Cosmic sex soon to be reality.

With US agency NASA and several other countries planning more and more space missions, scientists have started to debate on the possibility of cosmic sex
Though nobody claims to know whether it has already happened, some experts believe that sex in space is inevitable. Jason Kring of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, who studies the psychological effects of long-duration space missions, is just not ready to accept that astronauts cannot have sexual feelings while on a three-year mission to Mars. "To say that astronauts are some superior beings who cannot have interests in any kind of sexual feelings for three years ... I just don''''t buy it," Live Science quoted him as saying. The report also highlighted the fact that space agencies were gradually inclining towards sending more and more mixed crews of men and women in space, with studies suggesting that they are better at performing the tasks assigned to them. "They''''re mission-oriented. They''''re very focused on the task at hand," said NASA spokesperson Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters of the Johnson Space Center. Kring, however, said that sexual frustration could ensue. "Human sexuality is a basic need and now you''''re trying to tell people, ''''Hey for three years, you can''''t do that.'''' They''''re going to figure out a way to do it," he said. Lawrence Palinkas, a professor of social work, anthropology and preventive medicine at UCLA, pointed out that there was "no official policy" at NASA regarding sex on space missions. "There really has been no research conducted on the area to know whether it (sex in space) would be a good thing or a bad thing, but it probably is inevitable," he said. Science journalist Laura Woodmansee, the writer of ‘Sex in Space’ that was published in 2006, predicts "honeymoons in space and out-of-this-world sex will be a reality within a decade." The book describes several positions that might work during cosmic copulation, ranging from the modified missionary position to seated with "interlocking Y legs". She writes that props also could come into play, including a shared elastic waistband or tethers to hold one partner to a stable structure.

Lord's revamp to cost 200 mn pounds

The revamp plan will see a new-look ground with floodlights, extended stands, and a major new residential development along the Wellington RoadLondon: The cost of revamping the hallowed Lord's cricket ground here is estimated at 200 million pounds and the project will take 10 years to complete, a media report said on Saturday.The Marylebone Cricket Clyub (MCC) appointed Herzog and de Meuron — a celebrated Swiss construction firm — that will now consult the London mayor's office over the revamp plans which are expected to change the face of the ground, The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.The revamp plan will see a new-look ground with floodlights, extended stands, and a major new residential development along the Wellington Road. But all this will need permission from the Westminster Council since St John's Wood is a strictly controlled conservation area."There is always bound to be a bargaining process with the council," David Batts, the director of the masterplan, was quoted as saying by the daily."Herzog and de Meuron designed the Tate Modern and that has become a destination in its own right," he added. "People go there just to have a coffee, not necessarily to look at the paintings. We hope it's the case here, especially if we have got a hotel of our own."The plans were based only early working models, which will be refined before anything can be taken to Westminster Council. But they still impressed the MCC committee, especially proposals to have a suspended walkway, some 20 feet in the air, running around 80 per cent of the ground. With an extra 10,000 seats also part of the plan, there has to be some solution to the rush that develops on major match days.One of the key ideas of the blueprint involves the development of two disused railway tunnels under the nursery ground, which are likely to be turned into a sports injury clinic in partnership with the adjoining Wellington Hospital.

Speaker yet to take a decision on quitting

All reports in the media are mere speculation. In case the Speaker decides to quit, the media will be informed, say sources
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has not yet taken a decision on quitting the post, sources close to him said."The Speaker has not taken any decision on resigning. All reports in the media are mere speculation. In case the Speaker decides to quit, the media will be informed," the sources said."The statement given by the Speaker on July 10 stating that the office of the Speaker should not be dragged into any controversy stands," they said.CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat had earlier said that his party was yet to take a decision whether to ask Chatterjee to quit office.Amidst speculation over his continuance in office following Left withdrawal of support to the Government, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee gave broad hints on July 10 that he has no plans to resign, saying he was not elected as the nominee of any party.

