Month: February 2015

Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar, two aides arrested for extortion

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As per fresh reports Iqbal Kaskar, brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and his two associates have been arrested on charges of extortion and assault following a complaint by an estate agent, police said today.

An FIR was registered last night at Byculla police station after a complaint by Salim Shaikh, an estate agent that Kaskar and his men had demanded Rs three lakh after thrashing him last Friday, police said.

The alleged incident occurred in a room at Damarwala building at Pakmodia Street in South Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazar area, police added.

Search operations launched in Australia for missing Indian man

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Australian detectives have intensified the probe into the mysterious disappearance of a 27-year-old Indian after a tip of that he may have been taken to an island near here in May last year.

Shiva Chauhan, who worked here as a delivery van driver, went missing under mysterious circumstances while on duty in May last year. His locked van was traced the very next day in Melbourne’s Keysborough area.

Detectives have received information that suggests Chauhan may have been taken to Phillip Island, 140 kms from Melbourne in the early hours of Friday, 2 May 2014, The Age reported today.

Twitter testing revamped sign-up process that automatically fills new users’ timeline with tweets

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Twitter is reportedly testing an improvised sign-up process that automatically fills a new user’s timeline with tweets soon after they have created an account.

According to the Verge, Twitter announced plans to introduce this ” Instant Timeline” last year, and now The New York Times reports that Twitter has started testing it out with a small number of people on Android .

The new sign-up process will make sure that users have something to read on signing up. (ANI)

WhatsApp reportedly testing new voice-calling feature

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Some WhatsApp users are claiming that they have the option of a new voice-calling feature in their WhatsApp mobile applications, sparking speculations that the company is testing the new feature as it prepares to join the league of other messaging apps that already have the calling feature.

According to Tech Crunch, one user has shared screenshots and video of the voice-calling feature in action, which he said was activated when someone who already had the feature called him.

Mumbai-based baby products company FirstCry.com receives 26M dollars in funding

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Mumbai-based baby products company FirstCry.com is the latest Indian e-commerce company to receive funding.

According to Tech Crunch, the startup, which is based in Mumbai, announced that it has raised 26 million dollars led by Valiant Capital Partners.

It is reported that the company altogether grabbed 55 million dollars in another round of funding following the return of its existing investors.

India is witnessing a record growth in its e-commerce market. Experts believe that the e-commerce market in India will be worth 43 billion dollars by the end of this decade. (ANI)

KCR promises to develop Hyderabad like Dallas

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Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has promised to develop Hyderabad city like the Dallas of United States of America.

Addressing the TRS extended session at RD Convention Hall in Kompally here on Tuesday, KCR said he was firm on developing Hyderabad as a global city. Stating that despite having a population of nearly one crore, the city lacks basic amenities. He said that the conditions were so worse that the roads at Chief Minister’s Office and Raj Bhavan get stagnated after a spell of rains.

Eating meat increases risk of cancer, says PETA

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Like smoking, eating meat also increases the risk of heart diseases and cancer, says People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

As part of its campaign to create public awareness, the organisation erected a billboard here showing a baby smoking a cigar. Its caption reads “You wouldn’t let your child smoke” and goes on to add “Like smoking, eating meat increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. Go vegan”.

This billboard, which has been erected in upmarket Banjara Hills, was earlier rejected in Bangalore after billboard companies found it controversial.

Indian-American found his lost laptop at Bangalore airport

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It was a pleasant surprise for prominent Indian-American Ashok K Mago when he got back his expensive laptop at the Bangalore airport several days after he had incidentally lost it at the security screening.

“Once I realised that I have left my Mac Book Air at the Bangalore airport, it was a foregone conclusion that I will never be able to get it back. Surprisingly, I got it,” Mago told PTI on his return from India.

England don’t know how to beat Australia: Hazlewood

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Australian Pacer Josh Hazlewood Tuesday said England players will have no clue how to beat them in their World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Feb 14.

Australia have won 13 of their last 15 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) encounters at home.

The 24-year-old further said that the Englishmen will be left “scratching their heads” on how to get on top of the hosts when they meet in the quadrennial event.

Except TRS, no future for other parties in Telangana: KCR

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Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has claimed that except Telangana Rashtra Samithi, no other political party has a future in Telangana State.

Addressing the TRS party’s extended session at Kompally here on Tuesday, KCR claimed that TRS has the best of cadre compared to all other political parties in the State. The brilliant minds and youth are joining the TRS in large numbers and they will take the party to the next level, he said while advising them to work unitedly to achieve the goal of ‘Bangaru Telangana’.

Uber cab rape case: Driver claims innocence

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A Uber cab driver accused of sexual assaulting a woman executive Tuesday told a court here that he has not committed rape and he has been falsely implicated in the case.

Claiming innocence in the case, Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav told Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja that it is a “false case”.

Quizzed by court as to why he was implicated in the matter, he said that he did not know why the woman lodged a false case against him, and denied the submission that he has raped the victim.

This ‘probiotic pill’ could get rid of diabetes for good

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Scientists have achieved breakthrough by developing a pill that can cure diabetes by simply “rewiring” the body.

