Month: July 2014

Official orders, announced an increase in NRI quota seats from the current 5 per cent to 15 per cent in engineering colleges, are set to be issued by the two governments.

A meeting with college managements was held by the Telangana government officials and agreed to the 15 per cent increase in the NRI quota seats.

Andhra Pradesh government officials also held talks with college managements and agree to their demand of increase in the quota. Formal orders will be issue in a couple of days.

Pakistan said Thursday it will take up with the US the issue of spying on the country’s major opposition party.

According to American media reports, declassified documents reveal that the US’s National Security Agency (NSA) spied on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 2010. The PPP was ruling the country then.

The documents revealed Monday show that the US spy agency was sanctioned to spy on most countries and some international bodies and political parties, including the PPP and the India’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which now rules the country.

US football coach Juergen Klinsmann lauded his team for an impressive show in the 2014 World Cup where the Yankees made it to the pre-quarterfinals.

The former Germany manager, who was a part of the 1990 World Cup winning West Germany side, said he was proud of the American team for giving their best in the World Cup, reports EFE.

Klinsmann added that his team gave their all until the last minutes, in a dramatic game where they conceded two late goals against the Belgians.

Actor Sidharth Malhotra, who made his acting debut in 2012 with Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan in “Student of the Year”, doesn’t see them as competitors and wishes them luck for their forthcoming film “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”.

The 29-year-old along with Alia and Varun was mentored by filmmaker Karan Johar and all three have tasted success since their debut film.

The official statistics of NCRB for 2013 has revealed an alarming rise in suicidal inclination among men compared to women.

Among 53 mega cities in the country in 2013, Vizag and Vijayawada in AP stood 26th in the list of suicides.

Statistics show that the number of suicides in Vizag increased by 10 per cent from last year. In Vizag, 248 people, 182 men and 66 women took their lives in 2013, making the city the suicide capital in AP.

The confederation of Builders Association of India Real Estate Developers’ Associations, and other federations in the realty and construction sector are in high dudgeon against the Cement Manufacturers Association, alleging that the latter has cartelized to raise cement prices by about 50 per cent over the last 30 days.

At least three rockets landed close to Kabul international airport Thursday causing damage to some property, media reported.

A Kabul police official confirmed that three rockets landed close to the military camp of Kabul airport, Khaama Press reported.

Black smoke was also seen rising from the site, the report said.

Sediq Sediqi, spokesman for the interior ministry, said some warehouses where helicopters were kept caught fire following the rocket attack.

However, there was no immediate report of any casualty.

Somashekar Gowda alias Some Gowda, a history¬ sheeter who was with MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar when two policemen were assaulted at a bar in UB City in the early hours of Wednesday, is involved in a number of cases of attacks and vandalism reported from star hotels and pubs in the City.

Police sources said, Gowda, 43, is an accused in more than 10 cases registered in various police stations across the City.

Ten TDP leaders were elected here today for the post of the chairman and vice-chairman of the five municipalities of Krishna district, while six YSRCP leaders held the posts in the three municipalities.

The TDP leaders were elected in Machilipatnam, Pedana, Tiruvur, Nandigama and Vuyyuru municipalities, whereas YSRCP leaders will head the posts in Gudivada, Nuziveed and Jaggaihpet municipalities.

Meanwhile, TDP leader Koneru Sridhar was elected as the Vijayawada mayor here yesterday, and partyman Gogula Ramana Rao as deputy mayor.

“Yudh”, which marks Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s foray into the fiction space on TV, will hit the small screen July 14 on Sony Entertainment Television.

The finite series will be aired Monday to Thursday at 10.30 p.m.

After years in planning and a year in the making, “Yudh”, which stars the Big B as Yudhisthir Sikarwar, promises to take viewers on a “cinematic experience”.

Actress Vidyullekha Raman feels female comedians are not offered stronger characters by filmmakers as they usually favour male actors.

“There’s a dearth of strong characters for female comedians. We are usually asked to play a crying shoulder for a heroine or paired opposite male comedians. I feel female comedians don’t get the due respect as our seniors like Manorama and Kovai Sarla did in their heyday,” Vidyu told IANS.

The Supreme Court today refused to entertain self-styled godman Asaram Bapu’s bail plea in a rape case lodged against him in Surat in Gujarat but agreed to hear his petition for bail in another rape case filed in Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

A bench headed by Justice T S Thakur asked the 76-year old controversial godman, who has been in jail since September last year, to approach the Gujarat High Court for getting bail.

Craftswomen from 10 communities from Kutch region of Gujarat will display 16 different styles of hand embroidery at an exhibition in the national capital that begins July 5.

A craft-revival and grassroot organisation – Shrujan – is organising the exhibition of hand embroidered products that include saris, shawls and other garments in vibrant colours and intricate embroidery.

