Clinton deal lowers HIV drug cost in poor nations

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New York, August 07: Agreements between former President Bill Clinton’s foundation and two drug companies will lower prices on medications for patients with drug-resistant HIV in the developing world.

One agreement, with Mylan lowers the annual price of four antiretroviral drugs that are used as a second line of treatment when patients develop a resistance to the first drugs they are treated with.

The other agreement, with Pfizer reduces the cost of a medication that can be used in conjunction with the drugs in patients who have tuberculosis.

Arshad is Mad About Shoes!

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Mumbai, August 07: Arshad is crazy about branded shoes. Recently, Arshad bought a pair of HUGO BOSS shoe, costing a whooping Rupees 60,000. He wears it on special occasion. He’s also got a good number of Boots, as he is very fond of long boots. He mostly wears boots, and interestingly most of his boots are exclusive and customized.

Extraneous issues dominate proceedings

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Hyderabad,August 07: In what could be termed as a sad commentary on democratic functioning of the State, Finance Minister K Rosaiah completed his reply to the discussion on the Rs.1.03 lakh crore budget in the Assembly in the absence of the Opposition parties.

Ever since the budget was presented on July 24, the proceedings never went on the lines they should, with extraneous issues dominating the session, robbing valuable time allotted for discussion on the budget.

Another MLA raises banner of revolt

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Hyderabad, August 07: Another TDP MLA Y Bala Nagi Reddy, representing the Mantralayam Assembly segment, raised the banner of revolt today, shooting off a joint letter with legislator Nallapu Reddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy to N Chandrababu Naidu urging him to step down as party chief.

Kepler scope sends stunning images of distant planet

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Washington, August 07: Five months after it was launched on a mission to find earth-like planets, the Kepler space telescope has sent back to Earth high-precision images of a planet some 1,000 light years away, NASA said Thursday.

But the real excitement at NASA was over how well Kepler was working, and the promise it holds for the future.

With Kepler only in the calibration phase, the telescope, which was launched in March on a mission to find earth-like planets in the galaxy, sent back to Earth highly precise images of a planet with the unromantic name of HAT-P-7-B.

Top priority to welfare schemes: Rosaiah

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Hyderabad, August 07: Reiterating that the State Government will continue to give top priority to welfare and irrigation sectors, Finance
Minister Konijeti Rosaiah today winded up his budget reply seeking approval to the proposals putforth in the budget for 2009-10. The budget debate concluded in the absence of TDP, TRS, CPI and CPM members who were suspended (on the controversial Obulapuram mining issue) from the House for the day.

About Rs.10,000 per minute was being wasted in the Assembly because of Opposition parties obstructing House proceedings, he remarked.

Four students in Assam suspended for ragging

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Guwahati, August 07: Four postgraduate students including two girls were suspended for allegedly ragging juniors at Dibrugarh University in Assam, officials said Friday.

A university spokesperson said the decision to suspend was taken after three first-semester girl students of Political Science Thursday lodged a written complaint with the vice chancellor alleging that four senior students had ‘mentally tortured’ them by asking obscene questions.

Afghanistan adds 5 more bodies to US count

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Kabul, August 07: The death toll rises for foreign troops in Afghanistan, as roadside bombs and insurgents attacks have killed five more US troops in the conflict-torn country.

NATO forces said in a statement that four troops “died after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED).”

The Alliance confirmed that the dead were all Americans.

The incident happened somewhere in the west of the troubled country, but the exact location and the names of the service members have not yet been released.

Gulf victims, kin seek govt aid

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Hyderabad, August 07: Less than a year ago Lakshmamma’s husband Ramulu had gone to the Gulf in search of livelihood and clear his debt of Rs 4 lakh incurred on farming.

But four months later, Lakshmamma received the news of her husand’s death in a fire. Till now the family could hardly repay half of the debt.

Sayamma from Karimnagar lost her 25-year-old son who went to Saudi to repay their loans but committed suicide as he could niether live there nor return to his native place without repaying the loan.

Atom-smasher to run at partial power in relaunch: CERN

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Geneva, August 07: The world’s biggest atom-smasher will operate below full power when its restarts in November, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) said Thursday.

In a statement, CERN said no more repairs would be necessary for “safe running” this year and next, after the 27-kilometre (17-mile) collider is switched back on.

Nestled inside a tunnel straddling the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) promises to unlock scientific mysteries about the creation of the Universe and the fundamental nature of matter.

Mining issue rocks House

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Hyderabad, August 07: About 80 members belonging to TDP, TRS, CPI and CPM members were suspended from the House for a day as they tried to stall the proceedings by insisting on constituting a House committee to probe the alleged illegal mining by the Obulapuram Mining Company in Anantapur district. But Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy refused to concede the demand, maintaining that there was nothing fishy in the operations of the company.

Sensex tumbles over 313 points at midsession

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Mumbai, August 07: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex tumbled over 313 points at midsession on Friday on heavy selling by funds in heavyweight stocks following weakening trends at Asian markets and a lower start in European markets.

The Sensex, which had lost 390 points in yesterday’s trading, fell further by 313.68 points at 15,200.35 at 1.15 pm as all the sectoral indices traded in the red.

The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty went below the crucial 4,500 point level by losing 95.00 points at 4,490.50.

Goud, with Peddi Reddy in tow, rejoins TDP

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Hyderabad, August 07: Containing the damage to the party to some extent, Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu has managed to persuade two sulking leaders, Talasani Srinivas Yadav and RK Roja, to attend a meeting organised today to welcome the return of former ministers T Devender Goud and E Peddi Reddy into the party.

