Hemraj's wife files application against Talwars

New Delhi: The Talwars' domestic help Hemraj's wife Kumkala has filed an application in the Ghaziabad court alleging that the Talwars murdered her husband. It is a four-page application which will be taken up on April 27. She has also alleged that even days before the murder, the Talwars used to call up and threaten Hemraj. Kumkala's lawyer Naresh Yadav said, "My client has told me that Hemraj was killed by the Talwars. Fifteen days prior to the news of his death, Hemraj told the police that his life had been threatened by Rajesh Talwar." "As my client lives in Nepal it was difficult for her to come to India on short notice. This is why she...

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Gilani might accept PM's invite for Indo-Pak match

Islamabad: Pakistan is yet to decide on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's invitation to its leaders for the cricket World Cup semi-final in Mohali, though indications are that Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani may accept it.Pakistani officials have dismissed reports that Prime Minister Gilani has already accepted his Indian counterpart's invitation to watch the semi-final match between the cricket teams of the two countries, saying a decision would be made when the premier returns from a visit to Uzbekistan. But, official sources told, it was likely that Pakistan will accept the invitation though only Gilani is expected to go to Mohali to watch the historic...

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Hansika in Madhuri's shoes

The story of Tamil movie Mappillai seems to be a rework of Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit’s smash hit, Jamia Raja and also has resemblance to a Rajnikant blockbuster movie Hansika Motwani is really excited about the film as she gets to step into the shoes of Madhuri Dixit. Hansika, who is quite successful down south, is playing the character of Madhuri. The role of the wicked, rich mother played by Hema Malini in the Hindi film has gone to Manisha Koirala Actor Dhanush plays the role of mappillai, meaning jamai, in the movie. Hansika is as twice as pleased because not only is she getting a chance to play Mads but she is also working with Manisha...

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Australian time cheers Genelia

Genelia D’Souza has been shooting for a Telugu movie Orange in Australia for some time. And despite being a person who often travels due to work she is terribly missing her home. Interestingly, even as she still shoots Down Under the actress says she is feeling closer to home now after the Daylight Saving Time reduced the time gap between India and Australia to just 4 and half hours. The country times its clock to one hour advance as the winter sets in and hence the time gap reduces from five and half hours that it is during the summers. “So now I am 4 and half hours ahead of Indian time instead of 5 and half hours. Feel like I am already getting...

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Ravi Kishan wants 'Khaike paan' for Bhojpuri 'Don'

New Delhi: Film actor Ravi Kishan is trying his best to get permission to incorporate the song "Khaike paan Benaraswala" in the Bhojpuri remake of Amitabh Bachchan's superhit "Don" as he feels his film will be incomplete without it. "We are trying to get the permission to use 'Khaike paan Benaraswala' for our film. It is one of the most iconic songs and without it, the film will be incomplete," Ravi told IANS over phone from Mumbai. The Bhojpuri "Don" will be the second remake of the yesteryear thriller as filmmaker Farhan Akhtar had adapted the script into its modern Hindi avatar "Don - The Chase Begins" in 2006. Farhan's film featured superstar...

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After Rocket Singh flops, Shazahn eyeing south films

Shazahn Padamsee started off very promisingly with the film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the year opposite Ranbir Kapoor. But then filmmakers in Bollywood did not think too highly of her because the film had flopped and Shazahn was forced to look elsewhere. Thankfully for her offers came in from the south and she has signed on a film in Tamil called Kanimozhi. One of the most promising actors from the Tamil cinema called Jai wil be her hero in the film being directed by Goa director Venkat Prabh’s associate Sripathi. The film is being produced by T Siva. Let’s hope that the actress has a better start to her career in the south after her rocket...

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Wedding bells for Nagma

Nagma has announced that her marriage will take place this year and she will be declaring  the name of the groom shortly. She has been linked with lot of people including Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan and cricketer Sourav Ganguly. Nagma said these link-ups were completely baseless and it was not true. She has suddenly entered politics and then changed path to spirituality. Apart from Tamil, Nagma is a popular actress in Telugu, Hindi and Bhojpuri too.  So guys, who’s the groom when it’s clear that it’s not Ravi Kishan? ...

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Ravi Kishan goes completely nude

Well hold your breath, before we give you the news. For the first time he will be going completely nude for his film titled 'Man From Banaras' in which he plays an aghori. It is being produced by an American-based company Pun Films and directed by Sudhir Kadam. As reported the director said, “Aghoris are a cult and there is a myth that they posses supernatural powers. They are usually found in crematoriums and so we will be shooting our film in Banaras's crematoriums. Ravi Kishan is quite okay with the concept and had shed all his inhibitions. The film is basically a love story about a journalist, who comes from abroad to research on the aghoris,...

