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Maruti Suzuki 'Ertiga' launched

Maruti suzuki ertiga: Maruti Suzuki launched its brand new utility vehicle ‘Ertiga' in the city on Thursday. Priced between Rs.6.16 lakh and Rs.8.76 lakh, Ertiga comes in seven colours and has three variants each in petrol and diesel segments. “The car has been designed for Indian conditions and is aimed at catering to the urban Indian families. It offers more flexibility and space than a sedan without being bulky and expensive like an SUV,” Managing Executive Officer - Engineering, Maruti Suzuki, I.V.Rao said during the inauguration ceremony. “With a fuel efficiency of about 16 kmpl in petrol variants and 20.77 kmpl in diesel variants, Ertiga offers about 40 per cent more mileage than other vehicles. With lighter weight and a reasonably powerful engine, it also offers the best power to weight ratio,” he said. Addressing the concerns of longer waiting time for Maruti cars, Mr. Rao said that the diesel engine production facilities are being ramped up to meet the demands and the waiting period will soon be eliminated.

Lok Satta to Contest Upcoming Bypolls in AP

The Lok Satta Party has decided to contest in the upcoming bypolls in the 18 assembly constituencies of AP. Lok Satta will contest for four seats - Ongole, Tirupati, Anantapur and Rayadurg, among the 18 constituencies. Lok Satta Party President Jayaprakash Narayan and Working President D V V S Varma made this announcement at a media conference today after the conclusion of two-day meeting of party's State Working Committee. The party has named Allu Ramesh Reddy as its candidate from Ongole and Bommisetty Venkata Ramana from Anantapur and two other names are yet to be announced. Apart from AP bylections, Lok Satta party has also decided to field Ashwin Mahesh in election to Karnataka Legislative Council from Bengaluru graduates' constituency and Surendra Srivastava in poll to Maharashtra Legislative Council from Mumbai graduates' seat. The party is also working in the direction to form an alternative to the Congress and Telugu Desam parties in the state with the help of Left Parties, said Lok Satta chief Jayaprakash Narayan.  

Shah Rukh Khan Detained at New York Airport

Shah rukh khan detained US: Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, who arrived in the US to visit the Yale University, was detained for over two hours at a New York airport. Khan was to address the students at the Yale University, which is three hours from New York. The Bollywood actor was reportedly miffed and said that he was "detained" at the airport "as always happens".   Khan, who has been named a Chubb Fellow, was understood to have arrived in a private plane at the New York's White Plain airport. while everybody else were cleared by the immigration immediately, Khan was stopped for over two hours before being cleared by the immigration official. "Khan was very very upset at the episode. Yale University officials had to contact the Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration and Customs Department at Washington, when they come to know about his detention," sources said. In 2009 also, he was stopped at the Newark airport and was released after two-hour of grilling.  

IPL 5 2012: Chennai Super Kings Wins a Thriller

Chennai Super Kings clinched a thriller to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in a last-ball finish in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Thursday.Royal Challengers, who set Chennai Super Kings a stiff target of 206, were patchy with the ball and went down by five wickets in a thrilling encounter. Despite their below-par show with the ball, RCB were still the fancied side to win the contest with two overs to go and Chennai needing 43 to win. Morkel, however, had other ideas. The left-hander came to the middle and smashed 28 runs – the sequence read 4, 6, 4, 6, 2, 6 -- off the penultimate over from Virat Kohli to take the hosts within sniffing distance of the target.   With Morkel losing his wicket in the second ball of the final over off R Vinay Kumar, the balance appeared to have shifted towards RCB. But Dwyane Bravo (25 n.o., 15b, 2x4, 1x6) scored 12 runs of next three balls with the help of a four (plus no ball), a six and a single. Jadeja took strike for the first time in the match with two needed off the final delivery. The left-hander, who was bought for a massive $2 million by in the auction, edged the ball down to an unguarded third man to set the stadium alight. Opting to bat first, Royal Challengers were off to a great start with the 53-run stand between Aggarwal and Gayle. Gayle, who remained a spectator when Aggarwal was batting, turned on the heat in the ninth over hitting Raina for three sixes as 21 runs came off from the off-spinner’s first over. Gayle struck six sixes and two fours in his 35-ball knock. Gayle and Kohli then joined forces for their 109-run stand in 66 balls for the second wicket that took Royals Challengers to commanding position. The visitors lost five wickets in last seven balls. Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger, who finished with three for 24, got three wickets and effected a run out in the last over but Vinay Kumar hit a six off the last ball to take Royal Challengers past the 200-run mark.

