Month: April 2014

Andhra to challenge acquittal of accused in Dalits massacre case

by

Andhra Pradesh will challenge in the Supreme Court an order of the state high court acquitting all 56 accused in Dalits massacre case, said state police chief B. Prasada Rao.

The director general of police told reporters here Sunday that the state will soon file a special leave petition (SLP) against the high court judgment.

The high court on April 22 set aside an order of a special court, which had sentenced 21 people to life imprisonment and 35 others to one year’s jail for 1991 massacre of Dalits in Guntur district.

Iraqis abroad vote for upcoming general elections

by

Iraqi nationals living abroad voted Sunday ahead of the general elections in the countrfy scheduled for April 30 amid threats from Al Qaeda linked militants to disrupt the polls.

The members of the Iraqi security forces will cast their votes Monday in order to be free to guard polling stations on the election day, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said.

The IHEC has opened polling centres and stations in 13 countries, including the US.

Gerson Da Cunha gets Edutainment Award for lifetime achievement

by

Advertising guru Gerson Da Cunha was conferred the first Education Award for Lifetime Achievement at the second annual Edutainment Show Saturday here, it was announced Sunday.

Also at the ceremony, MICA was adjudged the Best Communication School; the Asian College of Journalism was named the Best Journalism School; Whistling Woods International was chosen the Best Film School; Flame Pune and Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication were declared the two top under-graduate media colleges.

Golfer Lahiri wins Indonesian Masters

by

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri won his fourth Asian Tour title and first outside India with a spectacular eagle putt on the last hole to win the $750,000 Indonesian Masters here Sunday.

The 26-year-old, who is getting married next month, survived a gamut of emotions on the fourth and final day before breaking away from the chasing pack to seal victory with a four-under-par 68 at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Korea’s Baek Seuk-hyun enjoyed a stroke of fortune despite carrying an elbow injury when he finished second alongside Australian rookie Cameron Smith after signing off with a 65.

118 people jailed for pyramid ring scam in China

by

A court in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region Sunday awarded varying sentences to 118 people for their involvement in a pyramid fund raising scam.

The defendants, including leaders and major members of the pyramid scheme, were awarded jail terms by the Nanning intermediate people’s court of varying duration between seven months and 10 years for organising pyramid selling activities, Xinhua reported.

Indian found dead in Oman was brilliant scientist: colleague

by

The award-winning Indian professor who was found dead in his residence on a university campus in Oman Friday, was a brilliant student, teacher and a scientist, his former colleague said.

M.Kabir, a visiting professor at the Centre for Development Studies here, told IANS that it was only last week that Hisham Abdul-Khader visited here for a day to attend his niece’s wedding.

“It was about 13 years back he left the state government service here and joined at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Muscat,” Kabir said.

‘Unknown’ cellular pathways offer new hope for end-stage liver disease

by

Scientists have discovered an unknown cellular pathway that can help physicians better understand end-stage liver disease.

A team of researchers in the University of Arizona’s College of Pharmacy has discovered a molecular pathway that could be key to creating new therapeutics that would slow or even reverse the progression of end-stage liver disease.

According to the National Institutes of Health, cells keep oxidative stress under control through various mechanisms and most of these mechanisms involve Nrf2, a protein present in virtually every cell that acts as a molecular switch.

New cure found for HIV virus?

by

Scientists have discovered new vulnerable site on the HIV virus that can be attacked by human antibodies in a way that neutralizes the infectivity of a wide variety of HIV strains.

The researchers from Scripps Research Institute Scientists working with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative said that an effective vaccine would work by eliciting a strong and long-lasting immune response against vulnerable conserved sites on the virus-sites that don’t vary much from strain to strain, and that, when grabbed by an antibody, leave the virus unable to infect cells.

Six killed in Philippines road accident

by

At least six people were killed and 16 others injured Sunday when the bus they were travelling in fell into a deep ravine in the Philippines, police said.

The accident took place when the bus driver lost control while turning at a curve along a national highway in the country’s Southern town Aurora, Xinhua reported.

The bus was en route to Cagayan de Oro City from Pagadian city said Kenneth Soon, a police inspector.

Three people died on the spot while three others were pronounced dead on reaching the hospital.
(IANS)

Surveillance court snubs Verizon’s challenge to NSA’s phone data collection program

by

Verizon’s attempt to challenge the NSA’s phone call surveillance program ended in disappointment as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) ultimately ruled against the telecom giant.

According to PC World, Verizon filed a legal motion against the NSA’s phone records collection program in January-the first time a company took legal action against the NSA’s surveillance program, declassified government documents have revealed.

The court ruling stated that there is no actual expectation of privacy in the phone numbers people dial.

Fire breaks out in Supreme Court lawyers chamber , as Chief Justice was addressing media

by

P.H Parekh, a lawyer in the Supreme Court said on Sunday that while the new Chief Justice of India R M Lodha was addressing media persons he saw that a fire broke out in his own chamber and that there was no knowledge of how to tame it using fire extinguisher. “I have Chamber no 134. I was attending the party of our new chief justice. When I came back I saw that my chamber was in fire. People here did not know how to open the fire extinguisher. Something must have been burnt. I can confirm you that only after taking a look. Short circuit is not a probability.

