September 21st, 2009
Sep.21 (ANI): With the security situation improving and insurgency showing signs of abating, the Tripura Government has scrapped the convoy escort system along the 70 kilometre stretch of the Assam-Agartala National Highway 44.
Since 1993, vehicles have not been allowed to ply without security escorts through the Assam-Agartala national highway 44 due to militant activities.
The highway lies between Chakmaghat in West Tripura District and Manu in Dhalai District.
“It was in practice for the last 16-years almost. And the reasons for withdrawing the convoy is that now we have gained confidence, the problem of extremism is in control and the moral of the extremist groups is very low, lots of surrenders have taken place and they are a daily phenomenon,” said A. Chaturbedi, Inspector General of Police of Tripura
During the past year, around 200 militants of All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), including some ultras carrying rewards of Rs.250, 000 each and Interpol arrest warrants for them, fled their camps in Bangladesh and surrendered to authorities in Tripura.
Tripura shares an 856-km international border with Bangladesh on all its three sides, and the NH 44 is the only highway that connects the state with the rest of the country through Assam.
The restricted and slow movement of vehicles along National Highway has hampered the economy to a great extent. It is expected that the removal of the escort system will boost business activities in the state.
People from all walks of life have welcomed the decision to withdraw of highway security escorts.
“Since the escorting of vehicles has been withdrawn now we will be able to move from here to other parts of India faster. The necessary items of daily requirement shall now reach in the state in less time and the prices will also come down. Students like me can now move to and fro between their house and college even if the distance is a long one,” said Barist Reang, a student in Tripura
“This is a big help for us as we shall now be able to move faster on this road and save time and make profit. We welcome this move,” said Amar Singh, a lorry driver.
Meanwhile, to avoid any untoward incidents, patrolling by paramilitary troopers along the National Highway and static deployment at certain strategic locations have been intensified. (ANI)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tripura cheers Somdev’s Davis Cup victory
September 21st, 2009
Agartala, Sep 21 (IANS) Crackers were burst, people danced on the streets and boxes of sweets were passed around - it was celebration time in Agartala Monday as residents cheered tennis sensation and local boy Somdev Devvarman’s victory in South Africa that took India to Davis Cup world group for the first time in 11 years.
Sports lovers, cutting across age, rejoiced at Somdev’s sensational win over South African Rik De Voest in the reverse singles play-off in Johannesburg Sunday.
Somdev’s father Pravanjan Devvarman, a retired income tax commissioner, said: “We are very proud of him. He put up a very good show against Rik De Voest.
“Somdev gave his career’s finest presentation in the contest and we really expect that he would play some good tennis in the future,” Pravanjan told IANS in Agartala just after wishing his son by phone.
Somdev’s relatives termed his victory as “historic” for Indian tennis.
“We are proud of him and we are certain he will do better in the coming days,” said Dayamay Debbarman, Somdev’s uncle.
Somdev visited his home in Agartala two months back and was given a reception by the Tripura Tennis Association.
“Somdev’s success proves beyond doubt that there is no dearth of talent in the northeast and that all these bright youngsters need a platform or an opening to prove their capability and ability,” Tripura Sports Council secretary Kamal Saha told IANS.
“With Somdev’s performance, now the world would know better about the northeast, where despite no scope for developing tennis, there are capable players in the region,” he added
Somdev belongs to Tripura’s royal family. He is the grandson of Tripura’s late royal scion Bikramendra Kishore Debbarman, popularly known as Bidurkarta.
Tripura Tennis Association secretary Sujit Roy said: “Somdev’s father Pravanjan excelled in table tennis and cricket during his student life.
“We are really thrilled by Somdev’s performance and energy. This boy, who descended from Tripura’s tribal nobility, will earn much credit for India in future in the field of sports,” Roy said.
“After Somdev came second at the Chennai Open in January this year, the Tennis Federation of India (TFI) decided to develop a tennis court in Agartala for him at a cost of Rs.200,000.”
Tripura Tennis Association has requested the Tripura government to provide land for the proposed tennis court.
Agartala, Sep 21 (IANS) Crackers were burst, people danced on the streets and boxes of sweets were passed around - it was celebration time in Agartala Monday as residents cheered tennis sensation and local boy Somdev Devvarman’s victory in South Africa that took India to Davis Cup world group for the first time in 11 years.
Sports lovers, cutting across age, rejoiced at Somdev’s sensational win over South African Rik De Voest in the reverse singles play-off in Johannesburg Sunday.
Somdev’s father Pravanjan Devvarman, a retired income tax commissioner, said: “We are very proud of him. He put up a very good show against Rik De Voest.
“Somdev gave his career’s finest presentation in the contest and we really expect that he would play some good tennis in the future,” Pravanjan told IANS in Agartala just after wishing his son by phone.
Somdev’s relatives termed his victory as “historic” for Indian tennis.
“We are proud of him and we are certain he will do better in the coming days,” said Dayamay Debbarman, Somdev’s uncle.
Somdev visited his home in Agartala two months back and was given a reception by the Tripura Tennis Association.
“Somdev’s success proves beyond doubt that there is no dearth of talent in the northeast and that all these bright youngsters need a platform or an opening to prove their capability and ability,” Tripura Sports Council secretary Kamal Saha told IANS.
“With Somdev’s performance, now the world would know better about the northeast, where despite no scope for developing tennis, there are capable players in the region,” he added
Somdev belongs to Tripura’s royal family. He is the grandson of Tripura’s late royal scion Bikramendra Kishore Debbarman, popularly known as Bidurkarta.
Tripura Tennis Association secretary Sujit Roy said: “Somdev’s father Pravanjan excelled in table tennis and cricket during his student life.
“We are really thrilled by Somdev’s performance and energy. This boy, who descended from Tripura’s tribal nobility, will earn much credit for India in future in the field of sports,” Roy said.
“After Somdev came second at the Chennai Open in January this year, the Tennis Federation of India (TFI) decided to develop a tennis court in Agartala for him at a cost of Rs.200,000.”
Tripura Tennis Association has requested the Tripura government to provide land for the proposed tennis court.
Three arrested with fake currency in Himachal
September 25th, 2009
SHIMLA - Three people were arrested in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district with fake currency amounting to Rs.36,000, police said Friday.
“Three people were arrested Friday from Bijora for possessing fake currency worth Rs.36,000,” Additional Director General of Police I.D. Bhandari told IANS.
He said the arrested men belonged to Amritsar in Punjab. He refused to reveal their identity as the matter is under investigation.
“The currency notes were of Rs.500 denomination. Initial investigations reveal they were here to exchange the fake notes,” he said. Kullu is a district headquarter town, some 250 km from here.
The Kullu district has long been notorious for cultivation of high-quality cannabis, which attract a large number of smugglers.
SHIMLA - Three people were arrested in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district with fake currency amounting to Rs.36,000, police said Friday.
“Three people were arrested Friday from Bijora for possessing fake currency worth Rs.36,000,” Additional Director General of Police I.D. Bhandari told IANS.
He said the arrested men belonged to Amritsar in Punjab. He refused to reveal their identity as the matter is under investigation.
“The currency notes were of Rs.500 denomination. Initial investigations reveal they were here to exchange the fake notes,” he said. Kullu is a district headquarter town, some 250 km from here.
The Kullu district has long been notorious for cultivation of high-quality cannabis, which attract a large number of smugglers.
Indian tennis' youth brigade ready for the challenge
25th of Sept 09
New Delhi: Good times are rolling again for Indian tennis as a new generation has stepped forward and staked claim to carrying on the country's rich tennis legacy. It's no longer just Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi; young guns like Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri are also ready to take on the world.
Somdev is not only a good guitarist but also a very promising tennis player with a never say die attitude, a willingness to learn and most importantly respect for his peers.
The young man from Tripura is ready to rock and roll.
"I have been playing really well. i have had some good results of late and hopefully I will be able to use that momentum and do well in the next few months. The goal is to try and break into the top 100 sooner rather than later," Somdev says.
Within a year Somdev has cemented his place as India's top singles player. No one can forget the way he dominated former world No.1 Carlos Moya at the Chennai Open in January. Now his Davis Cup heroics against South Africa have made him a household name.
"He has been a rock for the team in the last few ties and we expect him to win every time he plays for us," says Bhupathi.
Indian tennis has been searching for successors to the Paes and Bhupathi legacy for quite some time now and that search might be over.
It's not just Somdev but also Bhambri who has been making waves in the junior circuit. He has now started to make the transition to the top flight.
"To come out winning and to play one of their two singles player on the last day and to play away from home.. I think it definitely is a good achievement," says former tennis great Ramesh Krishnan.
With Rohan Bopanna also finding his feet after his injury layoff it won't be easy selecting the next Davis Cup team.
But these young men need to go much beyond Davis Cup. They need to blaze a new trail on the singles circuit.
New Delhi: Good times are rolling again for Indian tennis as a new generation has stepped forward and staked claim to carrying on the country's rich tennis legacy. It's no longer just Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi; young guns like Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri are also ready to take on the world.
Somdev is not only a good guitarist but also a very promising tennis player with a never say die attitude, a willingness to learn and most importantly respect for his peers.
The young man from Tripura is ready to rock and roll.
"I have been playing really well. i have had some good results of late and hopefully I will be able to use that momentum and do well in the next few months. The goal is to try and break into the top 100 sooner rather than later," Somdev says.
Within a year Somdev has cemented his place as India's top singles player. No one can forget the way he dominated former world No.1 Carlos Moya at the Chennai Open in January. Now his Davis Cup heroics against South Africa have made him a household name.
"He has been a rock for the team in the last few ties and we expect him to win every time he plays for us," says Bhupathi.
Indian tennis has been searching for successors to the Paes and Bhupathi legacy for quite some time now and that search might be over.
It's not just Somdev but also Bhambri who has been making waves in the junior circuit. He has now started to make the transition to the top flight.
"To come out winning and to play one of their two singles player on the last day and to play away from home.. I think it definitely is a good achievement," says former tennis great Ramesh Krishnan.
With Rohan Bopanna also finding his feet after his injury layoff it won't be easy selecting the next Davis Cup team.
But these young men need to go much beyond Davis Cup. They need to blaze a new trail on the singles circuit.
India over the moon with water discovery
25th of Sept 09
NEW DELHI: John Brumby, the premier of Australian state of Victoria, Friday proposed to give separate transportation and safe housing for Indian
students studying in Australia. Union Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, after a meeting with a nine-member delegation led by Brumby, said: "It is a proposal by the Australian government. It will be examined by the India-Australia joint working group." Asked whether separate housing would create a "ghetto feeling" among the Indian students, Ravi said the proposal is not meant just for Indian students. "It is meant for all international students studying in Australia," Ravi said. Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, both Ravi and Brumby said they had "useful and productive" discussions concerns of the Indian student community in Victoria. They have been a string of attacks on Indian students in Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney, causing a furore in India. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria. Brumby admitted that some of the attacks had racial elements. Reiterating that Victoria is a safe place for Indians to live and study in, Brumby said: "Steps would be taken to ensure the safety of the students. We have toughened our laws related to the racial crimes. We will inform the Indian government on the follow-up of the crime investigations by Australian police." "The government of Victoria will not tolerate any crimes against Indian students," Brumby said. Ravi said the recent attacks on Indian students would not prevent Indians from investing in Australia. "The people of India consider Australia as a friendly nation," Ravi said.
NEW DELHI: John Brumby, the premier of Australian state of Victoria, Friday proposed to give separate transportation and safe housing for Indian
students studying in Australia. Union Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, after a meeting with a nine-member delegation led by Brumby, said: "It is a proposal by the Australian government. It will be examined by the India-Australia joint working group." Asked whether separate housing would create a "ghetto feeling" among the Indian students, Ravi said the proposal is not meant just for Indian students. "It is meant for all international students studying in Australia," Ravi said. Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, both Ravi and Brumby said they had "useful and productive" discussions concerns of the Indian student community in Victoria. They have been a string of attacks on Indian students in Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney, causing a furore in India. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria. Brumby admitted that some of the attacks had racial elements. Reiterating that Victoria is a safe place for Indians to live and study in, Brumby said: "Steps would be taken to ensure the safety of the students. We have toughened our laws related to the racial crimes. We will inform the Indian government on the follow-up of the crime investigations by Australian police." "The government of Victoria will not tolerate any crimes against Indian students," Brumby said. Ravi said the recent attacks on Indian students would not prevent Indians from investing in Australia. "The people of India consider Australia as a friendly nation," Ravi said.
India over the moon with water discovery
25th of Sept 0
India over the moon with water discovery
By Naseeb Chand (AFP) – 5 hours ago
BANGALORE, India — India on Friday hailed the discovery of water on the moon as a triumph for its lunar programme as the country aims to cement its reputation as a serious player in the space industry.
The mood among India's space scientists has gone from disappointment last month when its Chandrayaan-1 satellite mission was prematurely aborted to jubilation with news of a major discovery made in partnership with NASA.
"India should be proud that Chandrayaan discovered water on the moon," said a smiling G. Madhavan Nair, chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), at a press conference to discuss the findings.
"For the first time in the history of space research, water is confirmed on the moon. It is acknowledged the world over that this is a real discovery and a path-breaking event for the Indian space agency," he added.
In one of the three papers published in the latest edition of the journal Science on Thursday, researchers said they had analysed light waves detected by NASA-made instruments on board the Indian satellite and two other US probes.
The reflected light waves showed a chemical bond between oxygen and hydrogen -- proof, the researchers said, of the existence of water on the moon's surface.
Until now, scientists had advanced the theory that, except for the possibility of ice at the bottom of craters, the moon was totally dry.
There could also be more to come from India's space agency once massive amounts of data beamed back to the national space centre in Bangalore are analysed, Nair added.
"There could be much more interesting facts. We will talk about all of it once we have concrete data analysis report," he said of the data which "has filled the computers in ISRO as well in NASA".
India launched Chandrayaan and fired a probe onto the moon's surface late last year in an event that the national space agency hoped would bring it international recognition.
The probe's landing vaulted India into the league of space-faring nations led by the United States and regional neighbours Russia, China and Japan, and was seen as a symbolic and proud moment in the country's development.
