly, a former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, said in a statement issued to the media.

–IANS

Pakistan court warns Musharraf of arrest

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A special court in Pakistan, hearing a high treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Wednesday warned that it could issue a warrant for his arrest if he failed to appear Thursday.

Musharraf failed Wednesday for the second time in 10 days to appear before the three-member bench and the court adjourned the proceedings for a day, Xinhua reported.

Paralysed teen may kick off 2014 Football World Cup`s opening game

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A paralysed teen, using an advanced mind-controlled exoskeleton, may get to provide the first ceremonial kick of the opening game of the 2014 Football World Cup.

This event would showcase the ‘Walk Again Project,’ which is an international collaboration that uses technology to help paralysed overcome their problem, New Scientist reported.

The exoskeleton provides support to the lower body and brain activity patterns detected by electrodes placed either on the scalp or within the brain itself, help control it.

Kim K shares video montage of Kanye West romance on Twitter

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Kim Kardashian has shared a New Years Eve video of her and Kanye West’s romance on Twitter.

The ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashian’ star”s 5-minute video ‘Kimye Love: Happy endings do come true’, featured a beautiful montage of the couple’s journey, the Mirror reported.

The video contains clippings of West’s statement that his fiance is very sweet and isn’t after his money, Kardashian’s statement that there has always been a connection, the proposal and their daughter North West. (ANI)

Bengal gang rape victim was set on fire by others, say parents

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A 16-year-old gang rape victim, who died of high degree burns, was set on fire by attackers and not by herself, the girl’s parents said Wednesday.

The girl was subjected to the brutality a second time after she filed a police complaint about being gang raped by six people.

She and her family were subjected to constant taunts and threats and Dec 23 she was hospitalised in a critical condition after she reportedly set herself on fire unable to bear the continuous humiliation.

BP Gulf oil spill still killing dolphins

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A new study has revealed that BP gulf oil spill is still influencing dolphin mortality, prognosis and reproductive health.

Scientists caught dolphins in Barataria Bay (BB), Louisiana, and a site thought to be uncontaminated, and found that forty-eight per cent dolphins were given a guarded or worse prognosis, and 17 per cent were given poor or grave prognosis, indicating that the marine mammals were not expected to survive, according to Examiner.com.

Britney Spears performs through wardrobe malfunction during Las Vegas gig

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Britney Spears showed that she’s a true professional when she danced through a wardrobe malfunction during her Las Vegas ‘Piece of Me’ concert.

Fans almost saw a piece of the 32-year-old pop diva on Saturday night when the 32 year old’s dress popped open at the back as she sang her hit song ‘Circus,’ News.com.au reported.

But Spears was unfazed by this and continued to sing while her backup dancer tried fixing her dress. (ANI)

46 stations to be part of real-time coastline monitoring: Antony

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Defence Minister A.K. Antony has said that a coastal surveillance network is being established with 46 stations as part of it to ensure real-time coastline monitoring.

He was speaking after commissioning the Indian Coast Guard ship ”Abheek” in Kochi yesterday.

Promising the government”s support for the Coast Guard”s plan to substantially increase its force level to face emerging challenges, Antony also emphasised the importance that the government accords to coastal security in view of the asymmetric threats from the sea.

How binary-stars are formed

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Scientists, using the upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), have discovered previously-unseen binary companions to a pair of very young protostars, which has now provided strong support for one of the competing explanations for how double-star systems form.

John Tobin, of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), said that the only way to resolve the debate is to observe very young stellar systems and catch them in the act of formation, asserting that’s what they’ve done with the stars they observed, and they got valuable new clues from them.

Karimnagar observes bandh over change in Sridhar Babu’s portfolio

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Normal life in entire Karimnagar district came to a standstill on Wednesday following a bandh call in protest against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s decision to take away the Legislative Affairs portfolio from D Sridhar Babu.

In response to the bandh call given by district unit of Congress party, the shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed. The buses of state-owned Road Transport Corporation too went off the roads in the district. The Congress workers took to streets raising slogans against the chief minister, burning his effigies and tyres.