The new study suggests that a “probiotic pill” which contains live bacteria found in the human gut, could radically reduce blood glucose levels from the pancreas to the upper intestine, the Daily Express reported.

Congress slams BJP for calling North Eastern people ‘immigrants’

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The Congress on Tuesday criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party for referring to people from the North-East states in its recently released ‘vision document’ as ‘immigrants’, ahead of the Delhi assembly polls.

“The BJP’s vision document says ‘North-East immigrants to be protected’. Does the BJP then consider them to be from some other country? Does the BJP want to say that the North Eastern states are not a part of India, are the North Eastern people not Indians?” Congress leader Ajay Maken said to the media.

‘It is our responsibility to rectify 16 years of mistakes’: PM Modi

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Attacking the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said both parties had ruined Delhi in the last 16 years and it was now the BJP’s responsibility to rectify past mistakes.

“Congress ruined your 15 years, then there was a temporary party-they ruined the city for a year, now it’s our responsibility to rectify the mistakes of 16 years,” Prime Minister Modi said at a rally in Rohini.

The Prime Minister added that the national capital should be governed by those with experience.

Prince Charles was doubtful about his marriage to Princess Di

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A new unofficial biography of Prince Charles has revealed that he was in absolute doubt about his doomed marriage with Princess Diana.

The book mentions that on the eve of marriage Charles doubted the successful marriage with his would-be-wife as she was not the jolly country girl he had assumed, but instead a vulnerable, complicated woman already suffering from an eating disorder, the Mirror reported.

Pakistan to try Lakhvi on daily basis

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Pakistan, under international pressure to curb terrorism and terrorist activities based on its territory, will conduct the trial of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, on day-to-day basis, local media reported Tuesday.

The Islamabad High Court, whose earlier order for conditional release of Lakhvi raised the hackles of India, said that the hearing in the trial would be held on daily basis, the Dawn reported.

Three more die of swine flu in Telangana, toll 34

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Three more people died of swine flu in Telangana since Monday, taking the toll to 34.

According to the health department, 122 samples were tested for H1N1 virus Monday and out of them, 39 were found positive.

The authorities screened 1,976 samples since Jan 1 and out of them, 668 were found positive.

The health department, however, continues to maintain that the intensity of swine flu is decreasing as the number of cases are showing declining trend.

Petrol, diesel prices cut by RS 2 PLUS

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With international crude oil prices continuing to rule below $50 per barrel, the three state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) Tuesday decided to reduce petrol and diesel prices.

Taking into account the effect of state levies, the petrol price in Delhi will be cut by Rs.2.42 per litre, while diesel cost will come down by Rs.2.25 per litre from midnight Tuesday.

As a result of the latest price revision, consumers would have to shell out Rs.56.49 per litre for petrol and Rs.46.01 per litre for diesel at the fuel stations in the national capital (subject to state levies).

AAP ‘set up’; its vetting process a sham, says Omar

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Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had been “set up”, days before the February 7 Assembly elections in Delhi, in an obvious reference to the party’s breakaway group accusing it of receiving Rs 2 crore last year through four “dubious” companies.

Omar also said that the vetting process of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party before accepting donations was a “total sham”.

“#AAP can’t explain the failure of its due diligence but I have to ask has the party been set up?” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Kejriwal dares government to arrest him

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AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday dared the government to arrest him if he was indeed guilty of money laundering.

“I challenge the government to arrest me if they have the courage,” Kejriwal thundered at an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rally at Trilokpuri in east Delhi.

“They don’t have the guts to do that,” he added to thunderous applause.

Kejriwal was responding to charges levelled by the BJP that the AAP had indulged in money laundering and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s statement that a probe will be conducted into this.

No place for Togadia, Owaisi, say Bangalore cops

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Bangalore Police believes that both Hindu communal ism and Muslim communal ism and parties grow to gathers on hate speeches and today they have been denied permission to MIM and VHP to hold meeting in the garden city of bangalore .

Poonam Mahajan wants SRK’s illegal ramp demolished

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BJP MP Poonam Mahajan has sought demolition of a ramp near Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow in suburban Bandra, following complaints by local residents of alleged illegal construction.

“The residents of the area have for long been complaining about the chaos and traffic build up there due to the ramp. Thus, I have written a letter to Brihamumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sitaram Kunte to demolish that illegal ramp. We need to look at this issue legally and lawfully follow the procedures as we are supposed to do as a government,” Mahajan told PTI today.

Owaisi brothers, others appear in court in 2005 assault case

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MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi and others today appeared before a court in Telangana’s Medak district in connection with a 2005 case against them for allegedly obstructing the then district Collector and other officials from discharging their duties.

Asaduddin, the MP from Hyderabad, four party MLAs – including Akbaruddin – and others, who are accused of
preventing government officials from performing their duty, appeared before the magistrate’s court at Sangareddy in Medak
district, which posted the matter to February 10.

Congress attacks Kiran Bedi, says she faced FIR

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The Congress on Tuesday attacked the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi over her credentials as an administrator.

An FIR was filed against her over alleged loss to the exchequer when she was Inspector General of Prisons but the case was closed last year during the central rule in Delhi, the Congress said.

Congress leader Anand Sharma also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party over allegations that it had accepted funds from “dubious companies” in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls last year.