But there was disappointment last month when Chandrayaan lost contact with its controllers and the mission was aborted only 10 months into a planned two years.
Nair said India's Moon Impact Probe "had picked up strong signals of water particles" which were corroborated by data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scanners.
Indian newspapers headlined their front pages with news of the discovery on Friday and cable television included discussions of the event marked by thinly disguised patriotic fervour.
"One Big Step For India, A Giant Leap for Mankind," said The Times of India. "Water on moon: Chandrayaan's stunning find," headlined the Hindustan Times.
The mission cost 80 million dollars, less than half the amount spent on similar expeditions by other countries, and India is keen to use its cost advantage to capture a large slice of the satellite business.
The euphoria over Chandrayaan came on top of celebrations over India's successful launch Wednesday of seven satellites -- six of them foreign -- in a single mission.
India began its space programme in 1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles to cut dependence on overseas agencies.
The latest discovery was made possible by US-made technology, however.
The NASA-developed "Moon Mineralogy Mapper", or M3, is a high-tech scanner that tracks the reflection of sunlight off the moon's surface to determine soil composition.
The new research used input from two other probes equipped with M3-type instruments, which also detected the chemical signature for the presence of water.
The American spacecraft Cassini passed near the moon a decade ago on its way to Saturn, while a third probe, also American, called Deep Impact, passed near the moon in 2005 to gather data with an instrument similar to M3.
The new data came just two weeks before a NASA probe is to crash into the surface near the moon's southern pole to see if water can be detected in the dust and debris released by the impact.9
India over the moon with water discovery
By Naseeb Chand (AFP) – 5 hours ago
BANGALORE, India — India on Friday hailed the discovery of water on the moon as a triumph for its lunar programme as the country aims to cement its reputation as a serious player in the space industry.
The mood among India's space scientists has gone from disappointment last month when its Chandrayaan-1 satellite mission was prematurely aborted to jubilation with news of a major discovery made in partnership with NASA.
"India should be proud that Chandrayaan discovered water on the moon," said a smiling G. Madhavan Nair, chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), at a press conference to discuss the findings.
"For the first time in the history of space research, water is confirmed on the moon. It is acknowledged the world over that this is a real discovery and a path-breaking event for the Indian space agency," he added.
In one of the three papers published in the latest edition of the journal Science on Thursday, researchers said they had analysed light waves detected by NASA-made instruments on board the Indian satellite and two other US probes.
The reflected light waves showed a chemical bond between oxygen and hydrogen -- proof, the researchers said, of the existence of water on the moon's surface.
Until now, scientists had advanced the theory that, except for the possibility of ice at the bottom of craters, the moon was totally dry.
There could also be more to come from India's space agency once massive amounts of data beamed back to the national space centre in Bangalore are analysed, Nair added.
"There could be much more interesting facts. We will talk about all of it once we have concrete data analysis report," he said of the data which "has filled the computers in ISRO as well in NASA".
India launched Chandrayaan and fired a probe onto the moon's surface late last year in an event that the national space agency hoped would bring it international recognition.
The probe's landing vaulted India into the league of space-faring nations led by the United States and regional neighbours Russia, China and Japan, and was seen as a symbolic and proud moment in the country's development.
But there was disappointment last month when Chandrayaan lost contact with its controllers and the mission was aborted only 10 months into a planned two years.
Nair said India's Moon Impact Probe "had picked up strong signals of water particles" which were corroborated by data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scanners.
Indian newspapers headlined their front pages with news of the discovery on Friday and cable television included discussions of the event marked by thinly disguised patriotic fervour.
"One Big Step For India, A Giant Leap for Mankind," said The Times of India. "Water on moon: Chandrayaan's stunning find," headlined the Hindustan Times.
The mission cost 80 million dollars, less than half the amount spent on similar expeditions by other countries, and India is keen to use its cost advantage to capture a large slice of the satellite business.
The euphoria over Chandrayaan came on top of celebrations over India's successful launch Wednesday of seven satellites -- six of them foreign -- in a single mission.
India began its space programme in 1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles to cut dependence on overseas agencies.
The latest discovery was made possible by US-made technology, however.
The NASA-developed "Moon Mineralogy Mapper", or M3, is a high-tech scanner that tracks the reflection of sunlight off the moon's surface to determine soil composition.
The new research used input from two other probes equipped with M3-type instruments, which also detected the chemical signature for the presence of water.
The American spacecraft Cassini passed near the moon a decade ago on its way to Saturn, while a third probe, also American, called Deep Impact, passed near the moon in 2005 to gather data with an instrument similar to M3.
The new data came just two weeks before a NASA probe is to crash into the surface near the moon's southern pole to see if water can be detected in the dust and debris released by the impact.9
Friday, September 11, 2009
Dems answer Obama's call for action on health care
11th of Sept 09
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders wrestling with health care legislation are confronting a host of knotty issues such as medical malpractice, abortion, illegal immigrants and Medicaid, all the while predicting passage of sweeping health care legislation within a few months.
"That's the legislative process," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said as she and other Democrats shifted from praising President Barack Obama's health care speech this week to the less glamorous task of trying to negotiate a bill that will pass muster with a host of opposing factions.
"As issues emerge, let's drill down on the public option, let's drill down on what this means to small business, let's drill down on what this means to seniors," Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday.
Increasingly, events in the Senate Finance Committee appeared pivotal, precursor to likely votes in both the House and the Senate by early October.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has said he will convene the committee the week after next to vote on legislation that would meet Obama's goal of expanding access to health care, providing consumer protection to those with coverage and slowing the growth of medical spending overall.
Still unclear was whether Baucus would get a bipartisan deal after months of negotiating with two other Democrats and three Republicans on his committee — the so-called Gang of Six. If he doesn't, Baucus has said he'll go it alone, but a bipartisan compromise is still in play, with another meeting set for Friday.
Aides were reviewing lists of proposed changes from members of the group — primarily the Republicans — touching on issues that included how much states must pay for a proposed expansion of Medicaid, prohibiting federal funding of abortion, reducing medical malpractice costs, ensuring illegal immigrants don't get insurance and a possible phase-in of coverage for legal immigrants.
Support from two of the Republicans — Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Mike Enzi of Wyoming — looked uncertain. The third, Olympia Snowe of Maine, was a surer bet for Baucus.
Baucus said Obama's speech to Congress and the nation on Wednesday helped create momentum for his group "and also the recognition that changing the system is an inevitability."
With that comes the desire to "work a little harder to see if we can figure out a way," Baucus said.
Whatever bill the Finance Committee approves must be blended with legislation approved earlier in another panel, and is expected to reach the Senate floor by early October. In the House, the three committees with jurisdiction have already passed bills and Democratic leaders were working to combine them before bringing a package to the floor.
Presuming both chambers pass legislation, then would come the daunting task of melding the two bills and bringing the finished product back for final votes in both chambers.
The initial House bill is likely to include a new government-run insurance plan to compete with the private market, but Baucus long ago embraced establishing nonprofit cooperatives instead, and it appears unlikely liberals have the votes in his committee to overrule him.
Baucus and many other senators believe a so-called public plan would be unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to advance in the 100-member Senate. Obama has spoken repeatedly in support of a public plan and did so again in his speech, but he also left room for alternatives like the co-op or a fallback option that would trigger the public plan only if private companies weren't offering enough choices.
The trigger alternative was getting attention from a number of moderate Senate Democrats who met with Obama at the White House on Thursday, according to several who attended. Some moderates oppose a straight-up public plan.
"His willingness to be flexible on that reassured members of our group," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. "His willingness to say what matters here is the ends, we shouldn't obsess about the means."
The moderates also responded to Obama's commitment in his speech to holding down costs.
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders wrestling with health care legislation are confronting a host of knotty issues such as medical malpractice, abortion, illegal immigrants and Medicaid, all the while predicting passage of sweeping health care legislation within a few months.
"That's the legislative process," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said as she and other Democrats shifted from praising President Barack Obama's health care speech this week to the less glamorous task of trying to negotiate a bill that will pass muster with a host of opposing factions.
"As issues emerge, let's drill down on the public option, let's drill down on what this means to small business, let's drill down on what this means to seniors," Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday.
Increasingly, events in the Senate Finance Committee appeared pivotal, precursor to likely votes in both the House and the Senate by early October.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has said he will convene the committee the week after next to vote on legislation that would meet Obama's goal of expanding access to health care, providing consumer protection to those with coverage and slowing the growth of medical spending overall.
Still unclear was whether Baucus would get a bipartisan deal after months of negotiating with two other Democrats and three Republicans on his committee — the so-called Gang of Six. If he doesn't, Baucus has said he'll go it alone, but a bipartisan compromise is still in play, with another meeting set for Friday.
Aides were reviewing lists of proposed changes from members of the group — primarily the Republicans — touching on issues that included how much states must pay for a proposed expansion of Medicaid, prohibiting federal funding of abortion, reducing medical malpractice costs, ensuring illegal immigrants don't get insurance and a possible phase-in of coverage for legal immigrants.
Support from two of the Republicans — Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Mike Enzi of Wyoming — looked uncertain. The third, Olympia Snowe of Maine, was a surer bet for Baucus.
Baucus said Obama's speech to Congress and the nation on Wednesday helped create momentum for his group "and also the recognition that changing the system is an inevitability."
With that comes the desire to "work a little harder to see if we can figure out a way," Baucus said.
Whatever bill the Finance Committee approves must be blended with legislation approved earlier in another panel, and is expected to reach the Senate floor by early October. In the House, the three committees with jurisdiction have already passed bills and Democratic leaders were working to combine them before bringing a package to the floor.
Presuming both chambers pass legislation, then would come the daunting task of melding the two bills and bringing the finished product back for final votes in both chambers.
The initial House bill is likely to include a new government-run insurance plan to compete with the private market, but Baucus long ago embraced establishing nonprofit cooperatives instead, and it appears unlikely liberals have the votes in his committee to overrule him.
Baucus and many other senators believe a so-called public plan would be unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to advance in the 100-member Senate. Obama has spoken repeatedly in support of a public plan and did so again in his speech, but he also left room for alternatives like the co-op or a fallback option that would trigger the public plan only if private companies weren't offering enough choices.
The trigger alternative was getting attention from a number of moderate Senate Democrats who met with Obama at the White House on Thursday, according to several who attended. Some moderates oppose a straight-up public plan.
"His willingness to be flexible on that reassured members of our group," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. "His willingness to say what matters here is the ends, we shouldn't obsess about the means."
The moderates also responded to Obama's commitment in his speech to holding down costs.
Facebook is now Lite
ll ya'll frustrated with the superfluous apps updates, or the loading time on your Facebook homepage, can heave a sigh of relief. The 'Lite' version of the social networking site has finally arrived. Facebook had introduced Facebook Lite a couple of weeks ago for and had enabled it for a select few to try out. Reports say that this additional version is now available all across US and apparently in India as well.
As we had mentioned in our last post on this, many Facebook fans aren't lucky enough to get on with the virtual socializing 'fast enough'. Browsing through pages and pages of updates, latest pictures, links to videos, and all that, sure consumes a lot of bandwidth. This Lite-r version will work wonders for them to stay connected with this popular medium.
Here's what Facebook is saying on the matter (emailed to Techcrunch):
"We decided to roll out Facebook Lite in the U.S. to give users a simple, expedient alternative to facebook.com, and hope that it will fill this need. While the majority of our user base is outside the United States, we're always working to enhance the new user experience even in markets where facebook.com is easily accessible. We have also found that people who are new to Facebook tend to be most interested in a simpler experience, focus on establishing their network of friends and communicating with them by writing on their walls, sending messages, and looking at pictures. We have introduced the Lite site with these new users in mind."
Start experiencing the Lite-n-crispy Facebook here [http://lite.facebook.com/].
Follow Techtree on TwitterRelated LinksSecurity lapse compromises Facebook privacyNimbuzz Inks Deal With Spice MobilesNow Make Calls From Your iPod TouchTAG KEYWORDSfacebook facebook lite application faster lite
As we had mentioned in our last post on this, many Facebook fans aren't lucky enough to get on with the virtual socializing 'fast enough'. Browsing through pages and pages of updates, latest pictures, links to videos, and all that, sure consumes a lot of bandwidth. This Lite-r version will work wonders for them to stay connected with this popular medium.
Here's what Facebook is saying on the matter (emailed to Techcrunch):
"We decided to roll out Facebook Lite in the U.S. to give users a simple, expedient alternative to facebook.com, and hope that it will fill this need. While the majority of our user base is outside the United States, we're always working to enhance the new user experience even in markets where facebook.com is easily accessible. We have also found that people who are new to Facebook tend to be most interested in a simpler experience, focus on establishing their network of friends and communicating with them by writing on their walls, sending messages, and looking at pictures. We have introduced the Lite site with these new users in mind."
Start experiencing the Lite-n-crispy Facebook here [http://lite.facebook.com/].
Follow Techtree on TwitterRelated LinksSecurity lapse compromises Facebook privacyNimbuzz Inks Deal With Spice MobilesNow Make Calls From Your iPod TouchTAG KEYWORDSfacebook facebook lite application faster lite
9/11: US remembers on September 11 anniversary
11th of Sept 09
US remembers on September 11 anniversaryMemorial services are being held across the US to mark eighth anniversary of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. Published: 1:01PM BST 11 Sep 2009 Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will speak at the Pentagon to mark eighth anniversary of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks Photo: REUTERS Nearly 3,000 people died when the four planes crashed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Ceremonies are to be held at these sites and all Americans have been encouraged to contribute to a national day of service. President Barack Obama and defence secretary Robert Gates will speak at the Pentagon, where 184 people died, and meet members of the victims' family and lay a wreath. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said Mr Obama would "speak about what the day means and the sacrifices of thousands, not just at the Pentagon, but in Pennsylvania and certainly and most obviously in New York". Vice-President Joe Biden will attend a ceremony at the site of the World Trade Center towers in New York. There will be four moments of silence there - one for each of the times a plane crashed into the towers and also for the collapse of the towers. The names of more than 2,700 victims from the site will be read out by family members and volunteers who helped in the aftermath of the attacks. Ground Zero still remains a building site eight years on despite plans to build a permanent memorial, a museum and five new skyscrapers. Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, will speak at the site of the United Airlines Flight 93 crash where the names of the 40 people on board will be read out. For the first time, the anniversary has been designated as a national day of service. Americans have been encouraged to contribute their labour and time in the memory of the victims. Conservation projects, aid packages for soldiers and other volunteer work are some of the activities members of the public are taking part in. Some have expressed concern that this may divert the focus away from the act of remembrance. Debra Burlingame, whose brother died at the Pentagon, told the Associated Press news agency, "I greatly fear at some point we'll transition to turning it into Earth Day where we go and plant trees and the remembrance part will become smaller." About 1,000 US troops in Afghanistan marked the occasion with a 9.11km (5.5 mile) run at their Bagram base in Kabul. Two other bases also took part.