Zoo finally gets a giraffe

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Hyderabad, August 07: What’s a zoo without a giraffe! The Nehru Zoological Park did without one for the last 20 years. Not anymore. The Hyderabad zoo finally got a giraffe on Wednesday. Peddi Reddi Ramachandra Reddy, Minister for Forests and Environment did the honours. A pair of blue and yellow macaws and red jungle fowl were also released.

The giraffe is named ‘Tsunami Basant’ and was born on February 13, 2005 in the Delhi Zoo. The name is on account of its birthday falling on Basant Panchami day after the Boxing Day Tsunami of December 2004.

ATMs, middlemen rule as banks stay shut

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Hyderabad, August 07: Banking activities were crippled on Thursday when about 50,000 bank employees went on strike demanding that their long pending demands for salary hikes and other benefits be resolved.

The strike hit cash settlements, cheque-clearing activities, treasury and money market operations along with government transactions.

Some bank managements made preparations to ensure availability of funds but this did not meet the requirements.

All the branches of about 26 public sector banks and another 10 old generation private sector banks remained closed for the day.

APSEC will protest ‘flawed’ Right to Education

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Hyderabad, August 07: Pushing for changes in the proposed Right to Education Bill that was passed at the Lok Sabha in New Delhi, members of the AP Save Education Committee (APSEC) revealed that a delegation of academicians and educationists from the State, numbering close to a hundred has already headed off to the capital on Wednesday to stage a protest, scheduled to be held on Friday.

MPs need to be reined in, says Speaker

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New Delhi, August 07: With Parliament witnessing frequent adjournments over different issues, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has said that MPs needed to be “reined in”.

“Parliaments, across the world, including ours are facing problems… They (lawmakers) need to be reined in,” she said.

However, the Speaker said there were no need for making any new rules to address the problem.

Ms. Kumar made these remarks while speaking at a discussion on reservation for women in Parliament and legislatures on Thursday.

Salman, Sanjay Dutt talk about their days in jail

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Mumbai, August 07: Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt have been the best of friends for many years now and they get along like a house on fire.

Sanjay has always been like a big brother to Salman. Naturally, one tends to be relaxed in the company of friends. So when Sanjay appeared on Salman’s show Dus Ka Dum with Jackie Shroff, it was inevitable that the bad boys would speak their mind.

France extends trainee visa period to one year

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Chennai, August 07: Under new French regulations, trainee visas will be issued for a period of one year instead of three months as before. These regulations would apply to both students and professional trainees sent by companies, said Joelle Rayet, French Consul-General in Puducherry, here on Friday.

Speaking at a meet organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Tamil Nadu State Council (FICCI TNSC), on the new French visa guidelines, Ms. Rayet said that the visas could be renewed in France if there was a need to do it.

No fears of food crisis: Kamal Nath

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New Delhi, August 07: Allaying apprehensions of a food crisis in view of poor monsoon, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath today said the country has enough foodgrain reserves to tackle even the worst monsoon situation.

“There is no panic. We have enough food stocks to counter even the worst monsoon scenario,” he said.

Schools can’t hike fees without govt consent: SC

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New Delhi, August 07: The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the government should regulate the fee structure of private schools and it should not be commercialised.

Schools cannot increase the fees without the permission of government and it has the right to stop commercialisation of education, the apex court said.

Pvt schools have no right to hike fees: SC

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New Delhi, August 07: In a major decision, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that private unaided schools do not have the right to hike fees charged from students.

Hearing a review petition filed by the Action Committee for Unaided Private Schools seeking reconsideration of a 2004 apex court verdict, in which the SC had upheld the Director Education’s authority to take a final decision in fee hikes being implemented by schools on the ground of implementing pay commission recommendations for teachers, the SC today said only the government can regulate private school fees.

Al-Sudais launches second expansion of London mosque

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London, August 07: Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, Imam and Khateeb of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, launched the second expansion of the East London Mosque in the presence of thousands of worshippers on Wednesday.

“I volunteer for the second extension of the East London Mosque,” said Al-Sudais while unveiling the plaque of the foundations for the second phase of the mosque which is located in Whitechapel, London.

After unveiling a plaque, the Imam of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, led the Maghreb prayer and gave a short speech to a congregation of over 5,000 people.

Nepal police arrest ‘mastermind’ of 2001 royal massacre

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Kathmandu, August 07: A 65-year-old man, who claimed to have plotted the 2001 royal massacre that left the then Nepalese King Birendra Shah and nine members of his family dead, has been arrested by police.

Tul Prasad Sherchan was arrested from a guest house at Sundhara in the Nepalese capital last night, Superintendent of Police, Nawaraj Silwal, said.

Sherchan, who called himself the former “chief of the Royal Bureau of Intelligence”, had claimed at a press conference on Wednesday that he was the mastermind behind the palace massacre.

Attack on Indian down under caught on camera

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Melbourne, August 07: Even as Australia has been denying that racial issues were behind the attacks on Indians, the daily assault on Indians speaks otherwise.

Headlines Today got exclusive access to the shocking pictures of a recent attack on an Indian taxi driver. The taxi camera image sequence shows two men wearing Hungry Jack’s bags on their heads attacking taxi driver in Melbourne’s inner-east.

Two attackers stepped out of a local fast-food joint and got into the taxi of 24-year-old Vadbhaj Singh on a lonely Melbourne street around 4 am on July 27.