Latest News |
- Budget hike won’t help education sector: Sibal
- Fighting engulfs Libya as Gaddafi offers bounty for opposition leader
- Banana peel an excellent water purifier
- Can’t press the panic button, says Afridi
- Victoria is doing great: David Beckham
- CBI to question Kanimozhi before March 31
- Universal blood could make blood grouping redundant
- Passive smoking ups risk of still births by 23 percent
- ’3 Idiots’ coming to US on DVD April 26
- Supreme Court reduces former Kerala official’s sentence
| Budget hike won’t help education sector: Sibal Posted: 10 Mar 2011 03:28 AM PST
“A 24 percent budget hike will not help the education sector. It is not just money allocation that we need, the country needs a change in mindsets involved in teaching, the quality of education and the education provider,” Sibal said at the inauguration of the three-day Emerging Directions in Global Education (EDGE) conference in the capital. “To change the dimensions of higher education in the country, we need a whole new crop of teachers who are responsible and willing to teach from their hearts,” the minister added. The annual EDGE conference brings together the heads of higher education institutions from all over the country, including vice chancellors, directors and educationists, to interact on policy making in the higher education sector. “While focusing on higher education, we also need to think of the diluting quality because of mushrooming institutes. The ministry has often done checks in such private institutions where the entire faculty is hired for a very short period to lure students,” Sibal said, referring to the money minting business in the education business. According to statistics by Ernst and Young, nearly 40 million students are expected to opt for higher education by the year 2020, compared to the current 17 million. |
| Fighting engulfs Libya as Gaddafi offers bounty for opposition leader Posted: 10 Mar 2011 03:27 AM PST
Some of the fiercest fighting was taking place in the strategic oil city of Az-Zawiyah, 50 km west of the capital Tripoli, Al Jazeera reported Thursday. “The rebels control the centre of Zawiyah and Gaddafi’s forces are surrounding it. It’s 50-50,” a resident, who fled the city, said. “There was no one in the streets, the town is completely deserted, and there are snipers on the roofs,” he said, adding that he did not know which side they were on. Gaddafi’s forces say they have taken back the city from the hands of rebels, a claim denied by the protesters who are against Gaddafi. Libya has been witnessing massive anti-government protests since Feb 14. The protesters are demanding the ouster of Gaddafi who has ruled the north African country for almost 42 years. According to an estimate, over 6,000 people have been killed in the clashes. Meanwhile, Gaddafi has announced a bounty of more than $400,000 for capturing the country’s top opposition leader, RIA Novosti reported citing a Libyan TV channel. The Libyan strongman offered a half million dinar (about $410,000) for the capture of former justice minister Mustafa Abdul-Jalil. The bounty would be paid “to whoever captures and hands over” the “agent spy” Abdul-Jalil, and “200,000 Libyan dinars ($164,300) to whoever offers information leading to his actual arrest”, the report said. According to Al Jazeera, any independent confirmation of the claims and counter-claims, however, is difficult since journalists are unable to reach Zawiyah. Locals said the city had been under sustained attack from pro-Gaddafi forces, aided by tanks and war planes. There are also reports of fighting taking place in the eastern port city of Ras Lanuf, where an oil installation went up in flames. “Pro-Gaddafi forces unleashed a savage counter-offensive against the town of Ras Lanuf,” the channel said. International pressure is mounting upon Gaddafi to step down. Germany has frozen accounts belonging to Libya’s central bank and sovereign wealth fund, DPA learned Thursday. The move, disclosed by Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle, affected 193 accounts at 14 German banks, including the German central bank, according to government sources. Accounts affected by the freeze included those belonging to the Libyan Foreign Bank, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority, which holds around $70 billion worth of state money, and the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio. According to AKI, anti-government protesters are in contact with the Italian government, a spokesman for the rebels said. “We’ve had telephone contact since yesterday (Tuesday) with Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini,” a spokesman for the opposition National Council, Abel Hafiz Al Ghogha, told journalists Wednesday in Benghazi – Libya’s second largest city. However, he did not disclose the content of their discussions. The battle for the ouster of Gaddafi has intensified as rebels have increased pressure on the international community to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent airstrikes by pro-Gaddafi forces. While several world powers have backed such a measure, the modalities are yet to be worked out with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying such a move should be driven by the UN and not the US. NATO and European Union are beginning fresh talks on a no-fly zone Thursday. Gaddafi has launched his own diplomatic effort, sending emissaries to Brussels and Cairo. |
| Banana peel an excellent water purifier Posted: 10 Mar 2011 03:23 AM PST
