Month: May 2015

Ten bogies of Ernakulam-Duronto Express derail in Goa

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Ten bogies of the Lokamanya Tilak Terminus-Ernakulum Duronto Express derailed near Balli railway station in South Goa today, but no casualties have been reported so far.

“Ten coaches of the train derailed at 6.30 am near Balli station. No passengers were injured,” Konkan Railway Corporation Limited spokesman Baban Ghatge said.

The train had left Lokmanya Tilak Terminal in Mumbai and was heading towards Ernakulum.

Ghatge said that trains on Konkan Railway routes will be delayed due to the derailment, while work is on to salvage the bogies which went off the track.

PTI

Pollution threat: Charminar may become history

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Hyderabad’s famous icon Charminar is sick again. The Telangana State Tourism and Archaeology departments are ignoring the warnings by State Pollution Control Board officials regarding the impact of vehicular exhausts on the Charminar, things have come to such a pass that the changing colour of the monument has now put it in the ‘danger zone’, posing challenges to restoration work.

Earthquake-hit Nepal at high risk of landslides, mudslides as monsoon nears

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A new study has suggested that landslides and mudslides likely to remain a significant threat in Nepal for months and the risk is likely to increase when the monsoon rains arrive this summer.

University of Michigan geomorphologist Marin Clark and two colleagues have assessed the landslide hazard in Nepal and looked for locations where landslides likely occurred during the earthquake, as well as places that are at high risk in the coming weeks and months. The analysis revealed tens of thousands of locations at high risk.

Was mentally prepared to bat at three: KKR’s Russell

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Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell has said he was mentally prepared to bat at number three against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here.

Royal Challengers Bangalore won the match by seven wickets with two balls to spare in a rain-affected match that was curtailed to 10-overs per side.

Russell blasted a 17-ball 45 studded with five boundaries and three sixes to drive his team to a competitive total of 111 for four in 10 overs.

But Mandeep Singh’s 45 not out off just 18 balls worked the magic for RCB on Saturday.

6-yr-old run over by school van

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A school van ran over a 6-year-old girl in Old Malakpet area on Saturday morning. According to sources, Maheshwari, D/O Narayana, R/O Malakpet was playing outside her house in the morning when a school van entered the lane and hit her from the back in a rash manner.

The girl was crushed under the front wheels of the bus and died on the spot. The driver fled from the scene. The body was sent for post mortem to the Osmania Hospital.

IS group claims Iraq car bomb attack that killed 19

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The extremist Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a late-night car bomb attack in Baghdad that killed at least 19 people, saying it was targeting a Shiite militia.

The two car bombs went off about 10 minutes apart late Saturday in the Karrada district, known for its restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlors.

Police said the dead and wounded were mainly shoppers and people commemorating the death of Imam Ali, a key figure in Shiite Islam.

Two traffic policemen were among those killed.

Being Human not donating for Nepal quake victims: Salman Khan

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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has denied he is donating for Nepal earthquake victims through his NGO Being Human.

The 49-year-old “Dabangg” star took to his Facebook page to clarify the rumours about Being Human contributing to relief fun for the quake affected people.

“There are rumors about Being Human donating money for the Nepal earthquake. This is NOT TRUE as Being Human Foundation currently operates only in India,” Salman wrote.

Earthqauke, measuring on 7.9 Richter scale, hit the neighouring country last week, killing 7,040 people so far.

HC notice to Centre, Delhi government on maternal health schemes

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Taking strong note of the failure of the maternal health schemes, the Delhi High Court has sought to know from the central and Delhi governments the measures they have taken in this regard.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to the central and Delhi governments asking them to indicate the measures they have taken on working such schemes and gaps in them, and to highlight the reasons for not properly implementing them.

Doctor along with wife goes missing in Bihar

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A doctor and his wife are suspected to have been abducted in Bihar’s Gaya district, police said on Saturday.

Dr Pankaj Gupta was returning home with his wife from a relative’s marriage in Giridih in Jharkhand, when the couple went missing as they entered Gaya district yesterday, City Superintendent of Police Rakesh Kumar said.

According to the complaint lodged by his brother, the doctor responded to a telephone call from his compounder in the afternoon and told that he was near Barhi under Barachatti police station area of Gaya.

Registration begins for Talent Search Scheme ‘Mission IAS’

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Siasat editor Mr. Zahed Ali Khan has launched Mission IAS Talent Search Scheme for brilliant students who secured more than 80 percent marks. Names can be enrolled by arriving at Mahboob Husain Jigar Hall, Siasat premises, Abids, along with copy of marks sheet.

Students of VIII, IX, Intermediate, degree I and II year can appear in Civil Service exams. Talent Search Test will be held at Siasat office and guidance will be provided regarding Civil Service exam, IAS and IPS. M A Hameed is the coordinator.

Siasat news

UN intervention sought to ensure Lakhvi’s arrest: BJP

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that India has sought United Nation`s intervention on the release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi to ensure that the latter is sent back to jail.

“India has registered a strong protest with United Nations regarding the release of Lakhvi by Pakistan. UN intervention has been sought to ensure that Lakhvi is sent back to jail,” said party spokesperson Narasimha Rao.

NDA ‘more generous’ to Andhra Pradesh: Telangana minister

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A month ahead of the first anniversary of Telangana’s creation, a key minister in the TRS government K Taraka Rama Rao is miffed at the Narendra Modi government for being “more generous” to Andhra Pradesh ruled by NDA ally TDP.

