Month: May 2014

China seeks to improve image in Africa

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Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang will Monday begin a tour of four of the main countries of sub-Saharan Africa — Ethiopia, Nigeria, Angola and Kenya.

Through this tour, China will seek to intensify its economic cooperation with these countries and at the same time improve its image in the continent.

This will be the first time that Li, who will be accompanied by his wife, Cheng Hong, will travel to the African continent since he assumed power in March 2013.

The trip also comes a year after Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to South Africa, the Republic of Congo and Tanzania.

Visually impaired use Braille map and guide drivers in car rally in Siliguri

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In a unique attempt by a non- political and non- sectarian voluntary organisation, sixty visually impaired navigators guided drivers contesting in a Car Rally through a 200 km track in Siliguri on Sunday.

Around 60 cars zipped through the city where sixty visually impaired participants used a route map in Braille to guide drivers navigate the runway.

RCB to field against Sunrisers

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Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field in their first home game of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here Sunday.

Squads:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli (Captain), AB de Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Mitchell Starc, AB Dinda, Varun Aaron, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel.

UK player claims 73 mln-pound EuroMillions jackpot

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A British lottery player has scooped 73 million pounds in the EuroMillions jackpot draw. A National Lottery rep said that now the single UK ticket-holder will enter the exclusive top 10 on The National Lottery rich list, at number eight, Sky News reported.

The top spot on the list was claimed by Colin and Chris Weir when they won a 161 million-pound EuroMillions jackpot in July 2011. (ANI)

Former AIIMS director’s son arrested for duping NRI woman

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Son of a former AIIMS director of has been arrested for allegedly duping a UK-based NRI woman of Rs 10.5 lakh by selling her a luxurious car without informing her that the loan against the vehicle was not paid.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police said 50 year-old Mukul Paul Taneja, a resident of Hauz Khas, was arrested on May 1
from Munirka Market in South Delhi on the complaint of the NRI Nisha Karavadra.

According to police, Taneja, who claimed to be honoured by the British Government as a “Lord” for his distinguished

Fate of 418 closed bars in Kerala uncertain

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The decision on re-opening 418 bars in Kerala that have been closed since April 1 this years hangs in balance as the ruling party is divided over the issue.

In Kerala, there are a total of 752 bars, out of which 418 are yet to re-open. Liquor is also sold at 383 state-owned retail outlets.

The renewal of the annual bar licences is a routine affair in the state as ahead of every fiscal year, there is an automatic renewal from the state excise department on payment of the stipulated fee (Rs.2.3 million).

NASA to grow plants in space

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NASA has developed a vegetable production system termed as ‘Veggie plant pillows’ that could soon give astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) their first taste of space-grown salad. Dr Gioia Massa, a payload specialist at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida said that if one could get the environmental conditions correct, there would be no reason why plants would not grow pretty well in space, the Guardian reported.

Dieting and exercising not enough to lose weight, says health expert

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A new research has found that controlling how much you eat and doing lots of physical activity is not enough when it comes to shedding off the kilos. Dr. Claude Bouchard, Professor at the Texas A and M University Institute for Advanced Study (TIAS), said that when someone says of an obese person, ‘They should just eat less and exercise more,’ he says if it were that simple, obesity wouldn’t be the worldwide epidemic that it is.

Why you should abstain from alcohol before trying to conceive

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A new research has suggested that women should avoid drinking alcohol before they try to get pregnant otherwise the baby may end up with intestinal birth defect. Lead investigator Jean Goodman, division director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Loyola University Health System, said that a woman can conceive at any point in her cycle, so women should avoid alcohol well in advance of becoming pregnant.

`Most expensive` flat in UK fetches 140 mln pounds

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An apartment in London, which overlooks the famous Royal Park, has become the most expensive flat ever sold after an unknown buyer reportedly purchased it for a whopping 140 million dollars.

The 16,000 sq ft Penthouse D at One Hyde Park was sold by the CPC Group but they refused to comment on the sale price or reveal the Eastern European purchaser’s identity, the Daily Express reported. The flat apparently has no internal walls, flooring or bathrooms, but after being furnished and restored by the buyer it will sell for around 175 million pounds. (ANI)

Golfer Gangjee finishes 4th at The Championship

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Indian golfer Rahil Gangjee savoured one of his best finishes in recent years by signing off with a similar 65 to take fourth place at The Championship at Laguna National here Sunday.