Researchers say minced banana peel performs better than an array of other purification materials, the journal Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research reports. Gustavo Castro and colleagues from Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu in Brazil noted that mining processes, runoff from farms, and industrial wastes can put heavy metals, like lead and copper, into waterways. Heavy metals can have adverse health and environmental effects. The current methods of removing them from water are expensive, and some substances used in the process are toxic themselves, according to a Instituto de Biociências statement. A previous work has shown that some plant wastes like coconut fibers and peanut shells can remove these potential toxins from water. The researchers found that minced banana peel could quickly remove lead and copper from river water as well as, or better than, many other materials. They also found that the purification apparatus made of banana peels can be used up to 11 times without losing its metal-binding properties. Banana peels are very attractive water purifiers because of their low cost and as they don’t have to be chemically modified to work, the researchers said. |
| Can’t press the panic button, says Afridi Posted: 10 Mar 2011 03:19 AM PST
Pakistan made a good start in the tournament but fumbled on their way to a 46-run win over Canada last week and then crashed to a huge defeat against New Zealand. A win against Zimbabwe will assure them of a berth in the last eight. “We are worried because the team hasn’t played well in the last two matches. But I believe that now it is the time to show what we are capable of,” said Afridi here Thursday. “It is true that we played poorly against New Zealand but what has happened has happened. It might backfire if I start scolding the players. I believe the right thing to do is to talk to the players and give them confidence and that’s what I plan to do,” stressed the leg-spinner, who is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 15 scalps. Afridi, 31, plans to use the gap to rally his team in a bid to ensure that they win convincingly against the African side ahead of their last Group A game against Australia March 19 in Colombo. “We can’t panic,” he said. “We have five days to regroup and we have to make it sure that we make good use of this break.” Afridi said that Pakistan need a forceful showing against Zimbabwe to regain their confidence. “The thing is that when the team is winning, everything seems fine. But a few bad results can change all that. We have to assure that the boys don’t lose focus and to do that we have to win our next match in a convincing manner.” Commenting on the defeat against New Zealand, Afridi admitted that Kamran Akmal’s poor wicket-keeping cost Pakistan the match. “He (Kamran) dropped Ross Taylor twice when he had just arrived at the crease and those mistakes proved to be too costly for us.” But the seasoned all-rounder was quick to add that Kamran was not the only one responsible for the loss. “Our bowlers performed poorly in the last ten overs. There was some reverse swing but Shoaib and Razzaq bowled too many full tosses to allow New Zealand to take the game away from us.” He also lamented the fact that openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad are going through a lean patch. “The lack of form shown by the openers is worrying us now and we have to find a way to fix this problem.” Afridi didn’t rule out the option of bringing in Asad Shafiq as an opener in the match against Zimbabwe. “It is certainly an option for us,” he said. |
| Victoria is doing great: David Beckham Posted: 10 Mar 2011 03:15 AM PST
The couple have three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight, and six-year-old Cruz. “She’s great, she’s very healthy. She’s feeling good. She’s in London, at the moment working. We’re very excited. It’s an exciting time for the family,” contactmusic.com quoted him as saying. While Victoria insists she doesn’t know the sex of her unborn baby, it has been claimed she is expecting a much longed-for daughter and good friend Eva Longoria is planning a pink-themed baby shower at exclusive Los Angeles haunt, the Chateau Marmont Hotel. |
| CBI to question Kanimozhi before March 31 Posted: 10 Mar 2011 03:07 AM PST
“Her questioning is imminent. Kanimozhi will be questioned before March 31,” a top Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official told IANS. The CBI sources said Kanimozhi would be summoned for questions related to the flow of over Rs.200 crore from Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa’s DB Realty firm to Kalaignar TV, a regional Tamil channel in which Karunanidhi’s family members allegedly have a majority stake. Kanimozhi alone is said to have 20 percent stake in the TV channel. Balwa is one of the accused in the scam and his Swan Telecom was allegedly favoured by former communications minister and DMK MP A. Raja in the allocation of second generation (2G) spectrum licences. CBI is probing if there was any quid pro quo under which Balwa transferred funds to the TV channel and in return got 2G spectrum licences at throwaway prices. Balwa is already in jail along with Raja. CBI has been asked by the Supreme Court to file charges in the case by March 31 and the sources said Kanimozhi’s examination is important for finalising the chargesheet. The sources said Sharat Kumar, managing director of Kalaignar TV, would also be questioned in the next couple of days as he has already been summoned by the CBI March 8. Kumar has denied the flow of funds from Balwa’s company. The sources, however, ruled out the questioning of Karunanidhi’s second wife Dayalu Ammal as she is believed to be a “sleeping partner” in the channel and “won’t fetch any information”. |
| Universal blood could make blood grouping redundant Posted: 09 Mar 2011 11:05 PM PST