New Coverage

Freed Talwar received with hugs, tears by family
The dentist's visibly relieved relatives, who had been waiting outside the jail, embraced him and whisked him to a car even as hundreds of media persons surrounded them. The policemen were unable to control the mob of journalists.
Talwars should sue police: Renuka
The Minister for Women and Child Welfare blasts Noida police for needlessly tarnishing the Talwar family's reputation
Aarushi murder: Many holes in CBI probe
CBI says Rajesh Talwar has not been given a clean chit and they would move accordingly as more evidence comes in.
Aarushi murder: Rajesh Talwar set free
Rajesh Talwar has been asked to cooperate with the investigating agency as and when required
CBI cracks Aarushi murder, clean chit to Talwars
Talwar's Assistant Krishna along with three others killed Aarushi. CBI resurrected the scene of crime in a press conference today. The three servants, attempted to sexually assault Aarushi and Talwars couldn’t hear anything in their rooms because of air conditioners. Durani's servant Rajkumar and Talwar's assistant confessed crime during narco tests
Is there a ground for CBI to detain Talwar?
Sources said the investigating agency could make some new revelations in court on Friday on the investigation conducted by it in the last two weeks. During this time, they subjected Raj Kumar, the domestic help of Praful and Anita Durani, to a second narco-analysis test.

Key suspects in Aarushi case to face each other
Today would probably be the most significant day in the case so far when all the three accused come face to face in the court for the first time
Aarushi murder: SC dismisses plea against narco test
The All India Lawyers Joint Action Committee, an unregistered body of lawyers, moves court against the CBI conducting narco test
2 murders, 3 arrests, 45 days…no leads
So who killed Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj? A month after taking over the investigation of the case and 45 days after the murders, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), it appears, is desperately trying to put together the jigsaw puzzle.
Krishna's bail plea rejected
The bail application was rejected as the case was being tried by session’s court and Krishna does not come under the category of disabled, senior citizen or woman and thus was not eligible for relief.
Rajkumar admits role in murder, says CBI
The CBI stated that Rajkumar confirmed that he had switched off Aarushi's mobile and then eventually destroyed it. He said he could help the CBI in tracing Hemraj's mobile and the weapon used in the murder.
CBI arrests Durani’s domestic help
Recovery of blood-stained T-shirt from his room led to arrest
CBI recreates crime at Talwars’ residence
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reached the house of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in Noida to recreate the sequence of events on the night of the murder of their teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, officials said.
No clean chit for Talwar yet: CBI
A Ghaziabad court rejected Dr Rajesh Talwar’s bail petition after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing into the Aarushi murder case, said that the dentist’s involvement in the crime could not be ruled out at this point in time.
CBI opposes Talwar’s bail plea
Defence counsel said the CBI has two different versions to the case
Cautious CBI unable to trace murder weapon
Accused of illegally detaining Krishna, the medical assistant of slain teenager Aarushi's dentist father Rajesh Talwar, the CBI is now treading a line of caution in detaining two domestic helps in connection with the Noida double murder.
Why did the killer spare us, Rajesh asks wife
Series of polygrams behind them, Talwars are still clueless on who could have possibly murdered their 14 year old daughter and with what motive.The transition from a happy middle class family to the one infested with uncertainty is indeed painful, narrates Nupur Talwar, mother of the teenager
Leads amiss, CBI to conduct more tests
Struggling for a concrete lead in the Aarushi murder case, the Central Bureau of Investigation has summoned Dr Nupur Talwar for a second lie-detector test. The test is likely to be conducted on Wednesday.
CBI grills Aarushi's mother Nupur
Nupur was questioned at the CBI headquarters and is likely to be subjected to another lie detector test in the coming days
CBI gets Krishna for four more days
The CBI sought four days custody of Krishna after his six-day custody ended Monday and he was produced before the court