Surveillance court snubs Verizon’s challenge to NSA’s phone data collection program

by

Verizon’s attempt to challenge the NSA’s phone call surveillance program ended in disappointment as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) ultimately ruled against the telecom giant.

According to PC World, Verizon filed a legal motion against the NSA’s phone records collection program in January—the first time a company took legal action against the NSA’s surveillance program, declassified government documents have revealed.

The court ruling stated that there is no actual expectation of privacy in the phone numbers people dial.

In touch with CBI over red corner notice against MP: Andhra police

by

Andhra Pradesh Police have received a red corner notice against Rajya Sabha member K.V.P.Ramachandra Rao in the titanium bribery case but since it is not accompanied by a warrant, they are in touch with the CBI, said the state police chief B.Prasada Rao.

Director General of Police (DGP) Prasada Rao told the reporters here Sunday that the Crime Investigation Department (CID) received the red corner notice from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is the nodal agency of the Interpol in the country.

Microsoft to move beyond PC manufacturing

by

Software giant Microsoft intends to move beyond manufacturing PCs post its Nokia acquisition.

Former Nokia CEO and now executive vice president of the Devices Group at Microsoft, Stephen Elop, said that the vast majority of people do not have, nor will they ever have a personal computer.

Talking about emerging markets, Elop announced the completion of the Nokia Devices and Services business acquisition by Microsoft, CNET reports.

He added that they haven”t been exposed to Windows or Office, or anything like that, and in their lives it”s unlikely that they will.

Apple rolls out replacement program for flawed iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Buttons

by

Apple has reportedly launched a new replacement program for faulty iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Buttons.

According to Tech Crunch, the problem affects what Apple calls “a small percentage” of iPhone 5s made from March 2013 on.

Users who think that there iphones are affected can input their iPhone’s serial number at the support site created by Apple for this program.

The program is live as of today in the US and Canada, and will expand to other countries as of May 2, the report adds. (ANI)

BJP wants to give all powers to one man: Priyanka

by

Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Sunday sharpened her attack on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, saying his party believed in giving all powers to one man.

“A new brand of politics is increasingly coming to the fore. This politics expects people to give away all their powers to one man,” Gandhi told an election rally in Rae Bareli where her mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi is contesting the Lok Sabha election.

Her comments came a few hours after she took a jibe at Modi, contending that India did not need a “56-inch chest” to provide good governance.

Narendra Modi has character flaw, says Chidambaram

by

Launching yet another scathing attack on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister , Palaniappan Chidambaram said he suffered from character flaw.

Addressing a news conference in Vadodara in Gujarat on Sunday (April 27), Chidambaram said Modi used to call former Chief Election Commissioner James Michael Lyngdoh with his complete name to draw special attention towards his religion.

Riots will take place if Modi becomes PM: Amarinder

by

Attacking Narendra Modi, Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Amritsar Amarinder Singh today said riots will take place in the country if he becomes the prime minister.

He said, “it was most unlikely that Indian voters can accept such a divisive leader whose only qualification was his presiding over the killing of innocent Muslims in Gujarat.”

Amarinder warned that “in case Modi becomes the Prime Minister there is every apprehension of riots taking place.

Mumbai score 125/6 against Daredevils

by

Opting to bat, Mumbai Indians scored 125/6 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Delhi Daredevils here today.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians: 125/6 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 33*; Jaydev Unadkat 2/18).

Modi rejects charges of favouring Adanis, Tatas

by

Rejecting Congress charges of favouring big business as “another canard”, Narendra Modi today said that the incentives given by his government were policy-driven rather than discretion-based.

“I do believe in the importance of Corporate India and how it can help in wealth creation for the nation. I believe that in the last 60 years, the Congress party has indulged in rent seeking behaviour by encouraging red tape,” the Gujarat Chief Minister told PTI.

Self-styled godman held for raping teenager

by

A self-styled godman was arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl here, police said today. Somraj Gavai allegedly raped the girl at his Bhiwsenkhori residence on the city outskirts two days back.

He was arrested yesterday along with his accomplice Sarika Borkar, the latter being booked for abetment of crime, they said.

Some aphrodisiacs and material used for rituals were seized from Gavai’s place. The duo was produced before a local court yesterday which remanded Gavai in police custody till April 28 and sent Sarika in magisterial custody.

TRS is opportunistic, says Sonia

by

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday lashed out at the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), saying its opportunistic face again stand exposed.

“TRS earlier supported communal forces and this time also it can’t be trusted,” she told an election rally at Chevella in Ranga Reddy district, about 60 km from here.

Gandhi said that TRS has the same disease from which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is suffering.

Ramdev’s programmes banned in Lucknow, Cong demands arrest

by

Yoga guru Ramdev today faced more heat over his controversial “honeymoon” remark against Rahul Gandhi, with authorities banning all his programmes in Lucknow till the elections are over and Congress demanding that he be arrested.

It came a day after FIRs were filed against Ramdev in Lucknow and Sonbhadra over his remarks that had sparked massive outrage with Congress, BSP and others terming them “anti-dalit” though Ramdev later expressed regret to the community.