Maryam Tabrizian and colleagues from McGill University in Canada note that blood transfusions require a correct match between a donor and the recipient’s blood. This can be a tricky proposition given that there are 29 different red blood cell types, including the familiar ABO and Rh types, reports the journal Biomacromolecules. The wrong blood type can provoke serious immune reactions that result in organ failure or death, so scientists have long sought a way to create an all-purpose red blood cell for transfusions that doesn’t rely on costly blood typing, according to a McGill release. To develop this “universal” red blood cell, the scientists discovered a way to encase living, individual red blood cells within a multilayered polymer shell. The shell serves as a cloaking device, they found, making the cell invisible to a person’s immune system and able to evade detection and rejection. Oxygen can still penetrate the polymer shell, however, so the red blood cells can carry on their main business of supplying oxygen to the body. “The results of this study mark an important step toward the production of universal RBCs,” the study states. |
| Passive smoking ups risk of still births by 23 percent Posted: 09 Mar 2011 11:02 PM PST
It reiterated that pregnant women exposed to second-hand smoke are at a higher risk of delivering stillborn babies or babies with defects, says a new study. The findings underline the importance of discouraging expectant fathers from smoking around their pregnant partners, the journal Paediatrics reports. “Mothers’ smoking during pregnancy is well-recognised as carrying a range of serious health risks for the unborn baby, including foetal mortality, low birth weight, premature birth.” a statement quoted Jo Leonardi-Bee at the Tobacco Control Studies, Nottingham University, as saying. The findings were drawn from a systematic review of 19 studies carried out in North America, South America, Asia and Europe and centred on pregnant women who did not smoke themselves but were exposed to second-hand smoke in the home by their partners or in the workplace by colleagues. |
| ’3 Idiots’ coming to US on DVD April 26 Posted: 09 Mar 2011 11:00 PM PST
The DVD of the film starring award winning actors Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Sharman Joshi has some new, exclusive bonus features: Idiots in Ladakh, Aal Izz Well, 100 percent Idiots and Making of Miss Idiot. The refreshing comedy about a rebellious prankster with a crafty mind and a heart of gold name covers the exploits of “Rancho” at India’s most prestigious university. Rancho’s outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down-along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for “Virus,” the school’s uptight and heartless dean. But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean’s sexy daughter, Virus sets his sights on flunking out the “3 idiots” once and for all. “3 Idiots” won six FilmFare Awards in India including Best Picture and Best Director. It also swept the International Indian Film Academy Awards with an impressive 16 wins. With a total run time of 164 minutes the DVD in English/Hindi would be available with subtitles in English, Spanish and French. The DVD will be available starting April 26 on Amazon.com, Target, Transworld (FYE) and other stores. |
| Supreme Court reduces former Kerala official’s sentence Posted: 09 Mar 2011 10:57 PM PST
An apex court bench of Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice B.S. Chauhan maintained the conviction of Nair, a former chairman of the Kerala State Electricity Board who was earlier found guilty by a special court. But the apex court bench said given the fact and circumstances of the case, Nair’s sentence is reduced to that already undergone. Nair, who was convicted along with former Kerala power minister Balakrishnan Pillai, is now past 80 and lies in a partially unconscious state in his home. The case dates back to 1985 when reports came out that the Idamalayar tunnel had developed cracks. In 1988, a judicial report suggested that there were lapses in the project and the Left government ordered a police Crime Branch probe. In 1999, a special court charged Pillai and others and sentenced them to a five-year jail term. Pillai and the others appealed to the Kerala High Court, which in 2004 exonerated them. Following this, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan petitioned the apex court in his personal capacity and fought the case. A police official visited Nair to execute the arrest warrant last month. But Nair’s wife had moved the court saying he was old and suffering from alzheimer’s disease, so he should not be sent to jail. |
The 24 percent hike in the outlay for education announced in the union budget will not help the sector because what is needed is a change in mindset, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said Thursday.
The humble banana has uses beyond the realm of beauty remedies. Its peels can be used as an excellent water purifier, decontaminating drinking water of toxic metals.
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is a worried man after the 110-run loss to New Zealand and is using the five-day gap to regroup the side ahead of their World Cup Group A clash here Monday against Zimbabwe.
Soccer ace David Beckham says his pregnant wife Victoria is doing “great” and the entire family is “very excited”.
Kanimozhi – a DMK MP and daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi – will be questioned by the CBI before March 31 in connection with the 2G spectrum scam, well informed sources said Thursday.
Scientists are developing a universal blood product that would do away with the necessity of matching blood groups before transfusion.
Passive smoking increases the risk of still birth by 23 percent and was linked to a 13 percent increased risk of congenital birth defects, a new study says.
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