Balakrishna Meets CM Kiran Kumar Reddy

Senior actor and Telugu Desam Party leader Nandamuri Balakrishna’s meeting with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday morning raised many eyebrows. Balakrishna made a surprise appearance at the camp office of the Chief Minister at Begumpet and spent about 15-20 minutes with Kiran. Though it is not immediately known for what purpose Balakrishna had met the Chief Minister, sources said  Balaiah might have invited the Chief Minister to the Basavarama Tarakam Memorial Cancer Hospital function. He also reportedly informed the chief minister about the fund raising he had done in the Middle East and Europe for the cancer research foundation. There is also a talk that Balakrishna had informed Kiran about his daughter Brahmani’s intention to withdraw from the Emaar township project, in which she had two plots.

Maoists release Italian Hostage

Italian national Paolo Boscusco is believed to have been released by the Naxals in Odisha, according to sources. A formal announcement is awaited. Paolo Boscusco had been held hostage by the Odisha unit of the Naxals for the last 29 days.   His release came a day after Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda in his audio message had said that he would free the abducted if the government honoured its agreement signed with the negotiators. In the audio tape released by the Naxal leader, he claimed that the Italian tourist himself wanted the government to release one tribal woman before he is freed. The government has agreed to free 27 jailed cadres.Panda had said that if the government obeys their pact, then the Italian hostage would soon be released. This came after his wife Subhashree Panda was acquitted. Subhashree Panda was arrested and jailed in 2010 in connection with an encounter case. Two Italian nationals Paolo Boscusco and Claudia Colangelo were taken hostage by the Naxals on March 14 from Surada Police Station area which comes under the Ganjam District bordering Kandhamal.The 61-year-old Colangelo, who was not keeping well, was released on March 25 and was handed over to a group of three journalists near Kandhamal.However, there was no word yet on BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka who has been held hostage by another faction of the Naxals in Odisha

Pollard Shines in Mumbai's win Over Rajasthan

Pollard smashed 64 off 33 before taking a four-wicket haul as Mumbai Indiansto beat Rajasthan Royals by 27 runs in an Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium here Wednesday. Pollard smashed four sixes and six fours and also put on a whirlwind partnership of 96 runs off just 52 balls with Ambati Rayudu (47) to power hosts to a season-high 197 for six in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium. Chasing a daunting 198 to win, Rajasthan put up a spirited fight but lacked firepower to cross the finish line. Owais Shah struck a brilliant 76 off just 42 balls with five fours and as many sixes and Ajinkya Rahane contributed 40 runs under pressure but that only helped Rajsthan muster 170 in 19.4 overs. The victory, their third in four ties and the first at home this season, enabled MI log on six points and go two points clear of the rest of the field.

Earthquakes Shakes Mexico

Earthquake Mexico 2012: A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon on Wednesday and was followed a minute later by a smaller quake off the coast of central California, the US Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quakes were unlikely to trigger a tsunami. A few minutes later, a second much stronger quake, registering 6.5, was felt near Michoacán, Mexico. The Oregon quake was initially reported as a magnitude 6.2 and the California one as a 5.3. Both were later downgraded. The earthquake that hit western Mexico shook buildings as far away as the capital and sent people rushing out of offices onto the streets, though there were no reports of major damage.  

Flying Saucer Scare in Hyderabad

People of Hyderabad were scared to sight a flying saucer like unidentified object in the sky for hours together. Rumours spread out that some extraterrestrial aliens are eying Hyderabad and they are moving in the flying saucer. However, the weather department scientists have issued a statement that the flying saucer like object in fact is a balloon floated by them is meant for some scientific research experiments. It is not the alien's flying saucer as rumoured. They asked the people not to believe any rumours about the extraterrestrial aliens.          

IPL 5: Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals Match Today

IPL 5 cricket matches - Mumbai Indians will take on Rajasthan Royals today, Wednesday 11 April 2012 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai at 20.00 hrs. IST. After recording a thrilling win over Deccan Chargers on Monday, Mumbai Indians are back in Mumbai. They take on Rajasthan Royals, a side that has looked a cut above the rest. The two teams have had contrasting starts. Today's match is an away game for Ajinkya Rahane and Ankeet Chavan who play for Mumbai all season. Chavan did acknowledge the irony of it. But it’s not just state teammates Rohit Sharma and Rahane/Chavan who’re on the opposite side of the fence. West Indians Kevon Cooper (for Rajasthan) and Kieron Pollard (for Mumbai), too, will be involved in a battle of wits. Sachin Tendulkar is unlikely to play, though a call will be taken before the game. The announced teams are as follows: Mumbai Indians :  Harbhajan Singh(Captain), SR Tendulkar, AN Ahmed, Amitoze Singh, AC Blizzard, YS Chahal, JEC Franklin, HH Gibbs, DJ Jacobs, MG Johnson, KD Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, DS Kulkarni, RE Levi, CJ McKay, SL Malinga, SH Marathe, SS Nayak, PP Ojha, MM Patel, NLTC Perera, RJ Peterson, KA Pollard, AT Rayudu, JN Shah, RG Sharma, R Shukla, RP Singh, TL Suman, P Suyal, AP Tare, AV Wankhade, SA Yadav Rajasthan Royals : R Dravid(Captain), STR Binny, J Botha, DL Chahar, LD Chandimal, AA Chavan, A Chopra, PD Collingwood, K Cooper, AP Dole, SM Fallah, FY Fazal, SP Goswami(Wicket Keeper), BJ Hodge, GB Hogg, AL Menaria, S Narwal, Pankaj Singh, AG Paunikar, AM Rahane, AS Raut, OA Shah, PR Shah, A Singh, S Sreesanth, SW Tait, SK Trivedi, SR Watson, DH Yagnik  

