International

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear in an open court the plea of Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar for commutation of death sentence awarded to him for the September 1993 blast to life imprisonment. A bench comprising Chief Justice P Sathasivam and justices R M Lodha, H L Dattu and S J Mukhopadhaya decided to hear the curative petition filed by Bhullar’s wife Nevneet Kaur on Friday.The hearing in the open court assumes importance in view of the January 21 judgment of fivejudge constitutional bench holding that inordinate and inexplicable delay by government in deciding mercy plea of death row convicts can be a ground for commuting their sentence. Bhullar’s wife filed the petition for a re-look against the apex court verdict which had rejected her plea to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment on grounds of delay on the part of the government in deciding his mercy plea. Bhullar was convicted and awarded death penalty for triggering a bomb blast in New Delhi in September 1993, which killed nine persons and injured 25 others, including then Youth Congress president M S Bitta.

February 2, 2014

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TOKYO – In a long-awaited fusionbetween hot-blooded hormones andcold-headed engineering, a Japanese lingeriecompany has produced a bra theyclaim will only unlock when the wearer isreally in love.The “True Love Tester” uses sensors anda special gadget linked to a mobile deviceto analyse the pattern and speed of theuser’s heart beat in the heat of themoment. If the app determines thewoman’s feelings are for real, the clasp atthe front pops open to allow mattersbetween lovers to take their course.The bra is a gimmick by lingerie brandRavijour, which says it is not for sale, butforms part of a publicity campaign forthe marque’s 10th anniversary.”We wanted to do something that wouldn’tjust appeal to people who wear ourproducts, but also to lift the romanticmood between men and women,”spokeswoman Yuka Tamura said.In a promotional video, viewers areshown how the glittering gold lame braconceals sensors placed inside the cup,which send wireless signals to a smartphone.