“The exhibition promises to present a whole new array of vibrant colours and high-quality fabric for people who appreciate art, textile, or embroidery,” said a statement.

Koneru Sridhar was unanimously elected as the 11th mayor of Vijaywada here at the Municipal Corporation Council meeting.

Sridhar, who has been a two-time corporator in Vijaywada, was unanimously elected as the the mayor, first time after the formation of new Andhra Pradesh, on grounds of his past experience yesterday.

Krishna district collector M Raghunandana Rao who had convened the Municipal Corporation Council meeting with the newly elected members, announced Sridhar as the mayor based on a majority of B-form submitted in his name, from 37 TDP corporators, out of the total 59.

A novel intravaginal ring implanted with anti-retroviral drug tablets, or pods, maintained steady state drug levels in the vaginal tissues, the key anatomic compartment for preventing sexual HIV transmission, says a study.

The ring, designed to prevent transmission of HIV, was tested in pig-tailed macaque monkeys, and demonstrated sustained and controlled drug release and safety over 28 days, the study said.

As people often fail to take their medications as prescribed, the ring’s topical drug delivery has critical advantages over oral therapy, the researchers noted.

Shift workers, take note! Donating blood could be an easy way to reduce your risk of heart disease, a new study suggests.

Austrian researchers have found that jetlag has severe effects on red blood cells, possibly explaining the high incidence of heart disease seen in shift workers.

However, these effects can be counterbalanced by fresh, young red blood cells – making blood donations a potential therapy for shift workers.

Somali lawmaker Mahamud Mohamed Hayd was shot dead by a gunman Thursday in the country’s capital Mogadishu, police said.

“The member of parliament was shot a number of times by an assailant and died. The attacker escaped from the scene and police are in pursuit of the culprit,” police officer Omar Juus told Xinhua.

The killing comes as the Somali capital sees an upsurge in attacks by Islamist rebel group Al Shabaab during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

City-based medical technology company Cura Healthcare is looking at developing countries for its products, said a top company official.

“Indian medical equipment makers have to look at developing markets to have economies of scale. We are looking at markets that are similar to India. We are awaiting the CE marking for our medical devices so that it is easy to venture into overseas markets,” M.Balasubramaniam, chief executive officer told IANS.

The Rs.45 crore turnover Cura Healthcare in May acquired the Pune based, Rs.8 crore turnover Concept Integrations for an undisclosed sum.

On Thursday morning, a shop belonging to Navrathan Jewellers on M G Road, Bangalore, was completely destroyed by fire

More than 10 fire engines were deployed to extinguish the fire which reportedly broke out around 9.30 am. The fire officials took more than two hours to get the situation under control.

No one from the staff was injured though three fire fighters were hurt during the incident. More details are awaited.

Finally the issue of payment of salary to the workers of State Waqf Board has been resolved. Due to absence of Special Officer in Waqf Board, payment of salaries to Waqf Board workers was put on hold.

Ukraine’s president has appointed new officials to top defense posts as he pledged to stamp out the corruption that has left the country’s armed forces faltering before a pro-Russian insurgency.

A statement published online late yesterday announced the appointments of Col Gen Valery Heletey as defense minister and Lt Gen Viktor Muzhenko as chief of the military’s General Staff.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday directed massive crackdown against hoarding of essential commodities including onion and potatoes in Delhi and asked the administration to take steps to control price rise. The Home Minister’s directive came following a high-level meeting attended by Delhi LG Najeeb Jung, Chief Secretary SK Srivastava, Police Commissioner BS Bassi besides others.

Lieutenant Governer Najeeb Jung today discussed the rise in the price of onions and potatoes in a meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

“All measures are known to us, as the investigation is on from the last two months. The government is aiming to open 300 new shops, 60 mobile vehicles are already running, and Safal has increased its quantity,” said Jung.

When asked about the presence of Delhi Police Commissioner in the same meeting, Jung refused to comment on his role in the matter.

According to a Pew Research Centre survey, the majority of Middle Eastern countries with a large Muslim population fear Islamic extremism and maintain negative views of extremist organizations like Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The survey, conducted among 14,244 respondents in 14 countries, concluded that the fear amongst people in the Middle Eastern countries is on a rise.

Some respondents said that violence was justified to defend Islam. However, such support has reduced in the last decade.

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant bail to the controversial godman in a rape case filed against him.

While hearing his bail plea, the apex court asked Asaram to approach the Gujarat High Court.

The top court, however, agreed to hear Asarm’s bail plea in an another rape case lodged against him in Rajasthan.

On Aug 20, 2013, a 16-year-old girl lodged a police complaint accusing Asaram, 72, of sexually assaulting her at his ashram near Rajasthan’s Jodhpur.