Hyderabad Curfew: To be Relaxed For 4 Hours

With the situation imporoving and under control, the police have decided to relax curfew in two areas of Hyderabad old city Madannapet and Saeedabad on Wednesday between 11 am and 3 pm. Barring stray incidents elsewhere, the third day of curfew in Saidabad and Madannapet passed off peacefully on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Central Crime Station (CCS) investigators, who are probing the 26 communal violence cases, claimed they have identified the conspirators, who started the trouble by throwing animal parts at a place of worship in Kurmaguda. Even though arrests are yet to be made in the case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has managed to arrest seven persons for their role in four other cases booked at the Madannapet and Saidabad police stations. Police are using photographs and video footage of the violence to nab the miscreants and the DCP said that the arrests were being made only after gathering evidence. With the latest arrests, the Hyderabad police have so far arrested 14 persons in 27 communal violence- related cases. Of these cases, CCS is probing 26 cases.  

Narasimhan likely to Continue as AP Governor

The Delhi sources said that the Centre has decided to continue ESL Narasimhan as the Governor of the state for the consecutive second time. It may be noted that the Centre was reportedly impressed with role of ESL Narasimhan during political turmoil in Andhra Pradesh over separate statehood issue.   The sources further said that if any other person is nominated as the Governor, it will consume good amount of time to understand the political situation in the state.   The UPA Government is yet to make official announcement regarding the continuation of ESL Narasimhan as the Governor.  It is known that E S L Narasimhan is well versed with the affairs including the on going demand for separate statehood. aIt may be noted that Narasimhan has completed his five year term as the Governor on Monday and notably he was spotted in New Delhi in the last two days. Our reports indicated that he had hold series of meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, prime minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P Chidambaram, defense minister A K Antony and AICC general secretary Gulam Nabi Azad. E S L Narasimhan, however, denied to speak a word on his meetings with Sonia and Manmohan Singh.  When asked whether he would continue as the Governor of AP, he said only the home minister could give them a correct answer. Reacting to the news that he went to Delhi to submit reports, Narasimhan has said that he didn’t submit any such reports.

Airtel Launches India's First 4G Service

Airtel 4G service: Telecom major Bharti Airtel Tuesday launched broadband wireless access (BWA) services based on 4G technology here. With this launch, the firm became the first player to launch the 4G service in India. The high speed service was inaugurated here by union Communications Minister Kapil Sibal. A successor to the 3G and 2G families, 4G is expected to be five times quicker than 3G services. It would offer services such as high-definition mobile TV and video conferencing. Airtel , which had bagged BWA spectrum in four telecom circles -- Kolkata, Maharastra, Punjab and Karnataka -- for Rs. 3,314.36 crore in 2010, selected Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE to manage its services in Kolkata. The other players are yet to announce plans to rollout 4G services.

Telangana Udyama Yatra to Start Today

In a bid to rekindle the separate Telangana agitation, the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (TJAC) is starting its "Telangana Udyama Yatra" today. The first phase of the yatra will start today evening with a 'Torch-rally' from Charlapally jail. On 11 April tomorrow, the yatra will pass through Tandur, Vikarabad and Chevella holding public meetings and rallies. On 12th, yatra would cover Siddipet, Medak and reach Adilabad via Kamareddy on 13 April. Speaking to media, JAC convenor Kodandaram said that the yatra is intended for gathering public support for separate state once again. The only way to stop the ongoing incidences of suicides is to intensify the Telangana agitation once again. The second phase of the yatra will be held from 15 to 24 April, basing on the response the first phase receives. We will also pressurise the elected representatives of Telangana region to risign their respective posts and join the agitation.      

