Month: April 2015

Feeling of love inspires charity

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Among all the positive emotions, love alone has the power to inspire giving to those with whom the giver has no connection, says a new study.

Marketers often use positive emotions such as hope, pride, love, and compassion interchangeably to encourage people to donate to charitable causes. But these distinct emotions can lead to different results.

“Love is unique among positive emotions in fostering a feeling of connectedness,” said researcher Lisa A. Cavanaugh from University of Southern California.

SHE TEAM nabbed two youths for eve teasing

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SHE TEAM on Wednesday has nabbed two persons for eve-teasing and stalking women in public places. The duo was found harassing and making gestures at a woman travelling in a car at Punjagutta crossroad.

The accused are identified as Imran Bin Mohammad, 30, a businessman and a resident of Shalibanda and Syed Norulla Hussaini, 29, a daily wage earner of Bahadurpura.

The woman snapped the act and posted on SHE Teams Facebook. The team came into action and traced the accused using the photographs and bike details and arrested them.

Congress, AAP members raise molestation case

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The Lok Sabha was on Thursday disrupted when Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members sought a discussion on the death of a 13-year-old girl in Punjab after she was molested.

Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and AAP’s Bhagwant Mann and Dharamvir Gandhi raised the issue but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed a discussion saying they can raise it only during zero hour.

Furious, the rebuffed MPs trooped near the speaker’s podium and started shouting slogans demanding an immediate discussion.

The speaker, however, asked them to return to their seats and adjourned the house briefly.

Babies born with drug withdrawal symptoms on rise in US

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The number of infants born in the US with drug withdrawal symptoms has nearly doubled in a four-year period, a new study says.

Also termed the neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), the symptoms have been linked to both illicit drug use as well as use of prescription opioids – narcotic pain relievers – by pregnant women.

Infants born with NAS are more likely to have respiratory complications, feeding difficulty, seizures and low birth-weight.

Trend of negative characters picking up in Bollywood: Neil

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With his tall, fair and handsome looks, he could have been a quintessential Bollywood hero, but he chose to be an onscreen baddie. Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, who ventured into Bollywood in “Johnny Gaddaar”, feels that the trend of negative characters has picked up in Hindi cinema immensely.

“There are a lot of layers for an actor to do, and today if you have seen, the trend of actors doing negative roles, is picking up,” Neil told IANS in an interview here.

‘Ask India to rebuke religious leaders for insulting remarks’

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A US Congress-established panel has asked the Obama Administration to press the Indian government to publicly rebuke officials and religious leaders who make derogatory remarks about communities and to boost religious freedom standards in the pluralistic country.

The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its annual report urged the US government to integrate concern for religious freedom into bilateral contacts with India, including the framework of future strategic dialogues, at both the federal and provincial level.

Iran willing to submit to ‘highest’ transparency: FM

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Iran is willing to submit to the highest level of international transparency on its nuclear program and wants to conclude a final accord as soon as possible, its foreign minister said today.

“The (UN nuclear agency) IAEA has seen everything and if you’re looking for a smoking gun, you’ve got to wait a long, long, long time before you get one,” Mohammad Javad Zarif told an audience at New York University.

Sushmita Sen makes her dad proud, once again

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Bollywood actress and former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen has once again made her father proud and this time by acting in a Bengali film.

“It was my father’s big dream that I do a Bengali film. It is a big moment for him,” Sen, whose debut Bengali film “Nirbaak” (Speechless) releases this Friday, said.

The 39-year-old actress, who has starred in Hindi films like “No Problem”, “Main Hoon Na” and “Biwi No 1”, said her father Shuber Sen always wanted her to act in Bengali films, something which never worked out for her.

Big B to create website dedicated to Harivansh Rai Bachchan

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Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is planning to create a website dedicated to his late father, poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, which will have comprehensive facts about the literary personality.

The 72-year-old actor appealed to his fans to share with him all the information they have about the noted poet, including pictures.