US remembers on September 11 anniversaryMemorial services are being held across the US to mark eighth anniversary of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. Published: 1:01PM BST 11 Sep 2009 Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will speak at the Pentagon to mark eighth anniversary of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks Photo: REUTERS Nearly 3,000 people died when the four planes crashed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Ceremonies are to be held at these sites and all Americans have been encouraged to contribute to a national day of service. President Barack Obama and defence secretary Robert Gates will speak at the Pentagon, where 184 people died, and meet members of the victims' family and lay a wreath. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said Mr Obama would "speak about what the day means and the sacrifices of thousands, not just at the Pentagon, but in Pennsylvania and certainly and most obviously in New York". Vice-President Joe Biden will attend a ceremony at the site of the World Trade Center towers in New York. There will be four moments of silence there - one for each of the times a plane crashed into the towers and also for the collapse of the towers. The names of more than 2,700 victims from the site will be read out by family members and volunteers who helped in the aftermath of the attacks. Ground Zero still remains a building site eight years on despite plans to build a permanent memorial, a museum and five new skyscrapers. Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, will speak at the site of the United Airlines Flight 93 crash where the names of the 40 people on board will be read out. For the first time, the anniversary has been designated as a national day of service. Americans have been encouraged to contribute their labour and time in the memory of the victims. Conservation projects, aid packages for soldiers and other volunteer work are some of the activities members of the public are taking part in. Some have expressed concern that this may divert the focus away from the act of remembrance. Debra Burlingame, whose brother died at the Pentagon, told the Associated Press news agency, "I greatly fear at some point we'll transition to turning it into Earth Day where we go and plant trees and the remembrance part will become smaller." About 1,000 US troops in Afghanistan marked the occasion with a 9.11km (5.5 mile) run at their Bagram base in Kabul. Two other bases also took part.
School ignored many warnings - Delhi - City
11th of sept 09
NEW DELHI: Just when it had seemed the story of Delhi government schools could only get rosier from here came Thursday's shocking stampede at a Khajoori Khas school that left five children dead. What added to the chagrin of victims' parents was the fact that despite several warnings from the police, the school had made no effort to rectify the structural flaws in the building or to step up security.
The school authorities were so lax that even when some 1,200 students were being shunted through a 4.5 feet wide staircase, there were no teachers to maintain order. Girls who survived the ordeal talked of being pushed and shoved by rowdy boys. Though the rains had been continuing since Wednesday night, the altered seating plan had not been decided in advance, causing the last minute melee.
Even as education department implements its ambitious Roopanatar to change the way government schools look, the building of Government Senior Secondary Boys/Girls School Khajoori Khas did not even follow the National Building Code (NBC) of India. The stampede happened in the only staircase leading to the second floor of the building. According to an expert, there should have been at least two staircases. "The staircase should have railings and not walls on either side to prevent mishaps,'' he added. This one was bounded by walls on either side making it a death trap.
According to NBC, a school should have fire safety measures like fire extinguisher, hose reel and other fire-fighting equipment in place but the school has none of these. There is just one gate which gets overcrowded in the afternoon when the girls' school gets over and the boys' school starts.
A local resident whose daughter studies in the school said: "The girls are often teased and pushed by the boys when the shift changes.''
According to a parent, Attar Singh, a resident of Khajoori Village, "There are no guards even though it is a girls' school'' something which police feel could also have helped in preventing the eight fatal accidents on the Maujpur- Khajoori Khas stretch in past one year involving students from the school.
The hutments (temporary arrangement) where the boys took their exams were in bad shape and despite repeated reminders from parents, the school authorities never got them repaired, alleged another parent. Government denials flew thick and fast. Education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, said: "All reports about the school building being in a bad state and the stairs being narrow are false. The building is in good condition and the stairs are five feet wide.''
Officials, in fact, claim that whatever lapses may have taken place, it would have been the responsibility of the school authorities. Said a senior official, "The fact that seating plans were changed at the last minute because of the rains is indicative of the irresponsible attitude of the staff. Why weren't enough teachers deployed to supervise the change of examination hall?''
Admitted director of education, Chandrabhushan Kumar, "Nothing like this has happened ever before. Walls collapsing because of heavy rains or some such incident is still understandable, but not a stampede." And while Kumar wouldn't comment on the role of staff for the incident no teachers or staff was injured at a time when government schools are breaking stereotypes, it raises many uncomfortable questions for his department.
NEW DELHI: Just when it had seemed the story of Delhi government schools could only get rosier from here came Thursday's shocking stampede at a Khajoori Khas school that left five children dead. What added to the chagrin of victims' parents was the fact that despite several warnings from the police, the school had made no effort to rectify the structural flaws in the building or to step up security.
The school authorities were so lax that even when some 1,200 students were being shunted through a 4.5 feet wide staircase, there were no teachers to maintain order. Girls who survived the ordeal talked of being pushed and shoved by rowdy boys. Though the rains had been continuing since Wednesday night, the altered seating plan had not been decided in advance, causing the last minute melee.
Even as education department implements its ambitious Roopanatar to change the way government schools look, the building of Government Senior Secondary Boys/Girls School Khajoori Khas did not even follow the National Building Code (NBC) of India. The stampede happened in the only staircase leading to the second floor of the building. According to an expert, there should have been at least two staircases. "The staircase should have railings and not walls on either side to prevent mishaps,'' he added. This one was bounded by walls on either side making it a death trap.
According to NBC, a school should have fire safety measures like fire extinguisher, hose reel and other fire-fighting equipment in place but the school has none of these. There is just one gate which gets overcrowded in the afternoon when the girls' school gets over and the boys' school starts.
A local resident whose daughter studies in the school said: "The girls are often teased and pushed by the boys when the shift changes.''
According to a parent, Attar Singh, a resident of Khajoori Village, "There are no guards even though it is a girls' school'' something which police feel could also have helped in preventing the eight fatal accidents on the Maujpur- Khajoori Khas stretch in past one year involving students from the school.
The hutments (temporary arrangement) where the boys took their exams were in bad shape and despite repeated reminders from parents, the school authorities never got them repaired, alleged another parent. Government denials flew thick and fast. Education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, said: "All reports about the school building being in a bad state and the stairs being narrow are false. The building is in good condition and the stairs are five feet wide.''
Officials, in fact, claim that whatever lapses may have taken place, it would have been the responsibility of the school authorities. Said a senior official, "The fact that seating plans were changed at the last minute because of the rains is indicative of the irresponsible attitude of the staff. Why weren't enough teachers deployed to supervise the change of examination hall?''
Admitted director of education, Chandrabhushan Kumar, "Nothing like this has happened ever before. Walls collapsing because of heavy rains or some such incident is still understandable, but not a stampede." And while Kumar wouldn't comment on the role of staff for the incident no teachers or staff was injured at a time when government schools are breaking stereotypes, it raises many uncomfortable questions for his department.
Sincere about 26/11 probe: Pakistan Foreign Office
7th of Sept 09
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday reiterated its sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, saying India should assist in the process instead of making allegations on Islamabad's intentions.
"India should not doubt our sincerity in handling this case. Instead of levelling allegations they should provide us with concrete proof so that we could take this case forward in a meaningful way," Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told BBC radio in an interview.
"We want to make it clear to India that this is a purely judicial matter and the governments of Pakistan and India cannot do anything about this," he added.
"Only the court can take a decision on the dossiers," he maintained, and pointed out that court proceedings had begun against five culprits involved in the Mumbai attack.
"The matter is now in the court and it is incorrect to comment on this," the spokesperson contended.
About the comments of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Pakistan's "unwillingness" to prosecute Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, who New Delhi says is the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Basit termed this against the spirit of the Sharm-al Sheikh joint declaration between the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers.
Speaking to TV news channel NDTV in New Delhi, Chidambaram said: "(While) covering up is a very strong word, there is for some strange reason (an) unwillingness to take investigation forward (by Pakistan)."
The home minister's statement came after Pakistan rebuffed the sixth and latest dossier as being a "rehash" of earlier information on Saeed and which was deemed inadequate to start a prosecution.
Revealing details of what India had given in the dossiers, Chidambaram said: "We know when (lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir) Kasab first met Hafiz Saeed and where. We know what Hafiz Saeed told the trainees. We know at least a couple of places where the training took place and that Hafez visited those training camps."
Further, India has also said Hafiz Saeed had given the terrorists aliases as well as tested their skills.
"We know that he (Saeed) was accompanied by a person described as major general sahib. Hafiz Saeed told this person to set up 10 targets. Kasab fired at target number 4," said Chidambaram.
He added that Saeed had made the "farewell call" and also issued the "final instructions" to the 10 terrorists in the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday reiterated its sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, saying India should assist in the process instead of making allegations on Islamabad's intentions.
"India should not doubt our sincerity in handling this case. Instead of levelling allegations they should provide us with concrete proof so that we could take this case forward in a meaningful way," Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told BBC radio in an interview.
"We want to make it clear to India that this is a purely judicial matter and the governments of Pakistan and India cannot do anything about this," he added.
"Only the court can take a decision on the dossiers," he maintained, and pointed out that court proceedings had begun against five culprits involved in the Mumbai attack.
"The matter is now in the court and it is incorrect to comment on this," the spokesperson contended.
About the comments of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Pakistan's "unwillingness" to prosecute Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, who New Delhi says is the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Basit termed this against the spirit of the Sharm-al Sheikh joint declaration between the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers.
Speaking to TV news channel NDTV in New Delhi, Chidambaram said: "(While) covering up is a very strong word, there is for some strange reason (an) unwillingness to take investigation forward (by Pakistan)."
The home minister's statement came after Pakistan rebuffed the sixth and latest dossier as being a "rehash" of earlier information on Saeed and which was deemed inadequate to start a prosecution.
Revealing details of what India had given in the dossiers, Chidambaram said: "We know when (lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir) Kasab first met Hafiz Saeed and where. We know what Hafiz Saeed told the trainees. We know at least a couple of places where the training took place and that Hafez visited those training camps."
Further, India has also said Hafiz Saeed had given the terrorists aliases as well as tested their skills.
"We know that he (Saeed) was accompanied by a person described as major general sahib. Hafiz Saeed told this person to set up 10 targets. Kasab fired at target number 4," said Chidambaram.
He added that Saeed had made the "farewell call" and also issued the "final instructions" to the 10 terrorists in the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.
CBI to probe YSR helicopter crash
7th of Sept 09
HYDERABAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the helicopter crash that killed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others, as the central government accepted the state's recommendation in this regard Monday.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had agreed to the state's request, state Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy told reporters.
She said the state government has sent a formal letter to the central government recommending a CBI probe.
"Chief Minister K. Rosaiah also spoke to Chidambaram over phone in this regard and the union home minister agreed to the request," she said.
The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
The state government has also ordered a probe by a two-member expert committee comprising M.R. Reddy, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) official and expert on VIP security, and H.S. Kola, former director general, civil aviation, she said.
"The expert committee will probe the incident from all angles. It will go into the causes of the crash and also what happened after the incident."
The committee has been asked to submit a report in two days. The government will extend all possible help to the committee.
"If the committee requires officials for its job, we will provide them," the home minister said.
"The committee would cover all aspects including preceding circumstances during and after the helicopter crash," said a statement from the chief minister's office.
Rosaiah said that the government views the incident very seriously and is determined to bring out all details and facts.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe and form a two-member expert committee was taken in a meeting chaired by Rosaiah and attended by the home minister, Agriculture Minister Raghuveera Reddy and Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav besides other top officials.
The state government has already ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police while the central government appointed a panel of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an inquiry.
"All these inquiries are to ensure a probe from all angles and to clear even a minor doubt. There are several doubts like he (YSR) should not have flown in bad weather, whether the helicopter had no-objection certificate and whether it was checked properly by the concerned officials," she said.
YSR, his special secretary, chief security officer and two pilots were killed Wednesday when a Bell 430 helicopter carrying them from Hyderabad to Chittoor district crashed in the dense Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district.
Their charred bodies and the chopper's wreckage were found the next day after one of the biggest search operations by the Indian Air Force.
Meanwhile, Chandrasekhara Reddy, an advocate, has filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking a thorough probe into the crash. The petitioner said the helicopter crashed due to a bomb explosion.The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
The state government has also ordered a probe by a two-member expert committee comprising M.R. Reddy, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) official and expert on VIP security, and H.S. Kola, former director general, civil aviation, she said.
"The expert committee will probe the incident from all angles. It will go into the causes of the crash and also what happened after the incident."
The committee has been asked to submit a report in two days. The government will extend all possible help to the committee.
"If the committee requires officials for its job, we will provide them," the home minister said.
"The committee would cover all aspects including preceding circumstances during and after the helicopter crash," said a statement from the chief minister's office.
Rosaiah said that the government views the incident very seriously and is determined to bring out all details and facts.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe and form a two-member expert committee was taken in a meeting chaired by Rosaiah and attended by the home minister, Agriculture Minister Raghuveera Reddy and Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav besides other top officials.
The state government has already ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police while the central government appointed a panel of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an inquiry.
"All these inquiries are to ensure a probe from all angles and to clear even a minor doubt. There are several doubts like he (YSR) should not have flown in bad weather, whether the helicopter had no-objection certificate and whether it was checked properly by the concerned officials," she said.
YSR, his special secretary, chief security officer and two pilots were killed Wednesday when a Bell 430 helicopter carrying them from Hyderabad to Chittoor district crashed in the dense Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district.