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Shruti-Siddharth back to bonding

Shruti Haasan and Siddharth Narayan; the hunk from the South who came to prominence after RDB; seem to be really bonding well these days. Despite the repeated denials by the couple on their togetherness, Siddharth is very concerned about his ‘friend’s’ bad back. She was overworked while shooting in Hyderabad and said that she felt like she had a broken back. Shruti will surely be impressed by Siddharth’s prompt concern. He asked via a social networking website, “How is the damaged back?” He also complimented her new picture. We wonder what was so special about it; but there must be something if Siddharth says so. Shruti also promptly thanked...

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Stone tools 'demand new American story'

The long-held theory of how humans first populated the Americas may have been well and truly broken. Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of stone tools that predate the technology widely assumed to have been carried by the first settlers. The discoveries in Texas are seen as compelling evidence that the so-called Clovis culture does not represent America's original immigrants. Details of the 15,500-year-old finds are reported in Science magazine. A number of digs across the Americas in recent decades had already hinted that the "Clovis first" model was in serious trouble. But the huge collection of well-dated tools excavated from a creek...

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Africa rhinos face 'worst poaching crisis for decades'

Rhino populations in Africa are facing the "worst poaching crisis for decades," say conservationists. Over the past three years, gangs are said to have killed more than 800 rhinos for their horns, which can fetch £22,000 per kilo on the black market. Experts fear the rise in poaching could undermine recent efforts to stabilise black and white rhino populations. They called for greater co-operation between conservationists and law enforcement agencies. "Although good biological management and anti-poaching efforts have led to modest population gains for both species of African rhino, we are still very concerned," said Richard Emslie, a scientific...

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Botanic gardens 'play role in invasive species spread'

Evidence suggests that botanic gardens play a part in the spread of invasive alien species, which have escaped from collections, a study has concluded. The paper's author says garden managers need to focus on assessing the risk of potentially invasive plants escaping. The findings will appear in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. A spokeswoman for botanic gardens said the majority of releases were historical, and that gardens were now aware of their responsibilities. "Over a number of years, I had been trying to find out why the main reasons why some plants become so well established in different parts of the world," said author...

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Pacific salmon run helps shape Canada's ecosystems

Pacific salmon plays an important role in providing nutrients to part of the world's largest old-growth temperate rainforest, a study has shown. The annual migration sees salmon return to western Canada to spawn, but many are caught by bears and wolves, which carry carcasses away from the streams. This allows nutrient-rich plants to thrive in these areas. Writing in Science, the team said a shift in salmon numbers would have "far-reaching impacts" on biodiversity. "Along the Pacific coast, all salmon die after spawning so carcasses can line rivers, but many of them are killed before by bears and wolves," explained co-author John Reynolds,...

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Drillers propose deep-Earth quest

This spring, scientists will try to retrieve the deepest types of rock ever extracted from beneath the seabed. The drilling project is taking place off Costa Rica, and will attempt to reach some 2km under the ocean floor. Writing in the journal Nature, the co-chief scientists say their ultimate goal is to return even deeper samples - from the mantle layer below the crust. Obtaining these rocks would provide a geological treasure trove "comparable to the Apollo lunar rocks" they write. One of the co-chiefs, Damon Teagle from the University of Southampton, UK, told BBC News: "There are some fundamental questions about the way that the Earth...

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Spammers sought after botnet takedown

The Rustock botnet, which sent up to 30 billion spam messages per day, might have been run by two or three people. Early analysis, following raids to knock out the spam network, suggest that it was the work of a small team. Rustock was made up of about one million hijacked PCs and employed a series of tricks to hide itself from scrutiny for years. Since the raids on the network's hardware, global spam levels have dropped and remain relatively low. Net gains "It does not look like there were more than a couple of people running it to me," said Alex Lanstein, a senior engineer at security firm FireEye, which helped with the investigation into...

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Spiders and crabs inspire robot locomotion

The walking patterns of crabs, lobsters and spiders are helping to inspire new ways of getting robots to move around. Closer study of the neural networks controlling the legs of invertebrates has revealed the rhythmic nerve impulses that govern gait. These have been adapted into modular control elements that can be transferred into robots to help mimic natural movement. European researchers have already put the control systems into a robot worm. Smart step The rhythmic impulses are known as central pattern generators (CPGs), and are among the best known of all neural circuits, according to Fernando Herrero, one of the Spanish researchers...

