Prague 2013: Official Trailer

Local police nail Akhilesh’s lie on IAS officer Durga Shakti’s suspension

LUCKNOW: A day after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav justified the suspension of IAS Durga Shakti Nagpal saying her orders had triggered communal tension in Rabupura, the local police in Gautum Budh Nagar on Monday deflated the CM's contention by stating that there was no communal flare-up in the area.

Adding credibility to the police claims is the fact that the government had not received any field report regarding communal tension in GB Nagar on Saturday. Sources in the state home department said such serious action is initiated against an officer only on the basis of a field report which outlines the need for urgency in such actions.

Trashiest films you have to watch!

Ok so there have been many gems over Bollywood 100 year history. Some good, some great and some so bad they were actually good. So here's my list of stomach churning films that will leave you feeling grateful you still have a life after the ordeal of watching them. 

First up is an all time favourite, Kamaal R Khan's Desh Drohi. What Aamir Khan did for Gracie Singh's career in Lagaan, KRK single handedly ruined in one fell swoop. In fact at first glance Gracie is almost unrecognisable in her entry scene which includes

Starlet Poonam Pandey can go to any lengths to grab attention.

This time around the queen of controversy does it by wearing nothing but a teeny-weeny thong in her debut movie Nasha.

When Poonam Pandey decided to strip for the cricketing heroes way back in 2011, it was amply clear that the babe was desperate to break into the world of showbiz. Ever since that

Book Review: Consequences

Title: Consequences
Author: Nigel Fernandes
Publisher: Goa 1556
Pages: 214

Unchecked cases of drinking-and-driving is the theme of this maiden novel of an expat Indian writer who has expressed his sharp concern over the menace which claimed the life of his 20-month-old nephew.

Former Mumbai-based Nigel Fernandes, who had been in New Zealand and is now back in Goa, has just authored Consequences (Goa,1556/Rs.200), a 214-page thriller that deals with this deadly scourge that today afflicts many parts of India.

More people using search engines with 'zero tracking' feature

LONDON: The secret snooping program of the US government may have stirred doubts and fear amongst the internet users, but a search site with 'zero tracking' feature has basked in the popularity. 

According to the Guardian, search site 'DuckDuckGo' saw huge rise in traffic post the revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden. 

Within days of revelations, founder of the site, Gabriel Weinberg noticed that his site, which pledges not to track or store data about its users, was getting 50 percent more traffic than ever before and is going up with more revelations about NSA and GCHQ's internet tapping. 

Did 'absolutely right thing' in 2002, Narendra Modi says

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has said that he had done "absolutely right thing" in 2002 when the state was hit by riots and that an SIT set up by the Supreme Court had given him a "thoroughly clean chit".

In an interview to Reuters news agency at his official residence in Gandhinagar, the first since he was appointed the chief of BJP's election campaign committee in June, Modi was asked if it was frustrating when many people define him by 2002.

He responded by saying that he would feel guilty if he had done something wrong. "Everyone has their own view. Frustration comes when you think 'I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught.' That's not my case."

Indian scientists use neem protein to fight cancer

The medicinal power of the humble neem, widely used in India as an insecticide and germicide, is now being channelised by a group of Kolkata scientists to wage a war against cancer. 

The team of researchers at the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) here has shown (in its two successive papers) how a purified protein from neem leaves inhibits growth of tumour cells in mice. 

Instead of targeting the cancer cells directly, the protein - Neem Leaf Glycoprotein or NLGP - modulates the immune cells (cells that are responsible for providing immunity to the body against harmful agents) present within the tumour environment and also in the peripheral system like blood. 

Immune cells are normally hostile to cells that are dangerous to the body including cancer cells. However, in a unique role-reversal during tumour development, these crucial defence elements are enslaved by the cancerous cells to promote their growth and proliferation. Therefore, instead of destroying the lethal cells, the guard cells actually favour their growth. 

What makes NLGP special is that the extract modifies the milieu of cells surrounding the tumour (called tumour microenvironment or TME) and spurs these cells towards a normal state that is debilitating for toxic cells like cancer cells.

According to probe report:Pakistan's obsession with India led to successful Osama raid

ISLAMABAD: US Navy SEALs were able to sneak into Pakistan covertly to kill Osama bin Laden because of advanced American stealth technology and the Pakistani military's obsession with India.
The leaked report of the Abbottabad Commission said India remained the focus of Pakistan's military "despite a growing American threat including actual border raids, drone strikes, special operations, the spread of a hostile spy network" among others.

"Given the negative developments in US-Pakistan relations in recent years, there was no basis to limit defence planning to only one front in the east (with India), while ignoring the border and airspace in the West," it said.

It noted that apart from tensions with the US, there were also differences with Afghanistan and a developing strategic relationship between Afghanistan and India on one hand and between India and the US on the other.

Iranian Scientist Claims To Have Invented A Time Machine

With the headline “Iranian Scientist Claims to Have Invented ‘Time Machine’,” and a picture of the Delorean from “Back to the Future,” The Telegraph stirred up some controversy earlier this week.