90% Cancers Curable: New Vaccine Found

A vaccine that kills 90% of cancers using the body’s natural defence mechanisms could be widely available within six years, scientists say. Experts say the treatment has already freed patients of the disease after just two doses. They hope the treatment could provide a universal injection to help millions of sufferers fight a range of cancers, including those of the breast and prostate. The vaccine ImMucin works by triggering the immune system to seek out and destroy tumours. Cancer cells often flourish because they are not seen as a threat by the body, unlike bacteria or viruses. But the new vaccine uses a molecule called MUC1, found in 90% of cancers, to train the immune system to recognise the rogue cells. Scientists have found that by injecting the right level of MUC1 it can also trigger the body to fight them. In a trial at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, 10 patients suffering a form of blood cancer were injected with ImMucin. After two to four courses of treatment, seven saw their immune system strengthened and three were left free of the disease. The vaccine is designed for patients with cancer rather than as a preventative jab. It is believed it could be most effective fighting tumours that are detected early or to help prevent the return and spread of the disease where patients have been in remission. The trials are now to be extended to more patients and different types of cancer. They are being run by drug company Vaxil Biotherapeutics and scientists at Tel Aviv University. A company spokesman said the first trial "generated a robust and specific immune response in all patients which was observed after only two to four doses of the vaccine out of a maximum of 12 doses". Dr Kat Arney, of Cancer Research UK, said, “There are several groups around the world investigating treatments that target MUC1 as it’s a very interesting target involved in several types of cancer. "These are very early results that are yet to be fully published, so there’s a lot more work to be done to prove that this particular vaccine is safe and effective,” Dr Arney added. Source:dnanews.  

IPL 5 2012: Mumbai Indians Beat Deccan Chargers

Mumbai Indians beat Deccan Chargers by five wickets in a last ball finish in their second Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Y.S.Rajsekhara Reddy Stadium here Monday. Chasing a target of 139, Mumbai Indians made 142 for five with Rohit Sharma (73 not out) has recorded his 17th fifty in Twenty20 - his 12th at the IPL.  The said knock is his second highest for Mumbai Indians at the IPL, next only to the 87 against Chennai Super Kings at Mumbai on April 22, 2011. Rohit's brilliant innings is the highest by a Mumbai batsman against Deccan Chargers at the IPL, eclipsing his 56 not out at Hyderabad on April 24, 2011. Rohit's runs' tally of 1616 (ave.31.68) in 64 matches is the fourth highest in the IPL, next only to Suresh Raina (1865), Sachin Tendulkar (1739) and Adam Gilchrist (1636).  Rohit has received the Man of the Match award for the sixth time in Twenty20 - his fourth at the IPL.  

Tara Chowdary: I am Innocent, Will Fight For Justice

Tara Chowdary, the small time starlet arrested on charges of forced prostitution and blackmail says that she is innocent. She says that the police have falsely implicated her even though she didn't indulge either in prostitution or blackmail. According to the police leaks to the media, Tara blackmailed a ruling party MP from Guntur and his son, who was also mayor for sometime and finally got paid Rs 25 lakhs. She trapped a DSP from Kurnool and threatened to expose him through pictures taken in compromising position. But unable to meet her demand to eliminate a businessman that she suggested, he had to beg her to return him the CDs. A TDP leader from Adilabad,who presently cut off ties with the party was allegedly trapped by her. Police claim that two prominent leaders of women’s organizations who spoke in her defence were Tara’s beneficiaries. While one IPS officer helped her getting posts of home guards of persons of her choice, another IPS, known to be actively involved in cultural activities was also among her clientele. Today the court has granted a four-day custody of Tara Chowdary to the police. She has been since shifted from Chanchalguda jail to Banjara Hills police station for interrogation. She says that after coming out on bail, she would fight for justice and prove that she has been falsely implicated.    

Abhishek Bachchan Visits Kadapa Pedda Dargah

Bollywood star and super star Amitabh Bachchan's son Abhishek Bachchan on Monday visited Pedda Dargah in Kadapa town of Andhra Pradesh. Lately, Pedda Dargah or Ameen Peer Dargah of Kadapa has become very popular with celebrities from all over the country coming here for praying. Sufi saint Peerullah Hussaini, said to be of Prophet Mohammed's lineage, established Ameen Peer Dargah in 1683. This dargah is also known as Pedda Dargah and even more famously as South Ajmer dargah by the locals. Though it is little known, Ameen Peer Dargah, is visited by most of the famous celebrities from Bollywood and political field. The recent visitors' list includes the famous Bollywood stars senior Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, after they got married, Aamir Khan and AR Rahman. The annual Urs is being celebrated at Pedda Dargah and abhishek is a regular visitor on Urs here since few years now.  

TDP Senior Leader Muddasani Damodar Reddy Died

TDP senior leader and former minister Muddasani Damodar Reddy died on Monday at Hyderabad. He was ailing from illness for the past two three years and was admitted to NIMS Hospital last week, where he breathed his last this morning. Damodar Reddy hails from Karimnagar district and has won five times as MLA from Kamalapur constituency. He worked as minister thrice in both NT Ramarao and Chandrababu Naidu tenures. At present, he was party incharge of Huzurabad constituency in Karimnagar district. TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu and other senior leaders expressed shock over the death of Damodar Reddy.