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MySpace loses millions of users in a few weeks

Latest statistics suggest attempts to kick new life into MySpace may be failing. Tech industry analysts comScore say figures show MySpace lost more than 10 million unique users worldwide between January and February. There were almost 63 million users of MySpace in February 2011, down from more than 73 million. Year on year the site has lost almost 50 million users, down from close to 110 million in February 2010. The loss of users comes despite a series of changes to the site to make it more about music. It was the social network site that helped launch the careers of artists like Arctic Monkeys, Kate Nash and Lily Allen. But so far this...

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Microsoft spends $7.5m on net addresses

Microsoft has offered to pay $7.5m (£4.7m) for net addresses from bankrupt telecoms firm Nortel. The 666,624 IP version 4 (IPv4) net addresses were put up for auction as part of the sell-off of Nortel's assets. Blocks of IPv4 are valuable because the pool of this generation of address is close to running dry. It was predicted that a market in IPv4 would appear among companies facing a costly migration to the newer IPv6. Details of the sale were contained in papers filed to a Delaware bankruptcy court and show that Microsoft's bid was the highest of the 80 firms asked if they wanted to make an offer for the IP addresses. The deal is yet to...

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Blackberry firm Research in Motion hurt by tablet cost

Shares in Research in Motion (RIM) fell 12% in after-hours trading after the firm said profits this quarter will be much weaker than expected. It blamed the cost of developing its new tablet-format Blackberry, as well as a migration of consumers towards cheaper handsets in its product range. The share price fall came despite the Canadian firm reporting $934m (£579m) net profits for the last quarter, in line with expectations. Profits were up 31% on a year earlier. 'Investments in the future' Revenues of $5.6bn - up 36% - were slightly short of expectations, according to the results released after the close of trading on the Nasdaq exchange. The...

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Eurozone sets bail-out terms as Portugal fears increase

European leaders have agreed a restructuring of a financial bail-out fund that they hope will resolve the bloc's debt crisis. Eurozone ministers bowed to German demands to renegotiate the time-frame for contributions to the massive fund. But the deal was overshadowed by concerns about Portugal and a growing row that the UK may be forced to contribute to a financial bail-out. Portugal says it does not need aid, but many analysts say Lisbon is in denial. The eurozone debt deal follows months of negotiations. "We decided a comprehensive package of economic measures... Today almost all the strands of this enterprise have come together," European...

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David Cameron wants Japan EU trade deal

The European Union (EU) should offer Japan a free trade deal to help it recover from the earthquake and tsunami two weeks ago, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said. "One of our priorities must be to invite Japan to enter into a free trade area with the EU," Mr Cameron said. This would give Japan a trade boost and aid its economic recovery, he said following an EU summit in Brussels. The Japanese government has estimated the rebuilding cost to be £192bn. Mr Cameron said he had "secured a specific reference" to his proposal in the conclusions of EU documents. The documents will be published later. Manageable costs Earlier, the International...

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Spain pledges additional measures to strengthen economy

The Spanish prime minister has announced that his government will adopt new economic measures in order to reassure markets that the country's deficit is under control. Speaking at a summit on the eurozone debt crisis Jose Rodriguez Zapatero said he would enact legislation that would limit government spending. He also pledged to crack down on tax evasion. Some analysts think Spain may require a bail-out from Europe and the IMF. Spain has already cut government spending and introduced pension and labour market reforms. However the economy is struggling with an unemployment rate of 20%. "Spain will adopt new measures to reinforce its response...

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US economic growth revised upwards for end for 2010

The US economy grew faster than first thought in the final months of 2010, according to the Commerce Department. Growth figures for the fourth quarter of 2010 have been revised upward to 3.1% from the 2.8% previously reported. The rise was put down to more companies re-stocking and buying more plant and equipment than was believed. Economists will welcome the news, although the economy is expected show slower growth in the first quarter of 2011, in part due to higher oil prices. For the final three months of 2010, consumer spending grew at an annual rate of 4%, the strongest quarter for four years. Residential construction was growing at...

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BP's deal with Russia's Rosneft 'could still go ahead'

The chairman of Russian energy giant Rosneft has said he wants to push ahead with its alliance with BP. Igor Sechin said he was "satisfied" with BP as a partner, despite a court ruling on Thursday throwing the alliance into question. "The court didn't block the deal. It extended the injunction until 7 April. We must await the verdict," he said. Shareholders in BP's existing Russian joint venture, TNK-BP, object to the tie-up with Rosneft. The shareholders, collectively known as Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR), say the proposed deal with Rosneft to exploit oil and gas reserves in the Arctic violates an existing agreement between BP and TNK-BP. On...