According to the UK paper, there´s been yet another scientist who claims to have invented a Time Machine which does not operate in any way like most think a Time Machine should.

This latest invention, created by Ali Razeghi, doesn´t deliver a human to the past or even displace time in any way at all. Instead, this machine which Razeghi claims can be assembled with only $400 worth of parts, prints off predictions about a persons life several years in the future.

The article has been turned upside down by HuffPost, which has found some oddities in Razeghi’s story.

UK restaurant owner to customers: if you are allergic to black people, don’t come

LONDON: A note on the door of a local restaurant in UK has gone viral across the world.

Tired of customers turning away because of her colour, cafe owner and mother of three, Martha-Renee Kolleh in Leeds has put up a sign on her front door informing customers that she is a black woman, telling them "if you are allergic to Black people, don't come in".

The sign reads "Attention. Everyone be aware, I am a black woman, and always will be. If you are allergic to black people, don't come in."

"But I you prefer quality wholesome meals in a clean environment, come in. I don't bite," the note added.

Ind vs SL: Bhuvneshwar guides India to tri-series final

Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar wreaked havoc with a brilliant opening spell as he powered India into the final of the Celkon Mobile Cup Tri Series tournament with a commanding 81-run victory over Sri Lanka via Duckworth Lewis method in another rain-affected match.

The 22-year-old Kumar had career-best figures of 4 for 8 runs in six overs as Sri Lanka were bundled out for a paltry 96 in 24.4 overs in pursuit of 178 in stipulated 26 overs as Virat Kohli, in his maiden stint as captain, guided the 'Men In Blue' into the title round. India will again meet Sri Lanka in the final at the same venue on Thursday.

India thus topped the table with 10 points including bonus points from the last two encounters having lost the first two matches and also eliminated hosts West Indies in the process.

Probe ordered after CCTV footage of couples petting in Delhi Metro lands on porn sites

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation ordered an internal inquiry and lodged a complaint with cyber cell of city police into reports that CCTV footage of couples getting intimate at metro stations found their way to porn sites.
DMRC executive director of corporate communications Anuj Dayal said the management has taken serious cognisance of the reported leakage of the CCTV footage and was taking necessary measures.
"DMRC is conducting a thorough internal inquiry into the reports of circulation of objectionable video clips. The Delhi Metro management has already reported the issue to the Cyber Crime cell of the police," Dayal said.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which looks after the security of commuters in metro stations, said their personnel do not have any access to the CCTV footage in metro stations.
CISF personnel do not operate from control rooms in metro stations and could not have accessed video footage or circulated them, said CISF officials.
More than 250 clips of couples getting intimate in near-empty trains have been reportedly uploaded on a number of adult sites.
"The reported leak of CCTV footage of couples making out in near-empty trains has raised a very serious issue of privacy," said metro commuter who wished not to be named.

High achievers more prone to romantic jealousy on Facebook

People who are high-achieving in academics are more likely to experience feelings of romantic jealousy on Facebook, according to a new study. 

US researchers conducted several studies of undergraduate students and found that the higher a student's grade point average (GPA), the greater their levels of 'Facebook jealousy'were. Participants were asked to envision several hypothetical scenarios, such as discovering a message in their partner's Facebook inbox from a person of the opposite sex that reads "What are you up to later?" 

IIFA AWARDS 2013 MACAO

Each year, the Videocon DDB IIFA Weekend & Awards enchant the world from an exotic locale. The culture, the colours, the locals, the flavours, all become an inseparable part of the magic of IIFA, giving each Videocon DDB IIFA Weekend & Awards its own unique experience. Over a period of 4 days, IIFA organises press conferences, parties, film premieres, film festivals, business forums, celebrity special events and the glamorous IIFA Awards Ceremony marked by out-of-the-world performances, pomp and pageantry and fans from all over the world.

IIFA 2013 Host: The Venetian Macao

Macao’s first integrated resort, The Venetian Macao, opened in 2007 with a distinctive interior that resembles the beautiful city of Venice, Italy.
The Venetian Macao features 3,000 luxurious hotel rooms, with a variety of room types to accommodate every guest’s preferences. Choice of rooms ranges from a family Suite – Macao’s first children’s themed room – that’s ideal for family fun, to a Paiza suite for VIP guests that comes complete with prestigious facilities for the distinguished guest. Each room offers over 70m² of spacious comfort and refined luxury.

Massive win against West indies

Far and away and across time zones India routed the West Indies by 102 runs to clinch what was a must-win match for them in a tri-series with not many takers.

After two straight losses to begin their campaign, normalcy was restored with a favourable result in Duckworth-Lewis affected match.

But it was difficult to focus on Virat Kohli’s bossy century and the terrific seam bowling that gained India a crucial bonus point on Friday.