Global temperatures to go up by at least 4 degrees Celsius by 2100

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Researchers have found that global climate would rise by at least 4 degree Celsius by 2100 and by more than 8 degree Celsius by 2200 if carbon dioxide emissions are not cut down.

Lead author Prof Steven Sherwood from the University of New South Wales’ Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, said that their research has shown climate models indicating a low temperature response to a doubling of carbon dioxide from preindustrial times are not reproducing the correct processes that lead to cloud formation.

CM has challenged Cong HC’s authority: Palwai

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Congress Rajya Sabha MP Palwai Govardhan Reddy on Wednesday described the decision of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to strip D Sridhar Babu of Legislative Affairs portfolio as an open challenge to Congress High Command’s authority.

KPCC chief Chennithala to be inducted into Kerala cabinet

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The Congress-led United Democratic Front Government in Kerala will be expanded today with the induction of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President Ramesh Chennithala.

Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Chennithala at Raj Bhawan in Thiruvananthapuram.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said portfolios of the new minister will be announced soon after the swearing-in.

He said, major changes will be effected in the state cabinet after this year’s general elections. (ANI)

MSNBC host apologizes for mocking adopted `black` Romney grandchild

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MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry has apologized on Twitter for mocking former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s Christmas card and his adopted black grandchild.

Harris-Perry displayed the card on her show, featuring Kieran Romney sitting on his grandfather’s lap surrounded by the rest of the Romney family. Harris-Perry remarked that a lot of people had emotions about this baby picture this year, the New York Post reports.

Four SIMI members arrested in Madhya Pradesh

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The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Madhya Pradesh Police arrested four members of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in Ujjain, an official said Wednesday. A large cache of ammunition was also recovered.

Police arrested Javed Nagori, Abdul Aziz, Mohd. Abid and Mohd. Wahid late Tuesday from the Mahidapur area in Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh, about 200 km from the state capital, on the basis of information provided by Abu Faisal. He was one of the seven SIMI members who escaped from Khandwa Jail last October, and was re-arrested Dec 25, 2013.

‘Tainted’ lawmakers inducted into Karnataka ministry

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Wednesday expanded his cabinet, inducting party legislators D.K. Shivakumar and R. Roshan Baig. For over seven months, the chief minister resisted pressure from them to be made ministers as they face corruption charges.

While Shivakumar faces charges of illegal mining, Baig is accused of land grabbing.

Sensex closes flat, IT stocks down

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A benchmark index of Indian equities Wednesday closed 30 points down, as information technology (IT) and oil and oil and gas stocks fell.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 21,222.19 points, closed at 21,140.48 points, down 30.20 points or 0.14 percent from its previous day close at 21,170.68 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 21,244.35 points and a low of 21,133.82 points during the day.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed trade 2.35 points or 0.04 percent up at 6,301.65 points.

India, Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear installations, prisoners

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India and Pakistan Wednesday exchanged lists of their nuclear installations and facilities as also one listing the names of their nationals in each others’ jails.

The list of nuclear installations and facilities is simultaneously exchanged by both countries on Jan 1 every year as part of the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities.

The agreement, signed Dec 31, 1988, came into force Jan 27, 1991.

This is the 23rd consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place Jan 1, 1992.

Bengal gangrape: Congress wants Mamata to quit, CBI probe

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Condemning the state police for allegedly trying to forcibly cremate a minor girl, who died after setting herself on fire following gangrape, the Congress Wednesday demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Describing the alleged police attempt as “unprecedented and heinous”, West Bengal Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya also demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) be called to investigate the case.

Kejriwal, others take oath as legislators

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The newly sworn-in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday took oath as a member of the Delhi legislative assembly when it met for the first time after last month’s elections.

Congress leader Mateen Ahmed, who was named pro-tem speaker, administered the oath to Kejriwal.

Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia took oath after Kejriwal. Both of them, however, left the house soon after taking oath.

The other five ministers – Rakhi Birla, Girish Soni, Satendra Jain, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Somnath Bharti – also took oath.

They were followed by other legislators.