Their charred bodies and the chopper's wreckage were found the next day after one of the biggest search operations by the Indian Air Force.
Meanwhile, Chandrasekhara Reddy, an advocate, has filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking a thorough probe into the crash. The petitioner said the helicopter crashed due to a bomb explosion.
HYDERABAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the helicopter crash that killed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others, as the central government accepted the state's recommendation in this regard Monday.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had agreed to the state's request, state Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy told reporters.
She said the state government has sent a formal letter to the central government recommending a CBI probe.
"Chief Minister K. Rosaiah also spoke to Chidambaram over phone in this regard and the union home minister agreed to the request," she said.
The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
The state government has also ordered a probe by a two-member expert committee comprising M.R. Reddy, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) official and expert on VIP security, and H.S. Kola, former director general, civil aviation, she said.
"The expert committee will probe the incident from all angles. It will go into the causes of the crash and also what happened after the incident."
The committee has been asked to submit a report in two days. The government will extend all possible help to the committee.
"If the committee requires officials for its job, we will provide them," the home minister said.
"The committee would cover all aspects including preceding circumstances during and after the helicopter crash," said a statement from the chief minister's office.
Rosaiah said that the government views the incident very seriously and is determined to bring out all details and facts.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe and form a two-member expert committee was taken in a meeting chaired by Rosaiah and attended by the home minister, Agriculture Minister Raghuveera Reddy and Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav besides other top officials.
The state government has already ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police while the central government appointed a panel of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an inquiry.
"All these inquiries are to ensure a probe from all angles and to clear even a minor doubt. There are several doubts like he (YSR) should not have flown in bad weather, whether the helicopter had no-objection certificate and whether it was checked properly by the concerned officials," she said.
YSR, his special secretary, chief security officer and two pilots were killed Wednesday when a Bell 430 helicopter carrying them from Hyderabad to Chittoor district crashed in the dense Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district.
Their charred bodies and the chopper's wreckage were found the next day after one of the biggest search operations by the Indian Air Force.
Meanwhile, Chandrasekhara Reddy, an advocate, has filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking a thorough probe into the crash. The petitioner said the helicopter crashed due to a bomb explosion.The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
The state government has also ordered a probe by a two-member expert committee comprising M.R. Reddy, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) official and expert on VIP security, and H.S. Kola, former director general, civil aviation, she said.
"The expert committee will probe the incident from all angles. It will go into the causes of the crash and also what happened after the incident."
The committee has been asked to submit a report in two days. The government will extend all possible help to the committee.
"If the committee requires officials for its job, we will provide them," the home minister said.
"The committee would cover all aspects including preceding circumstances during and after the helicopter crash," said a statement from the chief minister's office.
Rosaiah said that the government views the incident very seriously and is determined to bring out all details and facts.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe and form a two-member expert committee was taken in a meeting chaired by Rosaiah and attended by the home minister, Agriculture Minister Raghuveera Reddy and Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav besides other top officials.
The state government has already ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police while the central government appointed a panel of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an inquiry.
"All these inquiries are to ensure a probe from all angles and to clear even a minor doubt. There are several doubts like he (YSR) should not have flown in bad weather, whether the helicopter had no-objection certificate and whether it was checked properly by the concerned officials," she said.
YSR, his special secretary, chief security officer and two pilots were killed Wednesday when a Bell 430 helicopter carrying them from Hyderabad to Chittoor district crashed in the dense Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district.
Their charred bodies and the chopper's wreckage were found the next day after one of the biggest search operations by the Indian Air Force.
Meanwhile, Chandrasekhara Reddy, an advocate, has filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking a thorough probe into the crash. The petitioner said the helicopter crashed due to a bomb explosion.
Sincere about 26/11 probe: Pakistan Foreign Office
7th of Sept 09
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday reiterated its sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, saying India should assist in the process instead of making allegations on Islamabad's intentions.
"India should not doubt our sincerity in handling this case. Instead of levelling allegations they should provide us with concrete proof so that we could take this case forward in a meaningful way," Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told BBC radio in an interview.
"We want to make it clear to India that this is a purely judicial matter and the governments of Pakistan and India cannot do anything about this," he added.
"Only the court can take a decision on the dossiers," he maintained, and pointed out that court proceedings had begun against five culprits involved in the Mumbai attack.
"The matter is now in the court and it is incorrect to comment on this," the spokesperson contended.
About the comments of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Pakistan's "unwillingness" to prosecute Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, who New Delhi says is the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Basit termed this against the spirit of the Sharm-al Sheikh joint declaration between the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers.
Speaking to TV news channel NDTV in New Delhi, Chidambaram said: "(While) covering up is a very strong word, there is for some strange reason (an) unwillingness to take investigation forward (by Pakistan)."
The home minister's statement came after Pakistan rebuffed the sixth and latest dossier as being a "rehash" of earlier information on Saeed and which was deemed inadequate to start a prosecution.
Revealing details of what India had given in the dossiers, Chidambaram said: "We know when (lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir) Kasab first met Hafiz Saeed and where. We know what Hafiz Saeed told the trainees. We know at least a couple of places where the training took place and that Hafez visited those training camps."
Further, India has also said Hafiz Saeed had given the terrorists aliases as well as tested their skills.
"We know that he (Saeed) was accompanied by a person described as major general sahib. Hafiz Saeed told this person to set up 10 targets. Kasab fired at target number 4," said Chidambaram.
He added that Saeed had made the "farewell call" and also issued the "final instructions" to the 10 terrorists in the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday reiterated its sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, saying India should assist in the process instead of making allegations on Islamabad's intentions.
"India should not doubt our sincerity in handling this case. Instead of levelling allegations they should provide us with concrete proof so that we could take this case forward in a meaningful way," Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told BBC radio in an interview.
"We want to make it clear to India that this is a purely judicial matter and the governments of Pakistan and India cannot do anything about this," he added.
"Only the court can take a decision on the dossiers," he maintained, and pointed out that court proceedings had begun against five culprits involved in the Mumbai attack.
"The matter is now in the court and it is incorrect to comment on this," the spokesperson contended.
About the comments of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Pakistan's "unwillingness" to prosecute Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, who New Delhi says is the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Basit termed this against the spirit of the Sharm-al Sheikh joint declaration between the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers.
Speaking to TV news channel NDTV in New Delhi, Chidambaram said: "(While) covering up is a very strong word, there is for some strange reason (an) unwillingness to take investigation forward (by Pakistan)."
The home minister's statement came after Pakistan rebuffed the sixth and latest dossier as being a "rehash" of earlier information on Saeed and which was deemed inadequate to start a prosecution.
Revealing details of what India had given in the dossiers, Chidambaram said: "We know when (lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir) Kasab first met Hafiz Saeed and where. We know what Hafiz Saeed told the trainees. We know at least a couple of places where the training took place and that Hafez visited those training camps."
Further, India has also said Hafiz Saeed had given the terrorists aliases as well as tested their skills.
"We know that he (Saeed) was accompanied by a person described as major general sahib. Hafiz Saeed told this person to set up 10 targets. Kasab fired at target number 4," said Chidambaram.
He added that Saeed had made the "farewell call" and also issued the "final instructions" to the 10 terrorists in the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.
Monday, September 7, 2009
my life in short..
7th of Sept 09
hush... it sucks... i mean its full of mysterious happenings and i won't be able to make it happen to the most wonderful one... everything gets messed up and i go to inferiority.. worries are extending and extend my pressure to a great extend.... feel like everything is upon me... though the exagerrations are somehow true noe... he he... doesn't mean its always like dat.... pf course i used to be the the most true one... every relations seems like fading away... don't get the exact feelings to go on with anything.... just have to go on with what is on .... precautions are ofcourse no doubt the important one.... just going on... best of luck.....
hush... it sucks... i mean its full of mysterious happenings and i won't be able to make it happen to the most wonderful one... everything gets messed up and i go to inferiority.. worries are extending and extend my pressure to a great extend.... feel like everything is upon me... though the exagerrations are somehow true noe... he he... doesn't mean its always like dat.... pf course i used to be the the most true one... every relations seems like fading away... don't get the exact feelings to go on with anything.... just have to go on with what is on .... precautions are ofcourse no doubt the important one.... just going on... best of luck.....
Sincere about 26/11 probe: Pakistan Foreign Office
7th sept 09
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday reiterated its sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, saying India should assist in the process instead of making allegations on Islamabad's intentions.
"India should not doubt our sincerity in handling this case. Instead of levelling allegations they should provide us with concrete proof so that we could take this case forward in a meaningful way," Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told BBC radio in an interview.
"We want to make it clear to India that this is a purely judicial matter and the governments of Pakistan and India cannot do anything about this," he added.
"Only the court can take a decision on the dossiers," he maintained, and pointed out that court proceedings had begun against five culprits involved in the Mumbai attack.
"The matter is now in the court and it is incorrect to comment on this," the spokesperson contended.
About the comments of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Pakistan's "unwillingness" to prosecute Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, who New Delhi says is the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Basit termed this against the spirit of the Sharm-al Sheikh joint declaration between the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers.
Speaking to TV news channel NDTV in New Delhi, Chidambaram said: "(While) covering up is a very strong word, there is for some strange reason (an) unwillingness to take investigation forward (by Pakistan)."
The home minister's statement came after Pakistan rebuffed the sixth and latest dossier as being a "rehash" of earlier information on Saeed and which was deemed inadequate to start a prosecution.
Revealing details of what India had given in the dossiers, Chidambaram said: "We know when (lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir) Kasab first met Hafiz Saeed and where. We know what Hafiz Saeed told the trainees. We know at least a couple of places where the training took place and that Hafez visited those training camps."
Further, India has also said Hafiz Saeed had given the terrorists aliases as well as tested their skills.
"We know that he (Saeed) was accompanied by a person described as major general sahib. Hafiz Saeed told this person to set up 10 targets. Kasab fired at target number 4," said Chidambaram.
He added that Saeed had made the "farewell call" and also issued the "final instructions" to the 10 terrorists in the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday reiterated its sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, saying India should assist in the process instead of making allegations on Islamabad's intentions.
"India should not doubt our sincerity in handling this case. Instead of levelling allegations they should provide us with concrete proof so that we could take this case forward in a meaningful way," Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told BBC radio in an interview.
"We want to make it clear to India that this is a purely judicial matter and the governments of Pakistan and India cannot do anything about this," he added.
"Only the court can take a decision on the dossiers," he maintained, and pointed out that court proceedings had begun against five culprits involved in the Mumbai attack.
"The matter is now in the court and it is incorrect to comment on this," the spokesperson contended.
About the comments of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Pakistan's "unwillingness" to prosecute Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, who New Delhi says is the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Basit termed this against the spirit of the Sharm-al Sheikh joint declaration between the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers.
Speaking to TV news channel NDTV in New Delhi, Chidambaram said: "(While) covering up is a very strong word, there is for some strange reason (an) unwillingness to take investigation forward (by Pakistan)."
The home minister's statement came after Pakistan rebuffed the sixth and latest dossier as being a "rehash" of earlier information on Saeed and which was deemed inadequate to start a prosecution.
Revealing details of what India had given in the dossiers, Chidambaram said: "We know when (lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir) Kasab first met Hafiz Saeed and where. We know what Hafiz Saeed told the trainees. We know at least a couple of places where the training took place and that Hafez visited those training camps."
Further, India has also said Hafiz Saeed had given the terrorists aliases as well as tested their skills.
"We know that he (Saeed) was accompanied by a person described as major general sahib. Hafiz Saeed told this person to set up 10 targets. Kasab fired at target number 4," said Chidambaram.
He added that Saeed had made the "farewell call" and also issued the "final instructions" to the 10 terrorists in the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.
CBI to probe YSR helicopter crash- Politics
7th sept 09
HYDERABAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the helicopter crash that killed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others, as the central government accepted the state's recommendation in this regard Monday.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had agreed to the state's request, state Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy told reporters.
She said the state government has sent a formal letter to the central government recommending a CBI probe.
"Chief Minister K. Rosaiah also spoke to Chidambaram over phone in this regard and the union home minister agreed to the request," she said.
The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
The state government has also ordered a probe by a two-member expert committee comprising M.R. Reddy, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) official and expert on VIP security, and H.S. Kola, former director general, civil aviation, she said.
"The expert committee will probe the incident from all angles. It will go into the causes of the crash and also what happened after the incident."
The committee has been asked to submit a report in two days. The government will extend all possible help to the committee.
"If the committee requires officials for its job, we will provide them," the home minister said.
"The committee would cover all aspects including preceding circumstances during and after the helicopter crash," said a statement from the chief minister's office.
Rosaiah said that the government views the incident very seriously and is determined to bring out all details and facts.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe and form a two-member expert committee was taken in a meeting chaired by Rosaiah and attended by the home minister, Agriculture Minister Raghuveera Reddy and Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav besides other top officials.
The state government has already ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police while the central government appointed a panel of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an inquiry.
"All these inquiries are to ensure a probe from all angles and to clear even a minor doubt. There are several doubts like he (YSR) should not have flown in bad weather, whether the helicopter had no-objection certificate and whether it was checked properly by the concerned officials," she said.
YSR, his special secretary, chief security officer and two pilots were killed Wednesday when a Bell 430 helicopter carrying them from Hyderabad to Chittoor district crashed in the dense Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district.
Their charred bodies and the chopper's wreckage were found the next day after one of the biggest search operations by the Indian Air Force.
Meanwhile, Chandrasekhara Reddy, an advocate, has filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking a thorough probe into the crash. The petitioner said the helicopter crashed due to a bomb explosion.The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
HYDERABAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the helicopter crash that killed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others, as the central government accepted the state's recommendation in this regard Monday.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had agreed to the state's request, state Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy told reporters.
She said the state government has sent a formal letter to the central government recommending a CBI probe.
"Chief Minister K. Rosaiah also spoke to Chidambaram over phone in this regard and the union home minister agreed to the request," she said.
The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
The state government has also ordered a probe by a two-member expert committee comprising M.R. Reddy, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) official and expert on VIP security, and H.S. Kola, former director general, civil aviation, she said.