For while Kohli was smashing an 83-ball 102 at the Queen’s Park Oval, almost as far away at the shrine of another sport with deep colonial roots, Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro were co-producing an exhilarating, sapping, five-hour Wimbledon semifinal, begging for attention with extraordinary athleticism and impossible shot making.

Human head transplant is possible: Italian neurosurgeon

Human head transplants could now be possible using currently available medical techniques, according to an Italian neurosurgeon who thinks he has worked out how it could be done. In a project proposal published by the medical journal Surgical Neurology International , Dr Sergio Canavero outlines his method for the " Head Anastomosis Venture" — or HEAVEN.


The procedure would involve severing the heads of two human patients simultaneously using an "ultra-sharp blade" , cooling and flushing out the "recipient" head before attaching its new body with an advanced polymer "glue" . Dr Canavero suggests that the realigning of head and body could also be achieved using "electrofusion" , in an approach not entirely unlike that of Mary Shelley's Dr Frankenstein.

But the Italian, who works for the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group and has previously published research on whole-eye transplants , says that his project is no fiction, and bases it on a similar experiment on Rhesus monkeys in the 1970s in which the patient survived for eight days.

A few years after this first test 40 years ago, its protagonist Dr Robert White noted that: "What has been accomplished in the animal model — prolonged hypothermic preservation and cephalic transplantation, is fully accomplishable in the human sphere."

In laying out what he says is "the groundwork for the first successful human head transplant" , Dr Canavero admits that his polymer gel reattachment method (known as GEMINI) would not be perfect . But he notes that: "as little as 10% of descending spinal tracts are sufficient for some voluntary control of locomotion in man."

He says that full and open research on the topic could bear fruit in just two years, and that the first patient should be someone young, with a fully-functioning brain, but suffering from "progressive muscular dystrophies or even several genetic and metabolic disorders".

Uttarakhand disaster: Even relief has signs of Sonia, Rahul

Some Uttarakhand Congressmen are using relief supplies sent by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to launch a Congress publicity campaign.

Hundreds of food packets and relief supplies have Congress posters stuck on them. They bear photos of the two party leaders and a message that these have been sent by them.

A senior state Congress leader said the Congress president had sent about 110 truckloads of relief supplies. There were no instructions to use the sad occasion to for publicity. "I'm deeply shocked to see food packets and relief supplies carrying Congress posters and banners," an Uttarakhand Congress Committee member said.

Congress state leader Yashpal Aryra said he wasn't aware of these posters. "If it's being done, it's shameful. This isn't time to play politics but to help survivors."

CBI files chargesheet, says Ishrat Jahan encounter was 'fake'

The CBI has filed its first chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan 'fake encounter' case on Wednesday in Gujarat high court. Ishrat Jahan and three others were killed by Gujarat police nine years ago. 
In its chargesheet, the agency accused cops DG Vanzara, Tarun Barot, JR Parmar, NK Amin accused of murder, conspiracy and destruction of evidence.
The CBI also said that Ishrat Jahan was not a terrorist, but the three others killed along with her in a fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad nine years ago had alleged terror links, the CBI has concluded in its chargesheet filed before the court. 

The CBI has said the three — Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Shaikh, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar — were allegedly planning attacks in Ahmedabad. It added Pranesh was using Ishrat, a Mumbai college student, as a shield to escape detection. The four were killed in cold blood 

"The three men were in touch with a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taibahandler, Muzammil. The three were identified as terror suspects by the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau during telephone interceptions. They were planning to unleash terror attacks in Ahmedabad, but Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was not their target," said a CBI official. 

The Gujarat police crime branch had claimed the four had come to the state as part of the LeT's plan to kill Modi. 

CBI investigations have revealed that Ishrat and Pranesh were on their second visit to Gujarat when they were caught at Vasad in Vadodara. 

The CBI chargesheet includes statements of nine police officers, who were part of the staged encounter. The statements, recorded under section 164 of CrPC in a Mumbai court, prove sequence of events in the case. 

A crime branch official has revealed in his statement that weapons planted on the four — an AK 47 and two 9 mm pistols — after the encounter were sourced from the IB office in Gujarat. 

CBI also has evidence to prove the involvement of IB joint director Rajinder Kumar in this case. A crime branch official has revealed that Kumar, along with Gujarat IPS officers DG Vanzara and PP Pandey, came to Arham Farm outside the city to question Rana. 

At Kotarpur waterworks, where the encounter was staged, crime branch officers had fought with each other when a police inspector and a commando refused to fire at the four. Two of their colleagues then snatched their weapons and fired at them.

Top 10 distractions at work

You don't need a lengthy break or something catastrophic to occur in order to distract you from completing a given task at work. According to American researchers, even a few seconds of momentary interruption can practically ruin one's ability to complete a task. Interruptions can come in various like various forms, such as receiving a text message or the fact that a colleague just walked through the door and interrupted an important conversation. Such distractions can prove to be quite disastrous for professionals such as airplane mechanics and emergency room doctors, said researcher Erik Altmann who led the study.