Month: May 2014

Navy chief meets Modi

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Navy chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan met the prime minister in South Block,” said a post on the Twitter account of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Modi had met army chief Gen. Bikram Singh Wednesday.

Navy chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan Thursday paid a “courtesy visit” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“It was a courtesy visit by the navy chief. He conveyed his best wishes to the new prime minister,” a navy official said.

New York City to sign David Villa: Reports

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Atletico Madrid forward David Villa is about to sign a three-year contract with New York City FC, according to news reports Thursday.

Villa will be transferred to NYCFC in the summer of 2014. Spanish radio station Cadena Cope said that the US club, which is jointly owned by Manchester City and New York Yankees, offered the 32-year-old player a huge deal.

Villa moved to Atletico Madrid in 2013 after leaving Barcelona where he joined in 2010.
(IANS/EFE)

Jesse Randhawa upbeat about action in TV show

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Supermodel and dancer Jesse Randhawa, who is ready to debut in the fiction space on the small screen with “SuperCops v/s SuperVillains… Shapath”, says her role as an Interpol officer requires her to perform intense action.

The tall, fit and flexible artiste, wife of dancer par excellence Sandip Soparrkar, will play the boss of the character essayed by Aman Verma.

Since Jesse will be a permanent member of the cast, she has been training aggressively to fit in the role. She has recently started martial arts training and yoga to help her in this role.

Children raped, forced to eat excreta at Karjat horror home

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Shocking tales of rape and torture have emerged from an illegally-run shelter for tribal and poor children in Maharashtra’s Raigad district following which two of its officials were arrested, police said today.

Chairman of Chandraprabha Charitable Trust Ajit Dabholkar and manager Lalita Tonde were arrested on Tuesday after the children, some as young as 11 years old, complained about being forced to have sex among each other and with the accused.

AMU promotes cycling ahead of World Environment Day

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Ahead of the World Environment Day June 5, efforts have begun to promote cycling in the sprawling Aligarh Muslim University campus. Both students and faculty members see cycling as the best option to contain air pollution caused by the increasing number of vehicles.

The AMU Cycle Mart, a unique initiative to popularise cycling, has been launched by the university administration to achieve the goal of a greener and cleaner campus.

Government defends bringing ordinance over Misra’s appointment

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The government Thursday defended its move to bring an ordinance to pave the way for appointment of Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that proper procedure had been followed.

Answering queries from mediapersons here, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said “competence and proven integrity” were factors in choosing Misra for the post.

He also dismissed criticism by the Congress on the decision to bring an ordinance, saying that the opposition had no issue.

Eight held for betting on IPL matches

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Eight people, including five from Delhi, have been arrested here for betting on Indian Premier League cricket matches, police said Thursday.

A police crime branch team nabbed the eight people Wednesday night. Two LED television sets, three laptops, 12 mobile phones and other equipment were recovered from their possession.

The police team headed by inspector Yashwant Singh arrested five men – Mukul, Suresh, Manoj, Rahul and Prince – from the Sahara Grace apartments on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road here, Joint Commissioner of Police Vivek Sharma told reporters.

KCR invited to form govt in Telangana; to take oath on Jun 2

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Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan today invited TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao to form government in Telangana, which would come into existence as the 29th state of India on June 2.

The swearing-in ceremony would be held at Raj Bhavan here on June 2 at 8.15 AM, a Raj Bhavan press communique said.

TRS has secured majority in the recent assembly elections by bagging 63 out of the 119 seats in Telangana and Rao has been elected as leader of the TRS legislature party.

Kill cynicism, be positive for better brain health

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“Be positive” is not merely a motivational punch line. People with high levels of cynical distrust are more likely to develop dementia and other health problems, a new study reveals.

Cynical distrust, which is defined as the belief that others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns, has been associated with other health problems, such as heart disease.

“These results add to the evidence that people’s view on life and personality may have an impact on their health,” said study author Anna-Maija Tolppanen from University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio.

India beat South Africa 4-1 in warm-up game

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India registered a resounding 4-1 victory over South Africa here in their last warm-up game ahead of the hockey World Cup.

India dominated from the start when vice-captain Rupinder Pal Singh made no mistake in converting a penalty corner to take a 1-0 lead which they carried till the break Wednesday. In the second half, it was Rupinder again who converted another penalty corner to further add on to the lead and make it 2-0.

Cigarette smoke, toxins can age you faster

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Ever wondered why some people are downright spry while others of similar age can barely get around!

Exposure to harmful substances in the environment, chemicals such as benzene, cigarette smoke and even stress may make people older than their years, according to a new study.

While the birth date on your driver’s license can tell you your chronological age, that might mean little in terms of the biological age of your body and cells, researchers said.

A better understanding of the chemicals involved in ageing and biomarkers is needed to measure their effects, they said.

Govt to review previous decisions: Civil aviation minister

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Civil Aviation Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju Thursday said all major decisions taken by the previous UPA government in the sector would be reviewed.

However, the minister said, he was “not close” to the idea of privatising Air India and will discuss revival of the national carrier with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Malaysian Islamic groups boycott Cadbury chocolates

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Islamic organisations in Malaysia have started a boycott of chocolate manufacturer Cadbury after discovering traces of pig DNA in two of its chocolate bars, a regional TV channel reported Thursday.

“Cadbury must be shut down. It has to pay for this mistake. We believe the people’s anger is justified,” Sabariah Abdullah, secretary general of the Islamic Information and Services Foundation, said.