Freed Rajesh Talwar

The dentist's visibly relieved relatives, who had been waiting outside the jail, embraced himGhaziabad: Rajesh Talwar, given a clean chit in the murders of his teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, hugged his wife Nupur Talwar with tears in his eyes as he was released from Dasna Jail here on Saturday. Rajesh Talwar, wearing a white T-shirt and trouser, walked out of jail after 51 days of imprisonment. The dentist's visibly relieved relatives, who had been waiting outside the jail, embraced him and whisked him to a car even as hundreds of media persons surrounded them. The policemen were unable to control the mob of journalists.Rajesh's brother Dinesh Talwar told reporters: “Please give us some time. Rajesh has just come out of jail. He is very depressed. We need your cooperation.”Fourteen-year-old Aarushi was found dead on May 16 in the Talwar's Noida home. The police initially named the Talwars' domestic help Hemraj as the prime suspect, but had to retract after his body was found the next day on the terrace of the house. Rajesh Talwar was arrested on May 23 and police said he killed his daughter in a fit of rage as he objected to her alleged closeness with Hemraj. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday cleared Rajesh Talwar of all charges and named his compounder Krishna and Rajkumar, the servant of close family friends Durranis, as those behind the murders.The CBI said Krishna was the prime accused as he harboured ill-feelings towards the family after being scolded by Rajesh Talwar in public. The agency also said that it has been unable to get any evidence against the Talwars in connection with the murders.Special Magistrate Sapna Mishra Tripathi on Friday discharged Rajesh Talwar after the CBI moved an application under section 169 (release of accused when evidence is insufficient) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The court set Rajesh Talwar free after he furnished a personal bond and two sureties of Rs.500,000 each.

Indo-Nepal Meet

On the second and concluding day of the ongoing seminar on the "Emerging Trends in India-Nepal Relations", Union Minister of State for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh talked about the need for expanded trade between the two nations while offering technical and financial assistance in energy and water management areas.Promising to ease trade tariff between India and Nepal, Ramesh said that it was alarming to note that while India was exporting goods worth over $930 million to Nepal, it imported items from Nepal only about one-third of its export."This disparity must be overcome and the Government of India is willing to play its role in fostering better trade relations with its neighbors," the Union Minister said.Suggesting a liberal economic policy for Nepal, Ramesh said Indian industries should be allowed to invest in Nepal that, in turn, could sell the goods back to India thus bringing some balance to its export-import ratio.Several Indian companies have already reached agreement with the Nepalese government for improvement in the power sector, the minister said adding Nepal would benefit from the added power production while selling off any surplus power to India.Ramesh also talked about building four check posts on Indo-Nepal border and a 1,500 kilometer road connection between the two neighboring nations to enhance bilateral trade.

Female condom

Female condom for Rs 5 in India
New Delhi: A five-rupee female condom (FC) will now spearhead India’s fight to control HIV spread among women.
Under the first phase, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) is procuring 15 lakh female condoms from UK’s Female Health Company (FHC), which will be doled out to sex workers and housewives in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal over the next 8 months. A decision on a countrywide upscale will be undertaken after reviewing data from these four stares.
According to NACO director general K Sujatha Rao, a year long pre-programme acceptability and feasibility study, involving 60,000 women in 13 sites- 11 involving high risk groups like sex workers and two family planning programme4s – in eight states from November eight states from November 2006, found 60% women re-purchasing the condom and over 98% of the users finding it comfortable. Naco though UNFPA had procured five lakh condoms from FHC for its acceptability study.
Rao told : “The pilot project was highly successful showing consistent use of FCs. We have, therefore, decided to scale up the programme under which we will first train women on how to use these condoms.”
Union health minister A Ramadoss Said : “ When a male partner refuses to wear a condom, women need self-initiated methods to protect themselves against unplanned pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.”
According to Manoj Gopalkrishna from Hindustan Latex Limited, India till now imported FCs making them expensive. “We have now set up an FC manufacturing unit in Kochi. FHC has transferred the condom manufacturing technology to us. We will manufacture 10 million FCs annually. Though the cost of making each condom will be Rs 40, it will be available to women for Rs 5 through 200 NGO-led targeted interventions.”
Esther Bayliss from the Female Health Foundation told : “Female Condoms – FC1 and FC2 – are the only ones approved by US FDA and WHO. These condoms are the first and only female-initiated barrier method that is safe and effective if used correctly and consistently providing dual protection against the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy.”
Nearly 40% of the 2.5 million HIV Positive victims living in India are women, most of them hapless housewives who don’t look at their husbands as a threat and commercial sex workers unable to negotiate with clients refusing to use a condom.
DRIVE AGAINST AIDS
1. Female condom was first introduced in Europe and the US in 1992-93.
2.It was introduced in Asia only after 2000.
3.It is still not widely accepted, the main reasons being cost, acceptability by both women and men and confusion over the method of usage.