Month: April 2014

Want to be happy? Make others smile

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A new study has revealed one can be happy by making others smile.

Researchers at Stanford University have claimed that making someone smile is as good for the giver as it is for the receiver and if one sets out to make someone happy, instead of just smile, then they will probably fail, ABC News reported.

According to the study, as happiness is a vague, abstract condition and in the end one won’t know if the other person is really happy, it can cause frustration and thus unhappiness.

Farmers showcase assorted grains at Kochi rice fest to boost business

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Hundreds of farmers showcased an assorted variety of rice grains at a five-day rice festival in Kochi, Kerala, with the objective of promoting organic farming and cultivation through traditional methods in order to boost their respective businesses.

Customers visited the fest on Sunday that was organised with an aim to help bridge the gap between farmers and consumers, also to add some income to their coffers.

16-yr-old boy was killed for refusing sex

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On Saturday, a 33-year-old man was arrested in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu on charges of killing a 16-year-old boy for refusing to have sex with him.

According to Police, K Soorya Prakash, a Class XI student, went missing on April 21 after he had left home for tuition.

Kandasamy, the vicrtims father lodged a complaint with the Chidambaram town police after he couldn’t find his son. As police were looking for the boythe father got a call demanding a ransom of Rs 25 lakh. The caller threatened to kill the boy if Kandasamy refused to pay the money or alerted police.

50 shanties gutted in Delhi slum fire

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At least 50 shanties were gutted in a fire that broke out in a slum in a New Delhi area, official said on Monday.

The blaze apparently started due to an electrical short circuit in a hut in a slum in the Chanakyapuri area on Sunday late.

“We received a call around 10 pm, following which 16 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused in an hour’s time,” said an official of Delhi Fire Service.

No one was injured in the incident.

Chanakyapuri is the diplomatic enclave in the capital.

—IANS

Maoists blow up school building in Bihar

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Maoist guerrillas blew up a school building in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district early Monday, police said.

The Maoists used dynamites and cylinder bombs to blast the high school building at Narotampur, district police official Sanjay Singh said.

He said the two-storey building collapsed in the blast, but no casualty was reported.

The school was targeted as paramilitary personnel (CRPF) had camped there till mid-April for combing operations against Maoists in Lakhisarai and neighbouring districts.

AP: Suspended driver steals bus

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A driver with the Andhra Pradesh state transport corporation has been arrested for allegedly stealing a bus from Gokavaram in Rajahmundry in East Godavari district two days ago.

Ch Venkanna, the accused, had been suspended a few days back for dereliction of duty.

Police said he committed the offence as he was nursing a grudge against the depot manager for suspending him. PTI

Now, machine that makes water out of ‘thin air’

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An Israeli company has developed a device that extracts drinking water from air.

The machine, which is developed by Water-Gen, is already being used by the military, but the company claims that civilians will use it in the future, CNN reported.

The company has come up with Atmospheric Water-Generation Units that is using its “GENius” heat exchanger to chill air and condense water vapor.

Indian rupee down 12 paise at 60.72 against US dollar

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The Indian rupee lost 12 paise to 60.72 against the US dollar in early trade today at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market due to month-end demand for the American currency from importers.

Besides, a mixed trend in other Asian currencies against the dollar overseas and a lower opening of the domestic equity market also put pressure on the local unit, forex dealers said.

The domestic currency had gained a massive 47 paise to close at 60.60 on Friday amid heavy selling of the US currency by corporates, exporters and banks.

The plank in China’s eye

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Since China is a communist country, the teachings of Jesus Christ hold little currency. Nevertheless, the atheist regime would do well to pay attention to one of Jesus’ sayings: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

In recent times, several episodes have revealed the one-eyed nature of Chinese policy and behavior.

Torrid tornadoes tear through US states, 10 killed in Arkansas, Oklahoma

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Mighty storms targeted many southern and Central US states, triggering tornadoes that killed ten people in Arkansas and Oklahoma, reports said Monday.

Out of ten victims, eight were killed when a tornado hit the northern suburbs of Little Rock in Arkansas town, while two were said to have been dead in Oklahoma. Other reports said only was confirmed killed in Oklahoma.

Other towns like Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouriwere also struck by the tornadoes that uprooted trees, flipped cars and caused severe damage.

Priyanka has lowered political discourse: Jaitley

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Attacking Priyanka Gandhi for her remarks comparing the BJP leaders to “panic-stricken rats”, Arun Jaitley on Monday said she has “lowered the political discourse” with her language and the Vadra family needs to be “scared of the law”.

“She has compared the BJP to ‘panic-stricken rats’…Mrs Vadra has lowered the quality of political discourse by her comments…If any of my family members started referring to my opponents as rats and reptiles I surely will be a worried man,” the BJP leader wrote on his blog.

Prez Obama regrets not spending more time with mom

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President Barack Obama revealed, during a town hall meeting at the University of Malaya, that he regrets not having spent more time with his mother Ann Dunham .

The 52-year-old politician said his mother, who died just 22 days short of her 53rd birthday, got ovarian cancer in 1995. He added that it all happened very fast, in about six months, ABC News reported.

Maoists kill two villagers in Odisha

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Maoists killed two villagers in Odisha’s Malkangiri district in two incidents, police said on Monday.

A group of about 50 Left rebels barged into the Kapra and Ugayagiri villages on Sunday night and killed two middle-aged villagers.

Their bodies were found on Monday, police officer Debashis Mishra said, adding it is not known why they were killed.

Maoists are active in more than half of Odisha districts.

Malkangiri district, over 600 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, is considered to be their stronghold.