“We urge all Muslims in Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei to check the chocolate that they sell them. Don’t trust Cadbury as we did”, Sabariah added.

BJP team to visit Bengal over attacks on its supporters

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In the wake of attacks on its supporters across West Bengal allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress, a central BJP team will arrive in the state to take stock of the situation, state party chief Rahul Sinha said here Thursday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday held statewide mass protests at police stations against incidents of violence, including the Tuesday attack in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district in which at least 26 of its activists received “bullet injuries”.

Smart phone sale to touch 1.2 bn units in 2014

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Fuelled by the growth of low-cost handsets in emerging markets like India, smart phones sale is expected to reach 1.2 billion – a 23.1 percent increase over 2013 – by the end of 2014, a latest survey from International Data Corporation (IDC) said.

Emerging markets like India, Indonesia and Russia will drive smart phone sales for the next few years, the US-based research and advisory firm stated.

“Android continues to dominate these sales with an estimated market share of 80.2 percent in 2014,” the IDC report said.

Thailand coup leader outlines stages to elections

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Thailand coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha has issued guidelines for officials to pave the way for elections and full democracy in the country, army deputy spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong said Thursday.

Sirichan said Prayuth, who is leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), issued his directions in a video conference with heads of various sections set up by the NCPO, the Bangkok Post reported Thursday.

Prayuth, in his guidelines, noted three steps to be taken by the authorities as soon as possible, without giving a specific time-frame.

Girls outshine boys in Class 12 CBSE exams

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Girls have again outshone boys in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 examinations, the results of which were declared Thursday.

The girls have recorded a pass percentage of 88.52 percent, while boys have a pass percentage of 78.27 percent.

“The difference between the pass percentage of girls and boys is 10.25 percent, with the girls doing much better,” CBSE public relations officer Rama Sharma told IANS.

Afghan presidential aspirant promises security, good governance

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Afghan presidential contender Abdullah Abdullah Thursday said his government will ensure lasting peace in addition to bringing good governance and job opportunities if he wins the upcoming runoff.

“Once again, I promise to Afghans, that we will ensure every youth has access to quality education that could secure them a place in a globalised and highly competitive employment market,” Abdullah told thousands of his supporters during an election campaign in Jaghori district of eastern Ghazni province.

Modi gives up Vadodara, retains Varanasi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday announced he has given up his Vadodara Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat and retained the Varanasi seat in Uttar Pradesh.

“I will represent Varanasi in (the) Lok Sabha and I look forward to this wonderful opportunity to serve Ganga Maa and work for Varanasi’s development,” Modi said in a series of tweets.

“I assure (the) people of Vadodara I will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that Vadodara’s development scales newer heights in the years to come.”

UN to assess human rights in North Korea from Seoul

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South Korea is set to be home to a new UN office dedicated to supervising the human rights situation in neighbouring North Korea, South Korea’s foreign ministry said Thursday.

The new branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will be located in Seoul, a ministry spokesperson told Efe.

The office will try to collect data on alleged abuses against the people of North Korea by Kim Jong-un’s regime, that the last UN report came to consider “crimes against humanity” comparable to those committed by German Nazis or during apartheid in South Africa.

Toxins in environment may make you look older

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Ask your friends to guess your age and if they come up with numbers that are far higher than what your birth certificate says, you may be one of those who is more exposed to harmful substances in the environment.

Exposure to cigarette smoke and other toxins in the environment may make you older than your actual years, a study said.

“The rate of physiologic, or molecular, aging differs between individuals in part because of exposure to ‘gerontogens’ – environmental factors that affect aging,” said Norman Sharpless from University of North Carolina in the US.

Just wind and water to power an island!

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El Hierro, the smallest of Canary Islands, is set to become the world’s first islands to be powered entirely by wind and water.

A wind farm from June is now on course to use the island’s steep cliffs and mountains to harvest gusts of wind off the Atlantic coast of Africa.

Five turbines installed at the northeastern tip of El Hierro will have a total output of 11.5 megawatts that would be more than enough to meet the energy needs of the island’s approximately 10,000 residents and its water desalination plants.

What women actually want in men? Read on

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What types of men heterosexual women find attractive may have no relationship with their menstrual cycles, a significant study shows.

The findings contradicts a long-held view in evolutionary psychology that vouched that women are more likely to find highly masculine, dominant men more attractive when they are ovulating and fertile.

“The idea that menstrual cycles will affect who women find attractive just does not hold up in the research literature,” Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology at University of Southern California, was quoted as saying.

Standup comedy show – coming soon on SAB TV too

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“Comedy Nights With Kapil” blazed a trail for standup comedy shows in the Hindi general entertainment space when it started in June 2013, and now SAB TV, a channel which offers humour galore for its viewers, too is set to cash in on the trend with a novel concept.

“We are coming up with a standup comedy show very soon,” Anooj Kapoor, executive vice president and business head, SAB TV, told IANS here.

Kapoor remained guarded on the name of the standup comedian whom they have roped in for the show, but he seemed confident that the entertainer will be able to draw attention.

Tenzing’s life in pictures on 100th birth anniversary

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A photographic presentation here Thursday brought to life the triumphant moments of the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, on the Nepali sherpa’s 100th birth anniversary.

The event also commemorated the 61st anniversary of the historic feat.

New Zealander Hillary and Norgay reached the 8,850-metre summit of Everest May 29, 1953 as part of the ninth British expedition to attempt scaling the world’s tallest peak.

The mountaineers stayed at the summit for about 15 minutes before beginning the long trek down the mountain.