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Saab chief goes as losses mount

The chief executive of Saab is stepping down as the carmaker continues to struggle with weak sales and large losses. Saab suffered a 218m euros ($308m; £191m) loss last year, according to parent company Spyker Cars. Jan Ake Jonsson has worked for Saab for about 40 years. As chief executive during the last six years, he was instrumental in saving Saab from closure. "He's done an incredible job getting Saab back on track," Victor Muller, owner and chairman of Saab, told BBC World in an interview. Mr Jonsson said: "The last three years have of course been very demanding and forced me to focus on one thing only - my work. "Now it is time for...

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Sexual preference chemical found in mice

A chemical in the brain controls sexual preference in mice, according to scientists in China. Male mice bred without serotonin lose their preference for females, a report in Nature says. The researchers say it is the first time that a neurotransmitter has been shown to play a role in sexual preference in mammals. Experts have warned about the dangers of drawing conclusions about human sexuality. The research team first bred male mice whose brains were not receptive to serotonin. A series of experiments demonstrated that these mice had lost the preference for females shown by unmodified males. When presented with a choice of partners, they...

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'Genes for pre-eclampsia' discovered

Scientists say they have identified genetic errors that appear to increase a pregnant woman's chance of getting the potentially life-threatening condition called pre-eclampsia. Around four in every 100 women develops this problem of high blood pressure and leaky kidneys during pregnancy. Now researchers have found faulty DNA may be to blame in some cases, PLoS Medicine journal reports. The discovery could lead to new ways to spot and treat those at risk, they say. The US researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis analysed DNA from over 300 pregnant women. Sixty of these were otherwise healthy women who were...

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Full face transplant for US man

A 25-year-old man horrifically injured by an accident involving an electric power line has received a full face transplant in the US. It took a team of more than 30 doctors over 15 hours to give Dallas Wiens his new face. Surgeons who carried out the operation at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have hailed it a success. It follows nearly a year to the day after the world's first full face transplant in Spain. Mr Wiens, from Texas, was injured in November 2008 when his head touched a high voltage electrical wire. The burns erased all of his facial features. The surgery has replaced the nose, lips, skin and muscles as well as the nerves...

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Women risk cancer returning by stopping Tamoxifen early

Women who cut short their Tamoxifen treatment before the recommended full five years risk their breast cancer returning, experts warn. Up to half of women stop taking the drug prematurely but in doing so significantly reduce their survival odds, says Cancer Research UK. Data shows for every hundred women who complete the full course, six fewer will have a recurrence of their cancer. Tamoxifen is usually given to women with oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer. This means that their tumour's growth is fed by the female hormone, and tamoxifen can help by blocking oestrogen. But the treatment can cause unpleasant side effects like hot flushes...

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Early-warning diabetes test hope

Experts believe a simple blood test could spot diabetes up to 10 years before the first symptoms of the disease occur. By looking at levels of five amino acids in the blood US researchers were able to correctly identify people who went on to develop type 2 diabetes. Ultimately the Harvard team hope a test like this could be used to screen for type 2 diabetes, Nature Medicine says. Early detection can help prevent related complications like blindness. Risk prediction Dr Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "Early diagnosis and effective management of type 2 diabetes are crucial in reducing the risk of developing diabetes complications,...

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7 Germ Hot Spots in Your Home

7 Germ Hot Spots in Your Home Warning: This article might freak you out a little. After you read this, you will probably want to wash your hands (see #7 below for the proper way to do so). At the risk of causing a nationwide outbreak of spring cleaning in the middle of winter, Healthline picked the brains of a couple of experts to get the dirt on the dirtiest places in your home. What we found was a mix of duh (kitchen sink) and wow (just-washed laundry). The goal is to remind you (and ourselves) of what you already know: Germs are everywhere.  Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa are in your home right now. In optimal conditions, bacteria can divide every 20 minutes; that means (do the math) one single bacterium cell can multiply to 70 trillion in a single day. Germs can make you...

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5 Hidden Dangers in Your Home

Sometimes, the most dangerous things around us are the ones we can’t see. Here are five potentially harmful problems that threaten a healthy home and tips on how to protect against them. 1. Salmonella and E. coli These two forms of bacterial diseases can affect the intestinal tract in people (and animals), causing symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening dehydration. Humans are most often infected with salmonella after eating or handling raw foods — such as beef, poultry, eggs, fruits, and vegetables — that have been contaminated by feces. Salmonella contamination can occur during the butchering or harvesting process or if those preparing...

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