“I wish to put up a comprehensive website, giving correct information, because many sites carry his name but incorrect information!!

Man beats up wife for refusing to pay for liquor

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A woman was seriously injured after husband allegedly beat her up for refusing to give him money to buy liquor at a village in Jajpur district, the police said today.

The accused, Dayanidhi Nath (43) of Choramunhan village under Dharmasala police station, fled after the incident on Tuesday night.

The 38-year-old victim sustained serious injuries on her head and limbs, police said adding seriously injured woman was first taken to the local government hospital and later shifted to S.C.B.Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after her condition deteriorated, the police said.

Nitish donates one month’s salary for Bihar quake victims

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today donated his one month’s salary of Rupees one lakh for the quake victims in the state.

Kumar gave a cheque of Rupees one lakh to the Secretary in-charge of Chief Minister Relief Fund, Chanchal Kumar, for the purpose.

The CM also appealed to his ministerial colleagues and others to come forward and extend their helping hand and donate for earthquake victims, Chief Minister Office sources said.

Later, Kumar went to see relief materials which were being packed for sending to Nepal.

The quake had claimed 58 lives in Bihar.

Vidya’s comment on ‘Margarita…’ was special for me: Kalki

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Kalki Koechlin’s brilliant portrayal of a vivacious girl with cerebral palsy in “Margarita With A Straw” garnered acclaim from everyone but the actress was particularly touched by Vidya Balan’s emotional response to her role.

Recalling Vidya’s response, Kalki said, “We did the screening of the film with Siddharth (Roy Kapur) and Vidya (Balan) in attendance. After watching the film, they both came out teary-eyed. They hugged me and left. They didn’t utter a single word to me.”

She, however, got a call from the “Kahaani” star the next day.

Quitting smoking briefly deteriorates diabetes control

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Diabetics who quit smoking are likely to experience deterioration in their glucose control for up to three years, says a study.

“Knowing that deterioration in blood glucose control occurs around the time of quitting smoking helps to prepare those with diabetes and their clinicians become proactive in tightening their glycaemic control during this time,” said principal investigator Deborah Lycett from Coventry University.

Congress protests outside Punjab CM Parkash Badal’s residence on farmers issue

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Opposition Congress on Thursday held a protest outside Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s residence here to highlight the farmers’ issue. Addressing the gathering, Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar Jakhar demanded for immediate lifting of wheat from grain markets and release of payment to the farmers. The delay in payment to farmers amounts to their harassment, he said.

Majority of the Congress MLAs besides party’s state unit chief Pratap Singh Bajwa also participated in the agitation. Badal met the protesting Congress legislators and listened to the issues raised by them.

Bus services disrupted in Punjab, Haryana due to transportation strike

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Bus services remained paralysed on Thursday in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh with the state transport employees joining the nationwide strike against the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015.

State roadway and private buses remained off the road in the region. In Chandigarh also, the buses remained off the road. Roadways employees were protesting in front of bus depots against central government against the proposed road safety bill, reports said.

Nepal earthquake: Economy shattered; recovery to take years

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What took moments to flatten will take years to rebuild. In mere seconds a powerful earthquake devastated a swathe of Nepal.

Rebuilding the impoverished Himalayan nation’s fragile economy will require a long slog, financed by foreign aid and money from its army of overseas workers.

Initial estimates peg the economic damage from the temblor that killed more than 5,000 people at billions of dollars. The tourism industry, a pillar of the economy, has been shattered and it’s unclear when the travellers will return.

Pak intruder killed by Border Security Force in Samba

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At around 9 AM, alert BSF troops saw an intruder entering into Indian territory from Pakistani side along the International Border in Chiliari Border Out Post of Samba district

A Pakistani intruder was killed in firing by BSF when he was trying to enter into Indian territory from across the border in Basantar belt of Samba district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.

