Month: September 2014

SAARC member states have agreed to bring down the number of the association’s regional centres from 11 to five in order to end the duplication of work and to reduce expenditure.

A meeting of the SAARC Programming Committee that concluded in Kathmandu Monday has proposed to bring down the number of the centres, a diplomat posted in the SAARC Secretariat said.

The meeting has decided to merge the SAARC Information Centre located in Kathmandu and SAARC Documentation Centre stationed in New Delhi and keep it within the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu.

Energy drinks, popular in dance clubs and during physical exercise, can cause heart problems, a new research has warned.

“So-called ‘energy drinks’ are popular in dance clubs and during physical exercise, with people sometimes consuming a number of drinks one after the other. This situation can lead to a number of adverse conditions including angina, cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and even sudden death,” said Professor Milou-Daniel Drici from France who presented the study at European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

The opposition Congress Monday sought a one-day session of the Punjab assembly over the sky-rocketing sand prices in the state due to the stranglehold of the sand mafia.

Accusing the Punjab government of being a “mere puppet” in the hands of the sand mafia due to vested interests, Leader of Opposition Sunil Jakhar said as a consequence of the role of the sand mafia, public works and construction work in the private sector have been severely affected.

Jakhar said the high cost of sand and other inputs have affected construction activity across Punjab.

In what could lead to faster diagnosis of diarrhoea and stomach cramps, researchers have developed an “electronic nose” that can sniff the highly infectious bacteria that causes these diseases.

Using a mass spectrometer, the researchers demonstrated that it is possible to identify the unique ‘smell’ of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) which would lead to rapid diagnosis of the condition.

Young Indian driver Tarun Reddy achieved his best racing weekend with a double podium finish in the UK Formula Renault Championship by finishing second, third and fourth here.

The 16-year-old, who is also leading the MRF 1600 National Racing Championship, went fastest in Friday practice at his debut on the Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit.

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets hit a record high of 26,900.30 points Monday, surpassing its previous peak of 26,674.38 points scaled Aug 28. The index hit the record high before closing at 26,867.55 points.

Also, the wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) crossed the 8,000-mark for the first time and hit a record high of 8,035 before closing at 8,027.70 points — 73.35 points or 0.92 percent up from its previous close.

Indian industry stakeholders anticipate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Japan visit will strengthen bilateral ties and position India as a favourable trade destination.

“As a global economic leader, Japan offers immense opportunities for cooperation and partnership,” Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) president Rana Kapoor said in a statement here Monday.

Modi is on an official visit to Japan from Aug 30 to Sep 3.

Former Lt. Gen. Tejinder Singh was taken into custody Monday after a court here rejected his bail plea in connection with allegations that he offered bribe to then army chief Gen. V.K. Singh for clearing a tranche of “sub-standard” Tatra trucks for the army.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special judge Madhu Jain dismissed the bail plea of Tejinder Singh and ordered that he be taken into custody.

Tejinder Singh appeared in the court following summons issued Aug 28.

Iraqi security forces Monday recaptured the town of Sulaiman Beg in Salahudin province after more than two months of being under siege by the Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist organisation, an official said.

“The town of Sulaiman Beg is under control of the combined forces of Iraqi army, Peshmerga (Kurdish force) and volunteers,” the official told Xinhua.

The troops are still clearing the booby-trapped buildings and roadside bombs in the town, located some 90 km east of the provincial capital Tikrit, the official said.

At least 690 Ebola virus disease cases have been confirmed in Guinea, out of which 460 people have died, the latest data released by the health ministry here shows.

A total of 143 patients were cured and discharged from treatment centres while 86 cases are still undergoing treatment in health centres, Xinhua reported citing the data.

Since the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, 45 health workers have been infected with the virus and 26 of them have died while nine others are still hospitalised.

A total of 1,420 Iraqis have been killed and 1,370 injured in terrorist attacks and violence during August, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement Monday.

The statement said that 1,265 civilians, including 77 policemen, and 155 Iraqi security forces personnel were killed, Xinhua reported.

At least 1,198 civilians, including 105 civilian policemen, were wounded.

UNAMI excluded the casualties in Anbar province where fierce clashes flared up after Iraqi police dismantled an anti-government protest site outside Ramadi in late December last year.

The Supreme Court (SC) has granted an extension to the Mudgal Committee, allowing it to submit its report in the IPL spot fixing case by November 10. The committee had plead that due to the ongoing tour of England by the Indian cricket team, the statement of many cricketers was still pending.