"The expert committee will probe the incident from all angles. It will go into the causes of the crash and also what happened after the incident."
The committee has been asked to submit a report in two days. The government will extend all possible help to the committee.
"If the committee requires officials for its job, we will provide them," the home minister said.
"The committee would cover all aspects including preceding circumstances during and after the helicopter crash," said a statement from the chief minister's office.
Rosaiah said that the government views the incident very seriously and is determined to bring out all details and facts.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe and form a two-member expert committee was taken in a meeting chaired by Rosaiah and attended by the home minister, Agriculture Minister Raghuveera Reddy and Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav besides other top officials.
The state government has already ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police while the central government appointed a panel of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an inquiry.
"All these inquiries are to ensure a probe from all angles and to clear even a minor doubt. There are several doubts like he (YSR) should not have flown in bad weather, whether the helicopter had no-objection certificate and whether it was checked properly by the concerned officials," she said.
YSR, his special secretary, chief security officer and two pilots were killed Wednesday when a Bell 430 helicopter carrying them from Hyderabad to Chittoor district crashed in the dense Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district.
Their charred bodies and the chopper's wreckage were found the next day after one of the biggest search operations by the Indian Air Force.
Meanwhile, Chandrasekhara Reddy, an advocate, has filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking a thorough probe into the crash. The petitioner said the helicopter crashed due to a bomb explosion.The move for a CBI probe comes amid reports not ruling out sabotage and conspiracy in the helicopter crash. Questions asking if the helicopter exploded in the air are also being raised.
There are also doubts whether the helicopter had an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). There are also alleged lapses on part of state officials, technical personnel responsible for the maintenance of the chopper and the Air Traffic Control.
"There are several doubts in the minds of the eight crore people of this state about the crash. The government decided to go for a thorough inquiry and place all the facts before the people," Sabita Indra Reddy said.
Buddhadeb not planning to quit: CPM -
7th Sept, 09
NEW DELHI: Absence of West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Kerala state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan dominated CPM’s politburo more than the discussion on rectification document and the current political situation.
Party sources said rumours of Buddhadeb planning to step down was a figment of imagination. “He has not been keeping well. Doctors have advised him rest,” West Bengal state secretary Biman Bose said.
“Buddhadeb has been down with viral fever which has relapsed. Problem is that he is not taking off. Even the party has advised him to take rest,” another leader said. He is now likely to go to a hill station in the state for three-four days. “There is no question of any leadership change,” the leader added. The party said Buddhadeb would attend the next politburo meeting scheduled on October 10 and central committee meeting from October 23 to 25.
The larger issue, party sources said, was the relentless attack on CPM cadre in West Bengal. Bose presented a detailed report on violence in the state and steps being taken by the party. “The spree of killings by the Trinamool and Maoists have not stopped after the Lok Sabha elections. In the Lalgarh area, the Maoists continue to indulge in targeted killings of CPM cadres and supporters,” the party said.
NEW DELHI: Absence of West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Kerala state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan dominated CPM’s politburo more than the discussion on rectification document and the current political situation.
Party sources said rumours of Buddhadeb planning to step down was a figment of imagination. “He has not been keeping well. Doctors have advised him rest,” West Bengal state secretary Biman Bose said.
“Buddhadeb has been down with viral fever which has relapsed. Problem is that he is not taking off. Even the party has advised him to take rest,” another leader said. He is now likely to go to a hill station in the state for three-four days. “There is no question of any leadership change,” the leader added. The party said Buddhadeb would attend the next politburo meeting scheduled on October 10 and central committee meeting from October 23 to 25.
The larger issue, party sources said, was the relentless attack on CPM cadre in West Bengal. Bose presented a detailed report on violence in the state and steps being taken by the party. “The spree of killings by the Trinamool and Maoists have not stopped after the Lok Sabha elections. In the Lalgarh area, the Maoists continue to indulge in targeted killings of CPM cadres and supporters,” the party said.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Is Nokia Finally On The Offensive Now?
Sep 03, 2009
At the Nokia World 09 underway in Stuttgart, Nokia seems to be telling the world that it STILL is the world's number one mobile phone manufacturer even though its dominance might have been challenged by relative new comers. Whenever we say newcomer, the first thing that comes to the mind is undoubtedly, Apple. When Apple introduced the iPhone back in 2007, it was a revolutionary device right from the design to its UI. Two years after its introduction, many devices have tried to be an iPhone killer but none of them really managed to cause any dent into the sales of the iPhone, let alone kill it. However, by 2009 we have a relative flood of new devices that are actually capable of doing things way better than the iPhone and they look good whilst doing it as well, a key iPhone feature! So, we now have the Android with the Sense UI on HTC, Palm with its extremely slick WebOS and Nokia with Series 60 Version 5! What? Series 60?
Well, sadly, that is what most Nokia high-end devices use nowadays. This single "feature", which has been instrumental in Nokia gaining a lion's share of the smartphone market in the early 2000s might just have caused Nokia to lose its share dramatically over the past few quarters. And while analysts were wondering what they were going to do about it, they come with the N97, yet ANOTHER Series S0 handset! Sure, the N97 is a highly capable device, it can do stuff the iPhone can only dream of, but what fails it is the OS, which, no doubt, is good. But whenever you use S60 now, (especially after you use Android or the iPhone OS) you feel that it's no longer up there. Yes, it has the apps, it can multitask, it's got sleeker and tries to more than make up for its old pedigree with it's new looks and transition effects. But it does feel a generation old. So, Nokia was actually left with a very good OS that it can't let go as it has worked so well for them and at the same time, the future of it's devices was at risk as they were still clinging on to an old platform.
Therefore, in 2009, at the Nokia World, they come up with the N900 Internet Tablet, a device that might just change the way you look at a Nokia device from now. The move seems to be a kind of acceptance by the company that it had been slow to react to the advent of the likes of RIM, Apple, Google to what has been traditionally Nokia's home turf. With the N900 and its usage of the Linux based Maemo 5 Operating System, Nokia has taken it's first little step at distancing it from Series 60 (Not Symbian!). With the Open Source Symbian OS still under development, Nokia has to have a buffer OS that is not only capable but also delivers on the UI scheme of things. This is where Maemo seems to have fitted fine. Even thought the N900 is positioned as a tablet PC with phone abilities, it has more or less grabbed the flagship Nokia crown from the N97 already and for a good reason! The Maemo 5 has a nice UI, it can multitask, it is open and can do most things better than the iPhone and for the same reason, Nokia has reasons to believe it has finally got its act together and delivered a really compelling device. Will the N900 and Maemo be able to replicate the success of its earlier S60 platform? What about the upcoming Symbian OS that is separate from the Maemo? Will the Maemo ever come to normal devices? These would be the things we will be on the look out for in the future. With the Ovi Store in place, Nokia already has a platform where it can take on the likes of the Apple App Store. So, even that front seems to have been covered.
Nokia is also hoping to capitalize on its unlimited music service, as evident from its new launches yesterday. The new X series with two new devices, the X6 and the X3, seems to be an extension of Nokia's XpressMusic service and come with Nokia's Comes with Music service that is awaiting a global launch soon. They are not actually in hurry to ditch S60 as evident by the launch of the N97 Mini yesterday. However, the most distinct product to grace a Nokia showroom will undoubtedly be its Booklet 3G, which is Nokia's first attempt at making a PC, a netbook that runs Windows. By doing this, it will be the first pure mobile phone company to venture into PC making. A move that will, no doubt, give it a head start in this field. Apart from all these, the company is also concentrating on becoming more of a service provider and less of a traditional phone maker. This is clear from its Ovi branded initiatives, that range from its Ovi suite of mobile music, maps, games and other services.
At the Nokia World 09 underway in Stuttgart, Nokia seems to be telling the world that it STILL is the world's number one mobile phone manufacturer even though its dominance might have been challenged by relative new comers. Whenever we say newcomer, the first thing that comes to the mind is undoubtedly, Apple. When Apple introduced the iPhone back in 2007, it was a revolutionary device right from the design to its UI. Two years after its introduction, many devices have tried to be an iPhone killer but none of them really managed to cause any dent into the sales of the iPhone, let alone kill it. However, by 2009 we have a relative flood of new devices that are actually capable of doing things way better than the iPhone and they look good whilst doing it as well, a key iPhone feature! So, we now have the Android with the Sense UI on HTC, Palm with its extremely slick WebOS and Nokia with Series 60 Version 5! What? Series 60?
Well, sadly, that is what most Nokia high-end devices use nowadays. This single "feature", which has been instrumental in Nokia gaining a lion's share of the smartphone market in the early 2000s might just have caused Nokia to lose its share dramatically over the past few quarters. And while analysts were wondering what they were going to do about it, they come with the N97, yet ANOTHER Series S0 handset! Sure, the N97 is a highly capable device, it can do stuff the iPhone can only dream of, but what fails it is the OS, which, no doubt, is good. But whenever you use S60 now, (especially after you use Android or the iPhone OS) you feel that it's no longer up there. Yes, it has the apps, it can multitask, it's got sleeker and tries to more than make up for its old pedigree with it's new looks and transition effects. But it does feel a generation old. So, Nokia was actually left with a very good OS that it can't let go as it has worked so well for them and at the same time, the future of it's devices was at risk as they were still clinging on to an old platform.
Therefore, in 2009, at the Nokia World, they come up with the N900 Internet Tablet, a device that might just change the way you look at a Nokia device from now. The move seems to be a kind of acceptance by the company that it had been slow to react to the advent of the likes of RIM, Apple, Google to what has been traditionally Nokia's home turf. With the N900 and its usage of the Linux based Maemo 5 Operating System, Nokia has taken it's first little step at distancing it from Series 60 (Not Symbian!). With the Open Source Symbian OS still under development, Nokia has to have a buffer OS that is not only capable but also delivers on the UI scheme of things. This is where Maemo seems to have fitted fine. Even thought the N900 is positioned as a tablet PC with phone abilities, it has more or less grabbed the flagship Nokia crown from the N97 already and for a good reason! The Maemo 5 has a nice UI, it can multitask, it is open and can do most things better than the iPhone and for the same reason, Nokia has reasons to believe it has finally got its act together and delivered a really compelling device. Will the N900 and Maemo be able to replicate the success of its earlier S60 platform? What about the upcoming Symbian OS that is separate from the Maemo? Will the Maemo ever come to normal devices? These would be the things we will be on the look out for in the future. With the Ovi Store in place, Nokia already has a platform where it can take on the likes of the Apple App Store. So, even that front seems to have been covered.
Nokia is also hoping to capitalize on its unlimited music service, as evident from its new launches yesterday. The new X series with two new devices, the X6 and the X3, seems to be an extension of Nokia's XpressMusic service and come with Nokia's Comes with Music service that is awaiting a global launch soon. They are not actually in hurry to ditch S60 as evident by the launch of the N97 Mini yesterday. However, the most distinct product to grace a Nokia showroom will undoubtedly be its Booklet 3G, which is Nokia's first attempt at making a PC, a netbook that runs Windows. By doing this, it will be the first pure mobile phone company to venture into PC making. A move that will, no doubt, give it a head start in this field. Apart from all these, the company is also concentrating on becoming more of a service provider and less of a traditional phone maker. This is clear from its Ovi branded initiatives, that range from its Ovi suite of mobile music, maps, games and other services.
Exploding iPhones: Apple Says All Well
Aug 31, 2009
After reports of exploding iPhones came in from France, Apple says that after investigating the cases, it was sure that the explosion was not caused by the product being faulty. In a statement to the BBC, Apple said, "The iPhones with broken glass that we have analyzed to date show that in all cases, the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone." The investigation was internal and was done in as a counter measure to the European Commission investigation that was launched after the reports of the first exploding iPhones first came in.
So, what Apple is saying here is that the explosions have been either manually induced or that the product was made to go undergo an external force that caused it to crack and that there was no explosion at all
Apple also refuted charges regarding the battery heating problem and has said that there have been no such complaints from any consumer so far regarding heating issues. Note that this is for the just launched iPhone 3GS. The statement adds that so far only single digit, unconfirmed heating related issues have been spotted.
However, Frenchman Frank Benoiton, who was an iPhone owner insists that his iPhone cracked "just like that" and that no external force was applied to it and nor was the phone dropped. To make things difficult for Apple, a British family has sought a refund from Apple after their iPod exploded after a fall. As a safety measure, the European Commission has issued a warning against buying the iPhone using its rapid-alert system, Rapex, which warns of dangerous consumer products.
After reports of exploding iPhones came in from France, Apple says that after investigating the cases, it was sure that the explosion was not caused by the product being faulty. In a statement to the BBC, Apple said, "The iPhones with broken glass that we have analyzed to date show that in all cases, the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone." The investigation was internal and was done in as a counter measure to the European Commission investigation that was launched after the reports of the first exploding iPhones first came in.
So, what Apple is saying here is that the explosions have been either manually induced or that the product was made to go undergo an external force that caused it to crack and that there was no explosion at all
Apple also refuted charges regarding the battery heating problem and has said that there have been no such complaints from any consumer so far regarding heating issues. Note that this is for the just launched iPhone 3GS. The statement adds that so far only single digit, unconfirmed heating related issues have been spotted.
However, Frenchman Frank Benoiton, who was an iPhone owner insists that his iPhone cracked "just like that" and that no external force was applied to it and nor was the phone dropped. To make things difficult for Apple, a British family has sought a refund from Apple after their iPod exploded after a fall. As a safety measure, the European Commission has issued a warning against buying the iPhone using its rapid-alert system, Rapex, which warns of dangerous consumer products.
Exploding iPhones: Apple Says All Well
Aug 31, 2009
After reports of exploding iPhones came in from France, Apple says that after investigating the cases, it was sure that the explosion was not caused by the product being faulty. In a statement to the BBC, Apple said, "The iPhones with broken glass that we have analyzed to date show that in all cases, the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone." The investigation was internal and was done in as a counter measure to the European Commission investigation that was launched after the reports of the first exploding iPhones first came in.
So, what Apple is saying here is that the explosions have been either manually induced or that the product was made to go undergo an external force that caused it to crack and that there was no explosion at all
Apple also refuted charges regarding the battery heating problem and has said that there have been no such complaints from any consumer so far regarding heating issues. Note that this is for the just launched iPhone 3GS. The statement adds that so far only single digit, unconfirmed heating related issues have been spotted.
