SP leader Abu Azmi endorses RSS chief, says western culture to blame for rapes

MUMBAI: Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi said on Tuesday that western culture had ruined Indian culture and led to increasing atrocities on women including rapes."Young girls and women must not roam around with any men except their parents, brothers or husband," Azmi said here."Having boyfriends and girlfriends has become a fashion in cities. This is why incidence of rapes is higher in urban...

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Your medical chart could include exercise minutes

CHICAGO (AP) — Roll up a sleeve for the blood pressure cuff. Stick out a wrist for the pulse-taking. Lift your tongue for the thermometer. Report how many minutes you are active or getting exercise.Wait, what?If the last item isn't part of the usual drill at your doctor's office, a movement is afoot to change that. One recent national survey indicated only a third of Americans said their doctors asked...

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Hagel Nomination Stirs Bipartisan Opposition

Two weeks before his inauguration, and with more "fiscal cliffs" on the horizon, President Obama is embracing a showdown with Congress over his pick to lead the Pentagon in his second term.Obama will nominate former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense at a formal White House announcement later today, administration officials said.The president will...

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Five accused of rape in India appear in court for charges

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Five men accused of the rape and murder of an Indian student appeared in court on Monday to hear charges against them after two of them offered evidence possibly in return for a lighter sentence in the case that has provoked widespread anger. The five men, along with a teenager, are accused of raping the 23-year-old physiotherapy student after she boarded their bus...

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Boom expected in mobile app industry

SINGAPORE: The rising use of mobile applications has been a boon for the industry.The mobile appplication industry recorded a 68 per cent rise in global sales last year, from US$8.5 billion to US$14.3 billion. With the growing shipment of tablets and smartphones, experts say sales growth may increase by almost four times by 2017.Cooliris, a photo sharing and browsing application, has become...

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Mamata ill, goes through files at home

KOLKATA: Perhaps for the first time since she took charge as Bengal's chief minister, Mamata Banerjee could not report to work at Writers' Buildings. The chief minister is unwell and has cancelled all her engagements for Monday and Tuesday. She is, however, sifting through files at her Harish Chatterjee Street home. Sources in the chief minister's office at the state secretariat revealed that the...

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FDA: New rules will make food safer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration says its new guidelines would make the food Americans eat safer and help prevent the kinds of foodborne disease outbreaks that sicken or kill thousands of consumers each year.The rules, the most sweeping food safety guidelines in decades, would require farmers to take new precautions against contamination, to include making sure workers' hands are...

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Defiant Assad Vows to Hold Firm in Syria

President Bashar Assad called on Syrians to defend their country against religious extremists seeking to destroy the nation, dismissing any prospect of dialogue with the "murderous criminals" he says are behind the uprising even as he outlined his vision for a peaceful settlement to the civil war.In a one-hour speech to the nation in which he appeared confident and relaxed, Assad...

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SJI International attains stellar grades in IB programme

SINGAPORE: St Joseph's Institution (SJI) International has reported its best results for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.The school said 99 per cent from the class of 2012 passed the exam, attaining an average score of 36.2 points out of the maximum 45.It added one in four students achieved 40 points.The top student is Monica Layarda, who had a perfect score.The...

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Indira Gandhi's assassins honoured by Akal Takht

AMRITSAR: The two killers of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were honoured by Akal Takht on Sunday, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion, on their 24th death anniversary amid presence of a local Akali leader. Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh were hanged on January 6, 1989 after a trial for killing Gandhi in 1984. Jathedar Gaini Gurbachan Singh presented a 'siropa' (robe of honour) to Tirlok...

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