At the same time, the court has not allowed N Srinivasan to resume his post as president of the BCCI. Srinivasan will also not be allowed to participate in the elections at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the BCCI, where he was hoping to fight for the presidency.

Imran Khan and Javed Miandad may not have been the best of friends during their playing days but the man famous for his last-ball six has come out in support of the cricketer-turned-politician who is leading anti-government protests to topple Pakistan’s government.

The Andhra Pradesh Government said that the two metro rail projects in the State would be completed within three and a half years.

The state government has assigned the construction of metro rail projects of AP to Delgi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). DMRC principal advisor E. Sreedharan has been appointed as the advisor for the government of AP on the metro rail projects.

The Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly on Monday paid rich tributes to famous director Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana, popularly known as Bapu, who passed away in Chennai on Sunday evening.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Leader of the Opposition YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and others extended their deepest condolences and described Bapu’s demise as an immeasurable loss to Telugu people and to the world of arts and cinema.

Former MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy denied the allegations of having paid money to get BJP ticket for the Medak Lok Sabha by-elections.

Addressing a press conference at State BJP office at Nampally here, Jagga Reddy slammed Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao for accusing him of buying the BJP ticket. “I would have bought the TRS ticket if I had the money,” he said and alleged that it was Kotha Prabhakar Reddy who paid a huge amount to get the TRS ticket to contest for Medak Lok Sabha seat in by-elections.

The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is planning to conduct the e-tender-cum-e-auction of Red Sander wood between September 19th and 26th.

The department has already notified a global tender on August 8. In this connection, a pre-bid meeting with the prosepective buyers is being organised in the Main Conference Hall, 6th Floor, 0/o.PC.CF, Aranya Bhavan, A.P., Hyderabad at 11.30 AM on September 4.

Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Industrial Training Institute (ITI) is organizing counseling for admissions into I.T.I, MANUU, trades on September 4th.

The counselling will be held from 9 AM onwards at ITI, MANUU Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. Those applicants who have applied may attend the counseling. For admission details, the candidates may contact the principal, I.T.I, MANUU on phone 040-230084113. (INN)

BJP deputy floor leader Chintala Ramchandra Reddy on Monday described Telangana Rashtra Samithi as a family-run party where no other leader is given any powers.

As part of “Telangana Ku Haritha Haram”, a flagship program of the State Government, in the coming three years 230 Crore Plants are proposed to be added to the greenery of Telangana.

Out of this 130 Crore seedlings will be planted outside forest areas (10 Crore within HMDA area + 120 Crore in rest of the area of the State). Another 100 Crore plants will be rejuvenated by intensive protection of the forests and from the existing root stock in the forest areas.

The UN Human Rights Council was set today to debate demands for an emergency mission to Iraq to investigate “atrocities” committed by Islamic State (IS) jihadists which “may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

The special session, due to begin at 10:00 am (0800 GMT), comes at the request of Iraq itself, with support from countries and blocs including the Arab Group, the European Union, Iran and the US.

The high blood pressure risk in obese children and teenagers is up to six times greater than those of a healthy weight, a new study has warned.

“The prevalence of hypertension and obesity in children and adolescents is continuing to rise in most high and middle-income countries. Because adiposity is considered a driving force for cardiovascular disease, we examined whether elevated blood pressure was associated with body fat distribution in young people,” said Professor Peter Schwandt from Ludwig Maximilians University, Germany.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said the NDA Government has freed the nation of policy paralysis and bad governance.

Naqvi further said that the strong steps taken by the government in the first 100 days have yielded positive results.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday rubbished rumours about cracks emerging in the alliance between his party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Just because the BJP’s alliance with Kuldeep Bishnoi in Haryana has collapsed, it doesn’t hold truth in the case with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. This is totally false. We have been in alliance for the last 25 years based on ‘Hindutva’. We do not want any division of Hindu votes. The Congress should not get power either in state or at the national level; that is why we are together,” he told ANI.

With Rohit Sharma nursing a finger injury and Shikhar Dhawan struggling with his form, India discard Robin Uthappa is eager to earn the opening slot in the national team with some good performances in the upcoming season, which ends with 2015 World Cup.

“I think we can do with another opener and I believe I have been justifying that with big performances. I am hopeful that few more good performances can give me back that spot,” he told PTI on the sidelines of an event earmarking his association with Sports Mantra.