Month: February 2014

KCR to remain in touch with Congress for developmental work on Telangana

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Amid speculations over a possible merger of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) with the Congress, party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has said that he would remain in touch with the Congress for developmental work of Telangana, which is all set to become the 29th Indian state after Parliament approved the bill to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. Rao has been at the forefront of the Telangana movement for the past 10 years. He met Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday fueling the speculation of a possible alliance.

Telangana’s creation has nothing to do with polls: Jairam

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The formation of Telangana was a matter of commitment and has nothing to do with the Lok Sabha elections, union Minister Jairam Ramesh said Monday.

“This process has been on as you know for 60 years, more recently it’s been on for 10 years… it’s a promise and a commitment that we made in 2004… it has taken 10 years… it has taken an extraordinarily long time to create the consensus and environment,” Ramesh said in an interview to CNN-IBN news channel.

The Congress leader said that even now there were divisions within his own party.

IM was riginally called ‘Usaba’, says NIA

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The banned Indian Mujahideen (IM) was initially named “Usaba” when it came up in Karnataka’s Bhatkal, the NIA said in a charge sheet filed against the outfit’s co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and three others for planning terror strikes in India.

“Investigation has established that the organisation now known as IM had initially started in the form of a small group called as Usaba (an Arabic word for a group of men more than 11 but less then 40) in Bhatkal,” the National Investigation Agency said.

Egypt court suspends Morsi’s jailbreak trial

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Egypt’s Cairo criminal court decided Monday to suspend the trial of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and some 130 others over charges of a 2011 jailbreak, for studying requests to change the judges panel, media reported.

The defending team asked for the judges’ panel to recuse itself, deeming it as biased, Xinhua reported citing official news agency MENA.

Morsi appeared in court on charges of escaping from Wady al-Natroun prison with the assistance of domestic and foreign forces during the Jan 25 uprising in 2011.

Jayalalithaa greeted on her 66th birthday

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Leaders and cadres of the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu celebrated their leader J. Jayalalithaa’s birthday Monday in a grand manner here with good wishes pouring in for her.

In a statement issued by AIADMK Monday, Governor K. Rosaiah greeted Jayalaltihaa over phone and sent her a greeting letter along with a bouquet.

Leaders of alliance parties and others also extended their best wishes to Jayalalithaa.

‘Mirror system’ behind brain’s social understanding tasks

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How do we make sense of actions we see other people performing in day-to-day life? That’s through specialised cells in the brain, finds research.

Researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark demonstrated that brain cells in what is called the “mirror system” help people make sense of other people’s actions.

Chicago ninth US destination for Emirates airline

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Emirates Airline Monday announced it is launching a daily service to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from Aug 5 this year to be operated by a Boeing 777-200LR.

Chicago will become the airline’s ninth gateway in the US, coming soon after it commenced services to Boston, Massachusetts, March 10 this year.

“Chicago has long been a destination in the United States which Emirates has wished to serve,” Tim Clark, president of Emirates airline, said while speaking about the new service.

Retired IPS officer shoots self in Noida

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A retired Indian Police Service (IPS) official shot himself dead at his Noida residence Monday, police said.

C.L. Wasan, who retired as director general of the CB-CID department in Uttar Pradesh was found dead in his Sector 24 house in Noida, a suburb of national capital Delhi.

Senior police officials told IANS that they were “yet to conclusively say something on the reasons behind the suicide”.

“We are investigating the matter and talking to the family,” an official said.

Wasan was a 1962 batch official who retired in 1997.

India succumbed to Italian pressure: BJP

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday accused the central government of meekly giving in to pressure from Italy in the case of its marines who killed two Indian fishermen.

“The government has meekly succumbed under pressure from Italy,” said BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad said.

The comment comes as the central government Monday told the Supreme Court that it was not invoking the anti-piracy law against the two marines.

RIL KG-D6 contract cannot be cancelled: Moily to PM

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Reliance Industries’ (RIL) contract for KG-D6 gas fields cannot be terminated pending arbitration on the issue of thecompany’s production shortfall, Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Seemandhra leaders now spar over capital

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After unsuccessfully trying to stall bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, leaders from Seemandhra are now fighting for new capital for successor state.

As the formation of Telangana state has become a reality with Hyderabad as common capital of the two states for 10 years, the leaders from Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) have turned their attention to new capital of successor state of Andhra Pradesh.

Indian origin man kills friend for insurance, gets lifer

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An Indian-origin man in Britain was jailed for life for murdering his school friend to claim 319,000 pounds in life insurance he had taken out in the defendant’s name.

Jagdev Singh Rai, 44, was imprisoned for life last week for luring Jasbir Singh Bains to Dartmouth Park of West Bromwich in the West Midlands in the middle of the night, where he slit his throat and flung his body into the water, the Mirror reported Sunday.

Bains was found floating Nov 28 in 2012 by a passer-by.

Smartwatch that runs your TV!

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Here comes a smartwatch that lets you control your favourite TV programmes from your wrist!

The Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo have a camera built into the watch face, as well as a fitness tracker and LED which allows them to be used as a remote control.

“We have enhanced everything that people love about the original Samsung Gear to create a second generation of wearable devices that offer unparalleled smart freedom,” said Simon Stanford, vice president of Samsung UK & Ireland, in a press release.

Only Congress understands farmers’ problems: Rahul

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Interacting with farmers from across India, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday said only the Congress party understood the problems faced by the farming community.