However, Frenchman Frank Benoiton, who was an iPhone owner insists that his iPhone cracked "just like that" and that no external force was applied to it and nor was the phone dropped. To make things difficult for Apple, a British family has sought a refund from Apple after their iPod exploded after a fall. As a safety measure, the European Commission has issued a warning against buying the iPhone using its rapid-alert system, Rapex, which warns of dangerous consumer products.
After reports of exploding iPhones came in from France, Apple says that after investigating the cases, it was sure that the explosion was not caused by the product being faulty. In a statement to the BBC, Apple said, "The iPhones with broken glass that we have analyzed to date show that in all cases, the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone." The investigation was internal and was done in as a counter measure to the European Commission investigation that was launched after the reports of the first exploding iPhones first came in.
So, what Apple is saying here is that the explosions have been either manually induced or that the product was made to go undergo an external force that caused it to crack and that there was no explosion at all
Apple also refuted charges regarding the battery heating problem and has said that there have been no such complaints from any consumer so far regarding heating issues. Note that this is for the just launched iPhone 3GS. The statement adds that so far only single digit, unconfirmed heating related issues have been spotted.
However, Frenchman Frank Benoiton, who was an iPhone owner insists that his iPhone cracked "just like that" and that no external force was applied to it and nor was the phone dropped. To make things difficult for Apple, a British family has sought a refund from Apple after their iPod exploded after a fall. As a safety measure, the European Commission has issued a warning against buying the iPhone using its rapid-alert system, Rapex, which warns of dangerous consumer products.
Publisher rushes 5,000 copies of Jaswant Singh's book to Gujarat- Politics
5 Sep 2009
NEW DELHI: The publishers of expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh's controversial book "Jinnah: India, Partition -Independence" have released about 5,000 copies to the markets in Gujarat, on Saturday.
Delhi based Rupa and Company the publisher of the book succeeded in sending these many copies within 24 hours of revoking the ban put by the Gujarat Government.
The Gujarat High Court, on Friday revoked the ban put on the book by the Narendra Modi led government.
Gujarat Government banned the book on August 19, within two days after its release saying, the book might create communal disturbances in the state and was also derogatory of India's first Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
The chairman of Rupa and Company R. K. Mehra said that there has been a tremendous demand for the book. The publishing house has sent the books to Baroda, Ahmedabad and other cities of the state.
Mehra added that over 1,000 copies each were sent by air from New Delhi and Mumbai as soon as they came to know about the High Court's decision.
The remaining copies have been sent on Saturday by train. The Gujarati translation of the book would soon hit the stands in the state, he said.
In its decision the High Court observed that the government's notification violated the fundamental rights of citizen.
Reacting to the judgment an elated Jaswant Singh had said he was thrilled and felt vindicated but voiced his dismay at courts having to intervene in the matter.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Gujarat Government on a petition filed by Singh the challenged the ban.
Not only intellectuals, but people from different strata of society have also shown an interest in the book, in which Singh has praised Jinnah and described him as a leader who had strong faith in united India, while blaming Sardar Patel for the partition in 1947.
NEW DELHI: The publishers of expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh's controversial book "Jinnah: India, Partition -Independence" have released about 5,000 copies to the markets in Gujarat, on Saturday.
Delhi based Rupa and Company the publisher of the book succeeded in sending these many copies within 24 hours of revoking the ban put by the Gujarat Government.
The Gujarat High Court, on Friday revoked the ban put on the book by the Narendra Modi led government.
Gujarat Government banned the book on August 19, within two days after its release saying, the book might create communal disturbances in the state and was also derogatory of India's first Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
The chairman of Rupa and Company R. K. Mehra said that there has been a tremendous demand for the book. The publishing house has sent the books to Baroda, Ahmedabad and other cities of the state.
Mehra added that over 1,000 copies each were sent by air from New Delhi and Mumbai as soon as they came to know about the High Court's decision.
The remaining copies have been sent on Saturday by train. The Gujarati translation of the book would soon hit the stands in the state, he said.
In its decision the High Court observed that the government's notification violated the fundamental rights of citizen.
Reacting to the judgment an elated Jaswant Singh had said he was thrilled and felt vindicated but voiced his dismay at courts having to intervene in the matter.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Gujarat Government on a petition filed by Singh the challenged the ban.
Not only intellectuals, but people from different strata of society have also shown an interest in the book, in which Singh has praised Jinnah and described him as a leader who had strong faith in united India, while blaming Sardar Patel for the partition in 1947.
India's first male quintuplets alive and kicking - Mumbai
5 September 2009
MUMBAI: A 24-year-old woman delivered a set of quintuplets in a span of three minutes on Friday at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, Andheri. The first all-male set of quintuplets - incidentally, also the lone survivor set in India - and Sabira Khan, their proud mother, are all doing well.
"The set was conceived naturally. This, apart from being the first survivor set in India, is the eleventh all-male set and the seventeenth set of natural conception in the world," said Dr Suchitra Pandit, the gynaecologist who operated upon Sabira. The average weight of the babies is 800 gram. The first was born at 12:36 pm and the last at 12:39 pm, say the doctors who performed the operation.
Incidentally, this is not the first delivery for Sabira. "Our first son is 10 months old now. It is only by God's grace that I've got five more sons in the month of Ramzan, and on a Friday," said Ubaid Khan, the ecstatic father. He runs a garments business at Naya Bazaar.
The quintuplets did not seem to have caused much of a problem to their mother. "Sabira's case was referred to us by another doctor. It was a big decision on our hospital's part to take up such a case. We needed a lot of preparation, both mental as well as in terms of equipment,'' said Dr Vinay Joshi, consultant pediatrician.
"When Sabira was referred to us on Monday, we did not know what to do. She was in her 28th week of pregnancy and had a history of a leak (passing water). Plus, one of the babies had less fluid surrounding him. Sabira also had a slightly higher pulse rate," said Dr Pandit, adding that the whole team had practised four drills before the delivery.
"The babies will have to be kept in the ICU for at least two months," said Dr Joshi.
MUMBAI: A 24-year-old woman delivered a set of quintuplets in a span of three minutes on Friday at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, Andheri. The first all-male set of quintuplets - incidentally, also the lone survivor set in India - and Sabira Khan, their proud mother, are all doing well.
"The set was conceived naturally. This, apart from being the first survivor set in India, is the eleventh all-male set and the seventeenth set of natural conception in the world," said Dr Suchitra Pandit, the gynaecologist who operated upon Sabira. The average weight of the babies is 800 gram. The first was born at 12:36 pm and the last at 12:39 pm, say the doctors who performed the operation.
Incidentally, this is not the first delivery for Sabira. "Our first son is 10 months old now. It is only by God's grace that I've got five more sons in the month of Ramzan, and on a Friday," said Ubaid Khan, the ecstatic father. He runs a garments business at Naya Bazaar.
The quintuplets did not seem to have caused much of a problem to their mother. "Sabira's case was referred to us by another doctor. It was a big decision on our hospital's part to take up such a case. We needed a lot of preparation, both mental as well as in terms of equipment,'' said Dr Vinay Joshi, consultant pediatrician.
"When Sabira was referred to us on Monday, we did not know what to do. She was in her 28th week of pregnancy and had a history of a leak (passing water). Plus, one of the babies had less fluid surrounding him. Sabira also had a slightly higher pulse rate," said Dr Pandit, adding that the whole team had practised four drills before the delivery.
"The babies will have to be kept in the ICU for at least two months," said Dr Joshi.
I am on right track to break into top 100: Somdev
NEW DELHI: India's No. 1 tennis player Somdev Devvarman, after a breakthrough performance in the US Open, has now set his sights on breaking into the top 100.
Somdev is the first Indian to qualify for the US Open in eight years and is ranked 161 in the world.
Speaking to TIMES NOW, Somdev, on his dream of making into the top 100, said that he is getting his chances and that it is time for him to step up his ranking. He said, "It's time to step up. It's been a great experience, hopefully, there will be more."
Expressing optimism that he can do well in the coming days, he said, "I am playing well against top 30 players and am on the right track. I have 6 to 7 years of tennis left in me, so there's no looking back now.'
Related Articles I want to win next Davis Cup tie for India: Somdev I want to be ready for the challenges ahead: Somdev Somdev loses but takes heart at US Open Somdev storms into second round at US Open Somdev qualifies for US Open main draw
Somdev is the first Indian to qualify for the US Open in eight years and is ranked 161 in the world.
Speaking to TIMES NOW, Somdev, on his dream of making into the top 100, said that he is getting his chances and that it is time for him to step up his ranking. He said, "It's time to step up. It's been a great experience, hopefully, there will be more."
Expressing optimism that he can do well in the coming days, he said, "I am playing well against top 30 players and am on the right track. I have 6 to 7 years of tennis left in me, so there's no looking back now.'
Related Articles I want to win next Davis Cup tie for India: Somdev I want to be ready for the challenges ahead: Somdev Somdev loses but takes heart at US Open Somdev storms into second round at US Open Somdev qualifies for US Open main draw
I am on right track to break into top 100: Somdev
5 September 2009
NEW DELHI: India's No. 1 tennis player Somdev Devvarman, after a breakthrough performance in the US Open, has now set his sights on breaking into the top 100.
Somdev is the first Indian to qualify for the US Open in eight years and is ranked 161 in the world.
Speaking to TIMES NOW, Somdev, on his dream of making into the top 100, said that he is getting his chances and that it is time for him to step up his ranking. He said, "It's time to step up. It's been a great experience, hopefully, there will be more."
Expressing optimism that he can do well in the coming days, he said, "I am playing well against top 30 players and am on the right track. I have 6 to 7 years of tennis left in me, so there's no looking back now.'
Related Articles I want to win next Davis Cup tie for India: Somdev I want to be ready for the challenges ahead: Somdev Somdev loses but takes heart at US Open Somdev storms into second round at US Open Somdev qualifies for US Open main draw
NEW DELHI: India's No. 1 tennis player Somdev Devvarman, after a breakthrough performance in the US Open, has now set his sights on breaking into the top 100.
Somdev is the first Indian to qualify for the US Open in eight years and is ranked 161 in the world.
Speaking to TIMES NOW, Somdev, on his dream of making into the top 100, said that he is getting his chances and that it is time for him to step up his ranking. He said, "It's time to step up. It's been a great experience, hopefully, there will be more."
Expressing optimism that he can do well in the coming days, he said, "I am playing well against top 30 players and am on the right track. I have 6 to 7 years of tennis left in me, so there's no looking back now.'
Related Articles I want to win next Davis Cup tie for India: Somdev I want to be ready for the challenges ahead: Somdev Somdev loses but takes heart at US Open Somdev storms into second round at US Open Somdev qualifies for US Open main draw
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Swine flu: Doctors who refuse vaccine 'putting patients at risk'
26th of Aug 09
Officials said that NHS staff had a duty to take the jab, to ensure they did not pass on the virus to those who were already sick.
The warning follows a spate of surveys which suggest that many healthcare workers will refuse the vaccine, despite being on the Government's “priority list”.
Up to half of GPs and one in three nurses say that they do not plan to take the vaccine, some because of concerns over safety.
Vivienne Parry, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, (JCVI) who advise ministers on vaccines, said that health professionals should protect “vulnerable patients” from the virus.
She said: “This (protection) aspect does not seem to feature at all in medical staff responses about flu vaccination, which is extremely concerning.
“Indeed the word ‘patient’ hardly seems to figure at all in responses in this and other surveys of healthcare workers, even though 75 per cent of deaths from swine flu are in those with serious underlying medical conditions who are in regular contact with healthcare workers.”
Prof David Salisbury, the Department of Health's director of immunisation, told GP magazine, which carried out the poll, that frontline health workers had a “duty” to have the vaccine.
“They have a duty to their patients not to infect their patients and they have a duty to their families,” he said.
More than two thirds of GPs who told Pulse magazine that they would turn down the jab believe that it has not undergone enough tests.
Doctors have been warned to look out for possible signs of Guillain Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological condition, which can cause paralysis and even death.
A vaccine used against flu in America in 1976 caused a number of cases of the condition.
However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) insists that the production of vaccines has become much safer since then.
Human trials are currently underway and will be scrutinised by the regulatory authorities before the vaccines will be licensed for use, probably in October.
Earlier this month a poll of almost 1,500 Nursing Times readers revealed that one in three said that they would not have the swine flu vaccine.
Uptake of the seasonal flu vaccine among NHS staff has been traditionally low, and just 16 per cent of all those employed by the health service took the vaccine last year.
Another study published online by the British Medical Journal shows that half of 8,500 healthcare workers in Hong Kong say that they would refuse a swine flu vaccine, because of safety concerns and worries that it would not work very well.
Researchers said that the figures were surprisingly low given the impact the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus had on the area.
However, some experts insisted that the polls did not prove that NHS staff were “irresponsible” or had serious concerns about the safety of the vaccine.
Prof Robert Dingwall, Director of the Institute for Science and Society at the University of Nottingham, said that it was important not to blow the apparent reluctance of healthcare workers to have the vaccine “out of proportion”.
He said: “(These polls) identify a communication challenge for those managing the pandemic but they are not evidence of a crisis of confidence in the vaccine or of professional irresponsibility by health workers."
Officials said that NHS staff had a duty to take the jab, to ensure they did not pass on the virus to those who were already sick.
The warning follows a spate of surveys which suggest that many healthcare workers will refuse the vaccine, despite being on the Government's “priority list”.
Up to half of GPs and one in three nurses say that they do not plan to take the vaccine, some because of concerns over safety.
Vivienne Parry, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, (JCVI) who advise ministers on vaccines, said that health professionals should protect “vulnerable patients” from the virus.
She said: “This (protection) aspect does not seem to feature at all in medical staff responses about flu vaccination, which is extremely concerning.
“Indeed the word ‘patient’ hardly seems to figure at all in responses in this and other surveys of healthcare workers, even though 75 per cent of deaths from swine flu are in those with serious underlying medical conditions who are in regular contact with healthcare workers.”