—IANS

Campaigning for 89 LS seats spread over 7 states and 2 UTs to end today

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Campaigning will end on Monday for 89 Parliamentary constituencies, spread over 7 states and 2 Union Territories, which will go to polls on Wednesday in the seventh phase.

The states and union territories are, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Campaigning will also end for 119 Assembly constituencies of Andhra Pradesh today. Polling in these Assembly segments will also be held on Wednesday. (ANI)

Navy cadets arrested for molesting woman

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Five Navy cadets were arrested in Mumbai on Saturday night after they allegedly molested a woman in a pub and then chased her auto.

The incident took place when the 25-year-old housewife went to a pub along with her husband and a friend. The couple was dancing when the cadets allegedly misbehaved with her.

The victim’s husband then informed the pub authorities who asked the cadets to leave after a warning, as per news reports.

However, the cadets reportedly waited for the victim and her husband to leave the pub and then chased their auto and tried to stop it too.

‘Red-haired’ men latest ‘in thing’

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‘Red-haired’ or ‘ginger’ men are the latest “in thing”, as their 2 per cent of the population have stepped up after years of being bullied in school.

Prince Harry, who is a notable redhead man in public life, is among many other successful “ginger men” like Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis, Michael Fassbender, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Rupert Grint, Stuff.co.nz reported.

However, life has not always been easy for these men and model Louis Evans has revealed that he has come a long way since being the victim of “anti-ginger” bullying at school.

Akhilesh Yadav, wife have narrow escape as bird hits chopper

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had a narrow escape Sunday when his chopper was hit by a bird, officials said.

Yadav was accompanied by his wife Dimple Yadav, the MP from Kannauj, and Public Works Department Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav. He was returning from Saifai after attending the funeral of his uncle Ratan Singh Yadav when the incident took place.

Officials said an eagle hit the front window pane of the private chopper at an altitude of 3,000 feet, 12 km away from the Lucknow airport.

Indians account for ‘second largest’ international student group in Australia

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Students from India reportedly form the second largest group of international students studying in Australia.

According to the most recent figures from Universities Australia, more than 30,000 international students are studying across the country, out of which, China, India, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam are the top five countries with largest student groups.

An increasing number of students from Pakistan, Colombia and the Philippines are also enrolling for different courses in the country.

Mahmoud Abbas calls Holocaust ‘most heinous crime’ in modern history

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called the Holocaust ‘the most heinous crime’ of modern history.

Abbas also expressed sympathy for the victims, which is a rare acknowledgment by an Arab leader of Jewish suffering during the Nazi genocide.

According to Fox News, the remarks were published by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA just hours before the start of Israel’s annual Holocaust commemoration.

Abbas’ office said he discussed the Holocaust in a meeting with an American rabbi, Marc Schneier, who visited Abbas’ headquarters in Ramallah last week, the report said.

Pope Francis declare Pope John XXIII, Pope John Paul II saints

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Pope Francis has declared two of his predecessors Popes John Paul II and John XXIII saints.

He praised the two as ‘men of courage’ at the Vatican service.

The move is the first time in history that two popes have been canonised at the same time.

According to the BBC, in keeping with tradition, Pope Francis was approached and requested to add his two predecessors to the list of Catholic saints.

10 killed in Baghdad car bomb attack

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At least 10 people were killed and 36 others wounded in a suicide car bomb attack in Iraq’s capital city Sunday, police said.

The suicide bombing struck a popular market in Baghdad’s eastern district of Sadr city, Xinhua quoted a police source as saying. He added that the blast caused damage to a number of nearby shops and buildings.

No group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack so far.

The attack came just three days ahead of Iraq’s April 30 parliamentary elections, the first in the country since the withdrawal of US troops in late 2011.IANS

Fashion for moms-to-be – maxi dresses, tunic tops

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Pregnant and worried how to put on your best fashion statement with the baby bump? Try some maternity style with tunic tops with leggings and maxi dresses to beat the heat and stay comfortable.

Loose-fit clothing definitely brings in the comfort level for all the expectant mothers, especially as they head to the end of their pregnancy.

Maxi dresses are a style staple for spring, especially when pregnant. They’re easy to wear and the loose-fit or stretchy fabric will leave you able to move around easily and feel at ease in what you’re wearing, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Study reveals ‘Love hormone’ bonds animals like humans

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And you thought you had a patent on ‘love hormone’ when it comes to showing affection! Dogs too have oxytocin and release it in a good quantity when in love or looking for bonding.

In fact, experts were shocked by the levels of oxytocin released in animals.

Referred to as a ‘bonding’ hormone, oxytocin plays an important role in the neuroanatomy of intimacy, specifically in sexual reproduction, in particular during and after childbirth.

How to win more ‘likes’ on Facebook photos

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Disappointed at less number of ‘likes’ on your selfie or a photo from your latest vacation on Facebook or Twitter? Now, there is a formula that can win more ‘likes’ online.

An Indian-American student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, has devised a formula that tells how the contents of a photograph may predict its popularity online.

Computer student Aditya Khosla and his team scanned through 2.3 million Flickr photos to see which got the most views.

Weight-loss tamarind and anti-depressants a deadly mix

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Are you taking weight-loss supplements while on anti-depressants? Take caution because the popular weight-loss supplement garcinia cambogia — famously known as Malabar tamarind — could lead to toxicity in the body.

Previous studies have shown that may, in fact, increase the levels of serotonin — a neurotransmitter.

New research found that taking the supplement in combination with anti-depressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — which also cause serotonin levels to rise — could lead to serotonin toxicity.