Clad in a white kurta and blue jeans, Gandhi arrived in this town in Haryana’s Sonipat district, 65 km from Delhi, Monday afternoon to meet nearly 400 farmers who had gathered for the interaction at a ‘chaupal’.

The farmers included a small group of women also.

“What I learnt here, I have not learnt from bureaucrats earlier,” Gandhi told the gathering after listening to their problems.

Nanoparticles can activate immune cells, treat diseases

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Scientists have developed a new system that can precisely deliver anti-inflammatory drugs to immune cells gone out of control, while sparing their well-behaved counterparts.

The findings by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago were published online Feb 23 in Nature Nanotechnology.

The system uses nanoparticles made of tiny bits of protein designed to bind to unique receptors found only on neutrophils, a type of immune cell engaged in detrimental acute and chronic inflammatory responses.

Yokohama India inaugurates its Rs.300 crore plant

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Tyre manufacturer Yokohama Monday inaugurated its maiden manufacturing plant in India which has come up at investment of over Rs.300 crore.

The company said the first phase of commercial production will start in the second half of 2014 with maximum production capacity of 2,000 tyres per day.

“The very plant can be scaled up to 8,000 tyres per day in the next phases of growth. Yokohama India will continue to import tyres other than being manufactured in India,” said Takeshi Fujino, managing director, Yokohama India.

Congress, BJP’s Ambani connection: Kejriwal attacks trio

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Arvind Kejriwal who launched the Lok Sabha poll campaign of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, once again attack the Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani who he said was presiding over the country like English East India Company did, capably supported by both the Congress and the BJP.

244-yr-old Lake encroached

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Right of entry is prohibited With Locals Barricading the Lake

Bam Rukn-ud-Dowla off the National Highway 7 in Shivrampally does not number in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority’s list of 2,857 lakes identified in five districts of the state. No need to astonish as this 244-year-old lake falls prey to encroachment time and yet again. At present, some residents have even barred right of entry to the lake by raising profile sheets.

Property registrations show a 20% decline, land-owners in dilemma

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Property registrations in the city, especially surrounding areas, dropped significantly in the last two months after the Centre gave enough hints that the Telangana state would be created for sure.

According to Official sources, property registrations dropped by 20% compared to last year and revenue also dipped in the entire state. Registration and stamps department officials assert the situation might continue for some more time till location of new state capital for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh is finalized.

Narayana sets up hi-tech hospital in Caribbean

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Bangalore, Feb 24 (IANS) India’s leading corporate healthcare entity Narayana Hospital has extended its footprint beyond the shores by setting up a tertiary care multi-specialty hospital at Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.

Cayman Premier Alden McLaughlin will unveil the first phase of Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI) Tuesday in the presence of Narayana founder chairman Devi Shetty and US-based Ascension Health Alliance chief executive Anthony R. Tersigni.

Assam man sets himself ablaze demanding land rights

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A man set himself ablaze outside the Assam capital complex in Dispur Monday protesting the state’s refusal to give land pattas (deeds) to people.

The person, identified as P. Boro, was rushed to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. The doctors said he received about 90 percent burn injuries and that his condition was critical.

The incident took place despite deployment of police and paramilitary forces in and around the city since Monday morning to prevent any untoward incident in view of the protest called by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS).

Indian admits to molestation charges in Dubai

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A 23-year-old Indian has pleaded guilty to molesting a five-year-old girl in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The defendant, a delivery boy, admitted in the Dubai Court of First Instance that he molested the girl by grabbing her hand, hugging and kissing her at a house in International City, where her parents lived, the Khaleej Times reported Monday.

The complaint was filed by the girl’s mother, a 28-year-old Afghan housewife, who said that the accused had hugged, kissed and touched the girl inappropriately Jan 20.

LJP goes soft on Modi, but says talks with Cong still on

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Amid heightened speculation on an alliance with BJP, LJP today appeared to be going soft on Narendra Modi with party chief Ramvilas Paswan’s son saying that the Gujarat Chief Minister’s alleged involvement in 2002 riots is not an issue after the clean chit given to him by the court. PTI File Photo

Amid heightened speculation on an alliance with BJP, LJP today appeared to be going soft on Narendra Modi with party chief Ramvilas Paswan’s son saying that the Gujarat Chief Minister’s alleged involvement in 2002 riots is not an issue after the clean chit given to him by the court.

Dead baby dumped near bin

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A newborn baby boy’s body was found abandoned at a garbage bin in Feroz Gandhi Nagar area on Sunday evening. Police suspects that parents of the child had abandoned him after his death.

According to Humayun Nagar SubI- Inspector Purender Reddy, locals found the body of the near the garbage bin around 7 pm and informed the police. The baby was about ten days old. It is suspected that he died after birth due to poor health and his parents dumped him in preference to performing the last rites.

Chokers make a stylish comeback

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A number of trends from the 1980s and 1990s are slowly returning to high street fashion. Choker necklaces, for instance, are doing the rounds not only on fashion runways but are also being flaunted by many celebrities.

A choker is a close-fitting necklace, worn high on the neck. This type of jewellery can consist of one or more bands circling the neck.

The last high-fashion choker necklace that grabbed attention was the luxury label Dolce & Gabbana’s “Love” piece that singer-turned- fashion designer Victoria Beckham wore.