Prof David Salisbury, the Department of Health's director of immunisation, told GP magazine, which carried out the poll, that frontline health workers had a “duty” to have the vaccine.
“They have a duty to their patients not to infect their patients and they have a duty to their families,” he said.
More than two thirds of GPs who told Pulse magazine that they would turn down the jab believe that it has not undergone enough tests.
Doctors have been warned to look out for possible signs of Guillain Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological condition, which can cause paralysis and even death.
A vaccine used against flu in America in 1976 caused a number of cases of the condition.
However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) insists that the production of vaccines has become much safer since then.
Human trials are currently underway and will be scrutinised by the regulatory authorities before the vaccines will be licensed for use, probably in October.
Earlier this month a poll of almost 1,500 Nursing Times readers revealed that one in three said that they would not have the swine flu vaccine.
Uptake of the seasonal flu vaccine among NHS staff has been traditionally low, and just 16 per cent of all those employed by the health service took the vaccine last year.
Another study published online by the British Medical Journal shows that half of 8,500 healthcare workers in Hong Kong say that they would refuse a swine flu vaccine, because of safety concerns and worries that it would not work very well.
Researchers said that the figures were surprisingly low given the impact the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus had on the area.
However, some experts insisted that the polls did not prove that NHS staff were “irresponsible” or had serious concerns about the safety of the vaccine.
Prof Robert Dingwall, Director of the Institute for Science and Society at the University of Nottingham, said that it was important not to blow the apparent reluctance of healthcare workers to have the vaccine “out of proportion”.
He said: “(These polls) identify a communication challenge for those managing the pandemic but they are not evidence of a crisis of confidence in the vaccine or of professional irresponsibility by health workers."
Sensex extends winning streak, ends 81 pts up
26th of Aug 09
The positive close on Wall Street overnight on the back of some encouraging economic data and the resultant surge in Asian markets buoyed up stock prices on the major Indian bourses this morning. Though it moved in tight band for the next two hours and very nearly slipped into the red a little past noon after the latest data from the government revealed a slowdown in infrastructure growth.
However, the market bounced back and closed on a firm note today thanks to hectic buying in information technology majors and a few old economy stocks. European markets were struggling today and most of the Asian markets settled off their highs but the bulls stayed put and kept lapping up stocks on hopes economic reforms will significantly boost growth. Some short-covering ahead of derivatives expiry too contributed to the positive close.
The Sensex, which rose to 15,831.49 in afternoon trade, ended the day with a gain of 81.38 points or 0.52% at 15,769.85, while the Nifty index of the National Stock Exchange closed at 4680.85, netting a gain of 21.50 points or 0.46%.
Amid hopes the world's largest economy will be back on track soon, participants picked up information technology stocks with renewed vigour. Mirroring sharp gains posted by sector heavyweights, the BSE IT index moved up by 3.35% today. BSE Teck ended stronger by around 2.5%.
Select realty, pharma, power, oil and metal stocks ended on a firm note. There were gains for a few capital goods stocks as well. Auto, bank, consumer durables and FMCG stocks remained quite subdued today.
Several midcap and smallcap stocks rallied sharply and ended with notable gains. The BSE Midcap index advanced by 1.1%, while the Smallcap barometer ended nearly 2% up over its previous closing mark.
IT bellwether Infosys Technologies, which ended stronger by over 4%, was the top gainer in the Sensex today. Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro moved up by 3.75% and 2.35% respectively.
Sterlite Industries ended nearly 4% up. Reliance Communications, Tata Motors, Tata Power, DLF, Sun Pharmaceuticals and ACC gained 1% - 2%. Reliance Industries, Reliance Infrastructure, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Steel, Jaiprakash Associates and ICICI Bank posted modest gains.
Tata Communications, Axis Bank, Suzlon Energy, Reliance Capital, Reliance Power, Unitech, Nalco and Ambuja Cements were among the prominent gainers in the Nifty index.
Hindustan Unilever, HDFC Bank, Hero Honda, Grasim Industries, Maruti Suzuki, ITC and ONGC ended with sharp losses. Jindal Steel, Ranbaxy Laboratories, HCL Technologies and GAIL India lost 1.5% - 3%.
Aban Offshore soared to Rs 1565 and signed off with a hefty gain of nearly 27% at Rs 1536.35. The counted attracted heavy buying today on big order wins. On Monday, the company had informed that a contract has been signed for the deployment of 3 newbuild jack-up rigs in the Middle East for a period of 3 years each. The firm will generate a revenue of around Rs 2925 crores from this contract.
Further, a contract has also been signed for the deployment of a newbuild jack-up rig in Latin America for a period of 25.5 months and the estimated revenues from this contract is said to be around Rs 446 crores. The Aban Offshore counter on the National Stock Exchange clocked a volume of around 11.63 million shares today. The stock topped the turnover chart as well, recording Rs 1,717.57 crore for the session.
Reliance Natural Resources (up 9.5% to Rs 89.25) also moved up on strong volumes. HDIL (1.5%) and Satyam Computer Services (2.2%) also ended up on strong volumes.
The market breadth was strong today. Out of 2687 stocks traded on BSE, 1943 stocks closed higher. 851 stocks declined and 73 stocks ended flat.
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The positive close on Wall Street overnight on the back of some encouraging economic data and the resultant surge in Asian markets buoyed up stock prices on the major Indian bourses this morning. Though it moved in tight band for the next two hours and very nearly slipped into the red a little past noon after the latest data from the government revealed a slowdown in infrastructure growth.
However, the market bounced back and closed on a firm note today thanks to hectic buying in information technology majors and a few old economy stocks. European markets were struggling today and most of the Asian markets settled off their highs but the bulls stayed put and kept lapping up stocks on hopes economic reforms will significantly boost growth. Some short-covering ahead of derivatives expiry too contributed to the positive close.
The Sensex, which rose to 15,831.49 in afternoon trade, ended the day with a gain of 81.38 points or 0.52% at 15,769.85, while the Nifty index of the National Stock Exchange closed at 4680.85, netting a gain of 21.50 points or 0.46%.
Amid hopes the world's largest economy will be back on track soon, participants picked up information technology stocks with renewed vigour. Mirroring sharp gains posted by sector heavyweights, the BSE IT index moved up by 3.35% today. BSE Teck ended stronger by around 2.5%.
Select realty, pharma, power, oil and metal stocks ended on a firm note. There were gains for a few capital goods stocks as well. Auto, bank, consumer durables and FMCG stocks remained quite subdued today.
Several midcap and smallcap stocks rallied sharply and ended with notable gains. The BSE Midcap index advanced by 1.1%, while the Smallcap barometer ended nearly 2% up over its previous closing mark.
IT bellwether Infosys Technologies, which ended stronger by over 4%, was the top gainer in the Sensex today. Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro moved up by 3.75% and 2.35% respectively.
Sterlite Industries ended nearly 4% up. Reliance Communications, Tata Motors, Tata Power, DLF, Sun Pharmaceuticals and ACC gained 1% - 2%. Reliance Industries, Reliance Infrastructure, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Steel, Jaiprakash Associates and ICICI Bank posted modest gains.
Tata Communications, Axis Bank, Suzlon Energy, Reliance Capital, Reliance Power, Unitech, Nalco and Ambuja Cements were among the prominent gainers in the Nifty index.
Hindustan Unilever, HDFC Bank, Hero Honda, Grasim Industries, Maruti Suzuki, ITC and ONGC ended with sharp losses. Jindal Steel, Ranbaxy Laboratories, HCL Technologies and GAIL India lost 1.5% - 3%.
Aban Offshore soared to Rs 1565 and signed off with a hefty gain of nearly 27% at Rs 1536.35. The counted attracted heavy buying today on big order wins. On Monday, the company had informed that a contract has been signed for the deployment of 3 newbuild jack-up rigs in the Middle East for a period of 3 years each. The firm will generate a revenue of around Rs 2925 crores from this contract.
Further, a contract has also been signed for the deployment of a newbuild jack-up rig in Latin America for a period of 25.5 months and the estimated revenues from this contract is said to be around Rs 446 crores. The Aban Offshore counter on the National Stock Exchange clocked a volume of around 11.63 million shares today. The stock topped the turnover chart as well, recording Rs 1,717.57 crore for the session.
Reliance Natural Resources (up 9.5% to Rs 89.25) also moved up on strong volumes. HDIL (1.5%) and Satyam Computer Services (2.2%) also ended up on strong volumes.
The market breadth was strong today. Out of 2687 stocks traded on BSE, 1943 stocks closed higher. 851 stocks declined and 73 stocks ended flat.
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Interpol seeks Pakistani militant wanted in India
NEW DELHI, Aug 26 09
The international police agency Interpol has issued a "red notice" alert for a Pakistani Islamist wanted in India in connection with attacks in Mumbai that strained relations between the nuclear-armed rivals.
India says Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group, was the mastermind of November's attacks in India's commercial hub in which 166 people were killed.
Saeed was detained in Pakistan in December, after a U.N. Security Council resolution put him on a list of people and organisations supporting al Qaeda.
But in June, a court released him on grounds of insufficient evidence, prompting the Pakistani government to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court for his re-arrest. That case is pending.
India has been insisting that Pakistan act against Saeed and other members of the LeT, which is banned in Pakistan. Pakistan says it has insufficient evidence against him.
Interpol says a red notice is not an international arrest warrant but is issued after authorities in a country issue a warrant to help with the identification or location of a suspect with a view to their arrest or extradition.
India's foreign minister, S.M. Krishna said the world had to take notice of the Interpol alert against Saeed.
"I think the world should take note of these developments and then you know they will have to come to their own conclusions," Krishna told reporters on Wednesday.
The international police agency Interpol has issued a "red notice" alert for a Pakistani Islamist wanted in India in connection with attacks in Mumbai that strained relations between the nuclear-armed rivals.
India says Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group, was the mastermind of November's attacks in India's commercial hub in which 166 people were killed.
Saeed was detained in Pakistan in December, after a U.N. Security Council resolution put him on a list of people and organisations supporting al Qaeda.
But in June, a court released him on grounds of insufficient evidence, prompting the Pakistani government to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court for his re-arrest. That case is pending.
India has been insisting that Pakistan act against Saeed and other members of the LeT, which is banned in Pakistan. Pakistan says it has insufficient evidence against him.
Interpol says a red notice is not an international arrest warrant but is issued after authorities in a country issue a warrant to help with the identification or location of a suspect with a view to their arrest or extradition.
India's foreign minister, S.M. Krishna said the world had to take notice of the Interpol alert against Saeed.
"I think the world should take note of these developments and then you know they will have to come to their own conclusions," Krishna told reporters on Wednesday.
Mulayam says it is for Jaswant to decide on joining SP
New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) Making overtures to expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today said he "liked" the former union minister and it was up to him to join his party."I like him," Yadav said, adding, that it would be for Singh to decide on joining SP.Asked whether he would like the expelled BJP leader to join his party, Yadav said "It is entirely his decision...It is up to him what he decides for his future.""I share a good relationship with Jaswant Singh though he is in the BJP. He is not a fundamentalist. He is a good leader with a good heart. He has the qualities of a good leader," Yadav said and lamented that the BJP sacked him unceremoniously.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
H1N1: When will the States wake up?
22nd Aug 09
NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday accused State governments of not doing enough to contain the spread of H1N1 virus,
resulting in incensed State ministers to castigate him for his ‘unparliamentary language’. “Bloody, we are working 20 to 24 hours. And you people are enjoying yourselves,” Azad told 19 State health ministers at a meeting in Delhi on the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The outburst resulted in stunned silence, but Azad was unfazed and continued to scold the gathering. After speaking on NRHM for a few minutes, Azad went on to discuss swine flu. He told the meeting that it was the Centre which had been doing everything, including contact tracing, procuring medicines, looking for vaccines and training doctors. “You must wake up. For the past three months, we have been tolerating you people ,” said the health minister after completing his written speech. “In fact, you should chase me rather than I chasing you. There is a limit to everything.” When told that his language had angered some minister, Azad said, “It is between us.” Reacting angrily to Azad’s remark, Gujarat Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said, “This is wrong language and not befitting a Union minister.” When Vyas asked the Union health minister ‘why he used such language, he replied that it was not meant for all (State governments)’. “Even if a State is the biggest defaulter, why use such language? The Union health minister could have briefed us over a cup of tea. ” Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Anup Mishra said, “The Central and State governments must cooperate. The language was not right. I believe controlling the pandemic is a joint responsibility. No one can shift the blame.” Bihar Health Minister Nand Kishore Yadav said, “Cooperation is more important than conflict. I don’t know about others, but Bihar is fully geared to control the pandemic. Blame game is not a good thing.” As many as 159 fresh flu cases were reported from various states till Thursday, taking the total number of those afflicted by the disease to 2,401, a health ministry official said in Delhi.
NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday accused State governments of not doing enough to contain the spread of H1N1 virus,
resulting in incensed State ministers to castigate him for his ‘unparliamentary language’. “Bloody, we are working 20 to 24 hours. And you people are enjoying yourselves,” Azad told 19 State health ministers at a meeting in Delhi on the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The outburst resulted in stunned silence, but Azad was unfazed and continued to scold the gathering. After speaking on NRHM for a few minutes, Azad went on to discuss swine flu. He told the meeting that it was the Centre which had been doing everything, including contact tracing, procuring medicines, looking for vaccines and training doctors. “You must wake up. For the past three months, we have been tolerating you people ,” said the health minister after completing his written speech. “In fact, you should chase me rather than I chasing you. There is a limit to everything.” When told that his language had angered some minister, Azad said, “It is between us.” Reacting angrily to Azad’s remark, Gujarat Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said, “This is wrong language and not befitting a Union minister.” When Vyas asked the Union health minister ‘why he used such language, he replied that it was not meant for all (State governments)’. “Even if a State is the biggest defaulter, why use such language? The Union health minister could have briefed us over a cup of tea. ” Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Anup Mishra said, “The Central and State governments must cooperate. The language was not right. I believe controlling the pandemic is a joint responsibility. No one can shift the blame.” Bihar Health Minister Nand Kishore Yadav said, “Cooperation is more important than conflict. I don’t know about others, but Bihar is fully geared to control the pandemic. Blame game is not a good thing.” As many as 159 fresh flu cases were reported from various states till Thursday, taking the total number of those afflicted by the disease to 2,401, a health ministry official said in Delhi.