Chile’s Felipe Aguilar saved the best for last when he stormed home with a birdie-eagle finish to win The Championship. The Chilean’s stunning finish was for all to see when he raced home in just 28 shots to win with a spectacular 10-under-par 62 at the $1.5 million event, jointly sanctioned by the Asian and European Tour.

37 Al Qaeda militants killed in Yemen

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At least 37 Al Qaeda militants were killed during a fresh military operation by Yemen’s armed forces in Shabwa province Sunday, the defence ministry said.

“The army and the security forces carried out an operation and battled the Al Qaeda militants in Shabwa province, killing 37 terrorists and injuring dozens of others,” the country’s defense ministry said in a short text message to Xinhua.

Scores of Al Qaeda militants were wounded and five others detained during the military operation which took place in the Maifaa region of Shabwa, the statement said.

Struggling Daredevils face in-form Super Kings

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The Delhi Daredevils are looking to get back to winning ways when they take on two-time champions Chennai Super Kings Monday after losing their home tie against the Rajasthan Royals Friday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Ferozeshah Kotla here.

While the Daredevils have won only two of their six matches, the Super Kings have been on a roll with five consecutive triumphs after they lost their opening clash against Kings XI Punjab at the start of the tournament.

India to give $30 mn to Asian Development Bank Fund

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India has decided to be a contributor to the Asian Development Fund and will contribute $30 million in installments beginning October, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Sunday.

“India has decided to become a contributor to the Asian Development Fund and will contribute $30 million towards ADF-11 in agreed installments beginning October 2014,” Chidambaram said addressing the 47th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, a finance ministry statement here said.

Our governance will be ‘drastically different’, will allay minority fears: Modi

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BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has said a government headed by him “will go the extra mile” to give justice to all and a dispensation “where nobody needs to be apprehensive or fearful”. He said a BJP-led government will be “drastically different” from the UPA’s approach to governance.

In detailed responses to an e-mail interview with IANS, Modi said a BJP-led NDA government led by him will be “result-oriented”, will not hesitate in taking decisions, will work day and night and will be a “truly representative, transparent and sensitive government”.

Bodies of girl, man found hanging from tree in Delhi

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A 21-year-old factory worker and a 14-year-old girl were found hanging from a tree here Sunday, police said.

Roshan alias Suraj and the teenaged girl – whose name was withheld due to legal reasons – were found hanging in Bonta Park in Maurice Nagar of north Delhi around 9.30 a.m.

Delhi Police constable Raghuraj saw their bodies during patrolling.

“They were in love and it seems they might have hanged themselves Saturday night,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Sindhu Pillai.

“A suicide note was found in which they expressed fear that they may not be able to marry,” Pillai said.

New study urges parents not to panic about teens `sexting`

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A landmark study of Australian high school students’ sexual habits has revealed that ‘‘sexting’’ online and via mobile phone is so widespread experts are urging parents to accept it as a form of ‘‘modern day courtship’’.

The La Trobe University study shows more than 70 percent of sexually active year 10 to 12 students have sent explicit text messages, 84 percent have received them and more than half have sent naked or semi-nude photos or videos of themselves, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Car mows down toddler in Gurgaon

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A two-year-old boy was mowed down by a speeding car here Sunday, police said.

The boy – identified as Shivaji – was the son of Hargovind, a tea-stall owner in Sector 55. He was killed on the spot.

“The child was playing near his father’s tea stall. He was hit by a car Sunday afternoon, and the driver sped away,” police officer Rajesh Kumar told IANS.

The child’s body was handed over to his family after post-mortem examination.

A case of rash driving and death due to negligence has been registered.
(IANS)

Syria approves 3 candidates to run for presidency

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Syria’s supreme constitutional court has accepted the candidacy of three contenders, including incumbent President Bashar Assad, for the June 3 presidential elections.

Twenty-four people had filed for their candidacy for the presidency, Xinhua reported.

The court, tasked with overseeing the elections’ process, has rejected the applications of the other 21 contenders, saying their bids have not met the constitutional and legal conditions, Amjad al-Khadra, the media spokesman of the court, made the announcement Sunday.

Indian women lose to Scotland, finish last

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The Indian women’s hockey team went down fighting to hosts Scotland 3-4 in the 7th-8th classification playoff to finish eighth and last in the FIH Champions Challenge 1 there Sunday.

India played competitively and did not allow Scotland to score a single goal in the first half as the teams went into the break with a 0-0 scoreline.