Awards for top Indian leaders in Arab world

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About 100 Indian business leaders have been honoured by Forbes here for their outstanding work that made a mark on the Middle Eastern economies this year.

Each of the awardees finds a place in Forbes Middle East’s third annual ranking of Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World 2015.

An award ceremony was held on Tuesday to honor leading Indian leaders in the Arab world. During the ceremony, more than 30 awards were presented to a group of Indian business owners, founders and C-level executives who have stamped their mark on the region.

Chittoor killing: NCST calls for CBI probe, says STF did not follow protocol

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The national scheduled tribes commission has called for a CBI probe into the gunning down of 20 persons in Andhra Pradesh and also slammed the Special Task Force which carried out the operation earlier this month as it alleged that they had failed to follow the proper protocol. In its report, the team headed by National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Vice Chairperson Ravi Thakur — which visited the site of the incident — observed that the crime committed by those who were killed by Andhra Pradesh police was that of theft of timber.

Opposition protests over Ramdev’s son guaranteeing pill

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A demand to ban a purported ayurveda product by yoga guru Ramdev’s Divya Pharmacy that promises a male child was made in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, with Opposition members terming it as illegal and unconstitutional and seeking stringent action against the manufacturers. When the House met for the day, KC Tyagi (JD-U) showed a a packet called ‘Putrajeevak Beej’, which he claimed to have bought from Divya Pharmacy that promised the delivery of a male child.

Rescuers look for woman buried under debris

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International rescuers on Thursday frantically searched for a woman trapped under debris in Nepal’s Bhaktapur town after her cries were heard by passers-by.

Locals say they heard someone crying for help at around 5.30 a.m., prompting rescue teams from Israel, the Netherlands and Turkey to rush to the site and starting the rescue operation.

The woman appears to be buried under debris stretching up to seven feet in height in Bhaktapur, only 14 km from Kathmandu.

MI have golden chance to take revenge on high-flying RR

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Well-rested and rejuvenated Mumbai Indians would seek to turn the tables on travel-weary Rajasthan Royals when the two former champions cross swords in the Indian Premier League cricket contest at the Wankhede Stadium here tomorrow.

MI had lost to RR when the two met in the first leg encounter at Ahmedabad a fortnight ago and the game offers a chance to the hosts to avenge that defeat at home.

Mumbai have enjoyed a well-needed short break after stopping Sun Risers Hyderabad in a low-scoring seventh game through excellent seam bowling on April 25.

Saudis frustrated with Pak’s decision to stay away from Yemen

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Saudi Arabia is unhappy over Pakistan’s decision not to send troops and stay away from the raging conflict in Yemen, the Kingdom’s envoy here has said.

Riyadh launched an offensive against Houthi rebels in March to restore the government of president Mansour Hadi, who fled the country in the face of a rebel advance.

“How would Pakistanis feel if we do the same with you in the time of crises,” The Express Tribune quoted acting Saudi Ambassador Jassim Bin Mohammad Al-Khalidi as saying.

Uproar in RS over Ramdev’s medicine claiming birth of male child

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A demand to ban a purported ayurveda product by yoga guru Ramdev’s Divya Pharmacy that promises a male child was made in Rajya Sabha today, with Opposition members terming it as illegal and unconstitutional and seeking stringent action against the manufacturers.

When the House met for the day, K C Tyagi (JD-U) showed a a packet called ‘Putrajeevak Beej’, which he claimed to have bought from Divya Pharmacy that promised the delivery of a male child.

Foreign Secretary to visit Nepal tomorrow

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Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will visit quake-hit Kathmandu on Friday to take stock of the situation.

According to reports, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval would also be accompanying the Foreign Secretary during his visit to Nepal.

The death toll due to the earthquake in Nepal has now climbed over 5,200. The figure may go up when the rescuers reach the remote areas.

Heavy rain affected the relief and rescue operations in places including Kathmandu. As a result, multi-national rescue teams found it difficult to locate survivors of the disaster.