“The Centre took almost nine months to give Telangana its share of IAS officers… The bifurcation of the high court has still not happened, while division of state employees by a Centre-appointed committee is yet to be completed,” Rao, son of TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said.

Here’s how ‘sunless tanning’ can lead to ‘skin cancer’

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A new study has revealed that artificial tanning can lead to Melanoma.

Melanoma is no longer showing up only in women who have had five or six decades of sun exposure during their lives. It is now the second most common cancer found in women ages 20 to 30 years old. In just the past decade, the number of young women in that age bracket who have been diagnosed with melanoma has increased eightfold. The numbers also increased four-fold for young men of the same age.

AP govt to set up Regional Airport Development Fund

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The Andhra Pradesh government plans to set up an Andhra Pradesh Regional Airport Development Fund (APRADF) with an initial amount of Rs 100 crore to provide financial support for regional airport development.

According to AP’s draft civil aviation policy, the APRADF will be used to provide financial support to develop and operate airports as well as commercial airline operations wherever deemed necessary.

“The initial corpus will be Rs 100 crore,” the draft policy said.

NIA looking for Afghan national in ISIS case of Mumbai youths

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An Afghan businessman is believed to be allegedly indoctrinating youth from Maharashtra to join dreaded ISIS, claims National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has sent its first judicial requests in the case to Afghanistan seeking details of the person.

The Afghan national, whose name has been withheld, was running business of dry fruits in India and allegedly approached the four youths from Kalyan area neighbouring Mumbai and brainwashed them to join ranks of ISIS terror group, official sources said.

11 dead, 34 injured in bus fire in Pakistan

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At least 11 people, including seven women and three children, were killed and 34 others injured today when a bus carrying a wedding party burst into flames in Pakistan’s Sindh province.

The men who were on the bus were able to escape before flames engulfed the vehicle. The bride and the groom remained unharmed as they were travelling in a separate vehicle.

At least 11 people, including seven women and three children, were killed and 34 others injured in the accident, Dawn reported.

“Obama Admin getting soft on India on IPR”

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A top Republican lawmaker has accused the Obama Administration of being soft on alleged violations by India on intellectual property.

“Once again, the (Obama) Administration has missed the mark,” Congressman Orrin Hatch, Chairman of powerful House Finance Committee, said after the office of the US Trade Representative in its annual Congressional-mandated 301 Report refused to do the out of cycle review of India.

No additional Hajj quota for TS

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Central government has refused to allot additional Hajj quota for Telangana. Foreign Minister General V K Singh sent a letter to Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao in this connection and replied to latter’s letter regarding allotment of quota for Telangana. General VK Singh in the letter sent to the chief minister clarified that foreign minister was working with transparency in connection with allotment of Hajj quota to the states and union territories. He hinted that there was no possibility of additional quota for Telangana.

Obama ‘delight’ at Britain’s newest princess

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US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle have wished Prince William and wife Kate Middleton “much joy and happiness” on the occasion of the arrival of the newest member in their royal family.

“Michelle and I are delighted to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, her Majesty the Queen and the royal family, and all the people of the United Kingdom on the birth of the Royal Princess,” the White House said in a statement after Kate gave birth to a baby girl yesterday.

How fructose, glucose affect our appetite

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Scientists have revealed how fructose and glucose have different effects on physiological and behavioral responses to food.

To assess the different effects of the two sugars on hunger and food cue responses in the brain, Kathleen A. Page and colleagues conducted fMRI scans on 24 people who had been given drinks sweetened with fructose on one day and glucose on another day.

Sri Lanka Navy hands over of 14 fishing trawlers to India’s Coast Guard

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The Sri Lanka Navy has handed over of 14 Indian fishing trawlers to the Indian Coast Guard.

According to the Colombo Page web site, the trawlers were earlier released on the orders of a local court, and the Sri Lankan Navy has handed them over to the Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘ANAGH’ at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) North of Delft on Thursday.

Seventy-five Indian personnel including repair teams had arrived in Sri Lanka onboard 14 trawlers on April 28 to salvage these released trawlers. The confiscated boats have been anchored in Karainagar since last June.

President Mukherjee extends greetings on eve of Buddha Purnima

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President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday extended his greeting on the eve of Buddha Purnima.

“On the joyous occasion of Buddha Purnima, I extend my greetings and good wishes to all fellow citizens as well as Buddhists across the world. May Lord Buddha’s teachings of universal brotherhood, love, compassion and non-violence inspire the people of our nation and the entire world to make steady progress on the path of ‘Shanti’, ‘Ahimsa’ and ‘Maitri’,” said President Mukherjee.

Husband of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg dies suddenly

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David Goldberg, the husband of Facebook`s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, has died suddenly, his brother said Saturday.

“It`s with incredible shock and sadness that I`m letting our friends and family know that my amazing brother, Dave Goldberg, beloved husband of Sheryl Sandberg, father of two wonderful children, and son of Paula Goldberg, passed away suddenly last night,” Robert Goldberg said in a Facebook posting.

He said his brother had died Friday night.

David Goldberg was the chief executive of online survey firm SurveyMonkey, which is based in Palo Alto, California.

Cricketer Rohit Sharma gets engaged

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Indian cricketer and Indian Premier League (IPL) team Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma got engaged to sports events manager Ritika Sajdeh.

According to reports, Rohit, 28, proposed to 28-year-old Ritika at the Borivli Sports Club here, the ground where he began his career.

Rohit is the record holder for the highest run score in One-Day-International cricket history (264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens). He has known Ritika for the last six years. She manages his cricket engagements.