Ayurveda to fight flu
New Delhi, Aug. 20:
The health ministry indicated today it wanted to add traditional ayurvedic prescriptions to its arsenal against the pandemic flu virus which has so far infected 2,401 people in India.
Traditional ayurveda and unani interventions can be used to increase immunity to fight flu-like conditions, the ministry said after consulting experts from private and public institutions and research councils of traditional medicines.
The ministry said traditional medicine interventions may be used by healthy persons and patients with mild symptoms such as cold and cough.
But patients with severe symptoms, as well as persons at high risk of developing complications, should approach government screening centres for standard management with antiviral oseltamivir and other supportive therapy.
Among the prescriptions the ministry has listed are consumption of decoctions of tulsi, turmeric and pepper each morning, avoiding cold drinks, fermented food and ice creams, and drinking hot water instead of cold water.
The ministry has also cited a number of ayurvedic and unani preparations that traditional medicine experts believe increase the body’s immunity.
A PTI report tonight put the number of deaths at 44.
A senior doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said the ministry should initiate research on the impact of traditional interventions on flu-like illnesses.
The ministry has also asked hospitals screening patients with flu symptoms to apply triage, a battlefield and emergency practice aimed at allocating resources to patients who need it the most.
The health ministry indicated today it wanted to add traditional ayurvedic prescriptions to its arsenal against the pandemic flu virus which has so far infected 2,401 people in India.
Traditional ayurveda and unani interventions can be used to increase immunity to fight flu-like conditions, the ministry said after consulting experts from private and public institutions and research councils of traditional medicines.
The ministry said traditional medicine interventions may be used by healthy persons and patients with mild symptoms such as cold and cough.
But patients with severe symptoms, as well as persons at high risk of developing complications, should approach government screening centres for standard management with antiviral oseltamivir and other supportive therapy.
Among the prescriptions the ministry has listed are consumption of decoctions of tulsi, turmeric and pepper each morning, avoiding cold drinks, fermented food and ice creams, and drinking hot water instead of cold water.
The ministry has also cited a number of ayurvedic and unani preparations that traditional medicine experts believe increase the body’s immunity.
A PTI report tonight put the number of deaths at 44.
A senior doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said the ministry should initiate research on the impact of traditional interventions on flu-like illnesses.
The ministry has also asked hospitals screening patients with flu symptoms to apply triage, a battlefield and emergency practice aimed at allocating resources to patients who need it the most.
Bhutia-Chettri combination to start against Kyrgyzstan
22nd day of Auf 09
NEW DELHI: As anticipated, ace striker Sunil Chettri will partner skipper Bhaichung Bhutia in the crucial ONGC Nehru Cup match against Kyrgyzstan on
Sunday. India coach Bob Houghton said Saturday the Chettri-Bhutia pair will get their first start after a long time since Chettri was recovering from an ankle injury. Chettri, however, replaced Sushil Singh in the second half against Lebanon in the opening match at the Ambedkar Stadium. Houghton admitted that the 0-1 loss against Lebanon has forced India to win all their remaining three matches. "It is a daunting task for us. From here on we have to win all our remaining matches. We have to comeback well in the tournament to defend our title and hopefully we can do it tomorrow," Houghton told reporters after the team's practice session. The Englishman hoped that the Bhutia-Chettri combination can work wonders for India as it did in the 2007 edition and the AFC Challenge Cup last year. "Chettri will make his start tomorrow after a long time. He hasn't played for 45 minutes in the past few months," said Houghton. Asked whether Chettri can play for 90 minutes, Houghton said: "Hopefully he would be able to spend longer time on the field. We can also use Abhishek Yadav or Syed Rahim Nabi." Houghton was also relieved as his key defender Anwar, who bruised his thigh against Lebanon, has recovered well due an extra rest day and will be available for the Kyrgyzstan match. "Anwar's availability is good news and Mahesh (Gawli) will also start," he said.
NEW DELHI: As anticipated, ace striker Sunil Chettri will partner skipper Bhaichung Bhutia in the crucial ONGC Nehru Cup match against Kyrgyzstan on
Sunday. India coach Bob Houghton said Saturday the Chettri-Bhutia pair will get their first start after a long time since Chettri was recovering from an ankle injury. Chettri, however, replaced Sushil Singh in the second half against Lebanon in the opening match at the Ambedkar Stadium. Houghton admitted that the 0-1 loss against Lebanon has forced India to win all their remaining three matches. "It is a daunting task for us. From here on we have to win all our remaining matches. We have to comeback well in the tournament to defend our title and hopefully we can do it tomorrow," Houghton told reporters after the team's practice session. The Englishman hoped that the Bhutia-Chettri combination can work wonders for India as it did in the 2007 edition and the AFC Challenge Cup last year. "Chettri will make his start tomorrow after a long time. He hasn't played for 45 minutes in the past few months," said Houghton. Asked whether Chettri can play for 90 minutes, Houghton said: "Hopefully he would be able to spend longer time on the field. We can also use Abhishek Yadav or Syed Rahim Nabi." Houghton was also relieved as his key defender Anwar, who bruised his thigh against Lebanon, has recovered well due an extra rest day and will be available for the Kyrgyzstan match. "Anwar's availability is good news and Mahesh (Gawli) will also start," he said.
Bhutia-Chettri combination to start against Kyrgyzstan
22nd day of Auf 09
NEW DELHI: As anticipated, ace striker Sunil Chettri will partner skipper Bhaichung Bhutia in the crucial ONGC Nehru Cup match against Kyrgyzstan on
Sunday. India coach Bob Houghton said Saturday the Chettri-Bhutia pair will get their first start after a long time since Chettri was recovering from an ankle injury. Chettri, however, replaced Sushil Singh in the second half against Lebanon in the opening match at the Ambedkar Stadium. Houghton admitted that the 0-1 loss against Lebanon has forced India to win all their remaining three matches. "It is a daunting task for us. From here on we have to win all our remaining matches. We have to comeback well in the tournament to defend our title and hopefully we can do it tomorrow," Houghton told reporters after the team's practice session. The Englishman hoped that the Bhutia-Chettri combination can work wonders for India as it did in the 2007 edition and the AFC Challenge Cup last year. "Chettri will make his start tomorrow after a long time. He hasn't played for 45 minutes in the past few months," said Houghton. Asked whether Chettri can play for 90 minutes, Houghton said: "Hopefully he would be able to spend longer time on the field. We can also use Abhishek Yadav or Syed Rahim Nabi." Houghton was also relieved as his key defender Anwar, who bruised his thigh against Lebanon, has recovered well due an extra rest day and will be available for the Kyrgyzstan match. "Anwar's availability is good news and Mahesh (Gawli) will also start," he said.
NEW DELHI: As anticipated, ace striker Sunil Chettri will partner skipper Bhaichung Bhutia in the crucial ONGC Nehru Cup match against Kyrgyzstan on
Sunday. India coach Bob Houghton said Saturday the Chettri-Bhutia pair will get their first start after a long time since Chettri was recovering from an ankle injury. Chettri, however, replaced Sushil Singh in the second half against Lebanon in the opening match at the Ambedkar Stadium. Houghton admitted that the 0-1 loss against Lebanon has forced India to win all their remaining three matches. "It is a daunting task for us. From here on we have to win all our remaining matches. We have to comeback well in the tournament to defend our title and hopefully we can do it tomorrow," Houghton told reporters after the team's practice session. The Englishman hoped that the Bhutia-Chettri combination can work wonders for India as it did in the 2007 edition and the AFC Challenge Cup last year. "Chettri will make his start tomorrow after a long time. He hasn't played for 45 minutes in the past few months," said Houghton. Asked whether Chettri can play for 90 minutes, Houghton said: "Hopefully he would be able to spend longer time on the field. We can also use Abhishek Yadav or Syed Rahim Nabi." Houghton was also relieved as his key defender Anwar, who bruised his thigh against Lebanon, has recovered well due an extra rest day and will be available for the Kyrgyzstan match. "Anwar's availability is good news and Mahesh (Gawli) will also start," he said.
Driving water under ground
22nd day of Aug 09
Nasa's twin GRACE satellites orbitting the earth in formation at a height of 300 miles and roughly 137 miles apart are tasked with an ambitious
mission: They track the world's freshwater reserves, including those hidden far from the naked eye under thick rock in vast underground aquifers spanning transnational boundaries. As Nasa scientist Mark Rodell and his colleagues trawled data on Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, states the Indian government accepts are affected by groundwater depletion, they discovered water was vanishing at the rate of 17.7 cubic km of water (+- 4.5 km) every year as against the official estimate of 13.2 cubic km. Clearly, estimates of replenishment or usage, or both, had been incorrectly calculated. According to GRACE, India's food bowl, with a paddy coverage of 38,061 sqkm, is losing groundwater at the rate of 1 metre every three years or a foot each year. The science behind the GRACE mission is fairly simple. The satellites map shifts in the gravitational pull of large underground water reservoirs, in this case the 560,000 km Indus River plain aquifer, straddling the India and Pakistan border, to check groundwater. The findings are quite undeniable but have been met with a surprising lack of official response in India, particularly to the argument that more than 90% of underground water is used for irrigation. What the satellites revealed ought not to be a surprise. Central groundwater board studies point to a worrying country-wide trend. Data relating to 2006 shows a staggering fall of 2 metres in several Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka districts in comparison to previous years. Tamil Nadu was worse with levels dropping by 2-4 metres. Water fluctuation in January 2007 in comparison to the average — between 1997-2006 — revealed more than 20% of monitoring wells in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Bihar, West Bengal, east Madhya Pradesh and east Rajasthan registered a decline of more than 2 metres. Only parts of UP and the hilly areas of the north registered improved groundwater use. The 2007 CGWB report states 18% of assessed units in Andhra Pradesh, 78% in Delhi, 49% in Haryana, 75% in Punjab, 59% in Rajasthan, 37% in Tamil Nadu, 14% in Gujarat and 12% in Uttarakhand are "over-exploited." Its projections of groundwater availability for irrigation in 2025 — not surprisingly — show negative figures for Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Only in some areas, like the hilly terrain of West Bengal, Assam, parts of Meghalaya, Tripura and Jharkhand, there is rise in water levels by more than 2m as in the case in parts of the sub-Himalayas. But this year, with the drought now covering nearly 250 of the country's 500-odd districts, the stress on groundwater has increased manifold. Now, even in the hills of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, drinking water needs are being rationed through tankers. In Punjab, out of the 138 blocks, 103 have over exploited groundwater, five have reached critical levels and another four are nearing the red zone. The groundwater development in Punjab is 145% which means that water is being used at a rate of 45% more from underground sources than natural systems or artificial recharging can replenish. A planning commission report records number of critical blocks grew from four per cent in 1995 to 15 per cent in 2004. With crop productivity declining, there has been a shift to use of more and more fertilizers and pesticides requiring larger quantities of water. With the government planning to combat drought by sinking in hundreds of tubewells, the pressure on groundwater is bound to increase. As a hydrological cycle, groundwater replenishment sees a percentage of water that falls on the ground seeping through to fill underground aquifers. When a well or a diesel pump pulls out water it begins to deplete the water bank underneath. Normally rains and river water recharge the ground. But clearly, agriculture and drinking water is taking a serious toll. These signs have been visible in green revolution states for more than a decade now with the diesel costs running higher each year as pumps have to be sunk deeper. The crop boom in Haryana and Punjab helped achieve food security but this has come at an ecological cost even as sustaining agriculture became more difficult as productivity tapered off. The green states of the north are now witnessing a situation where extensive irrigation required is not adequately met by the surface water alone. A bad monsoon has only shown how close to the edge we live.
Nasa's twin GRACE satellites orbitting the earth in formation at a height of 300 miles and roughly 137 miles apart are tasked with an ambitious
mission: They track the world's freshwater reserves, including those hidden far from the naked eye under thick rock in vast underground aquifers spanning transnational boundaries. As Nasa scientist Mark Rodell and his colleagues trawled data on Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, states the Indian government accepts are affected by groundwater depletion, they discovered water was vanishing at the rate of 17.7 cubic km of water (+- 4.5 km) every year as against the official estimate of 13.2 cubic km. Clearly, estimates of replenishment or usage, or both, had been incorrectly calculated. According to GRACE, India's food bowl, with a paddy coverage of 38,061 sqkm, is losing groundwater at the rate of 1 metre every three years or a foot each year. The science behind the GRACE mission is fairly simple. The satellites map shifts in the gravitational pull of large underground water reservoirs, in this case the 560,000 km Indus River plain aquifer, straddling the India and Pakistan border, to check groundwater. The findings are quite undeniable but have been met with a surprising lack of official response in India, particularly to the argument that more than 90% of underground water is used for irrigation. What the satellites revealed ought not to be a surprise. Central groundwater board studies point to a worrying country-wide trend. Data relating to 2006 shows a staggering fall of 2 metres in several Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka districts in comparison to previous years. Tamil Nadu was worse with levels dropping by 2-4 metres. Water fluctuation in January 2007 in comparison to the average — between 1997-2006 — revealed more than 20% of monitoring wells in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Bihar, West Bengal, east Madhya Pradesh and east Rajasthan registered a decline of more than 2 metres. Only parts of UP and the hilly areas of the north registered improved groundwater use. The 2007 CGWB report states 18% of assessed units in Andhra Pradesh, 78% in Delhi, 49% in Haryana, 75% in Punjab, 59% in Rajasthan, 37% in Tamil Nadu, 14% in Gujarat and 12% in Uttarakhand are "over-exploited." Its projections of groundwater availability for irrigation in 2025 — not surprisingly — show negative figures for Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Only in some areas, like the hilly terrain of West Bengal, Assam, parts of Meghalaya, Tripura and Jharkhand, there is rise in water levels by more than 2m as in the case in parts of the sub-Himalayas. But this year, with the drought now covering nearly 250 of the country's 500-odd districts, the stress on groundwater has increased manifold. Now, even in the hills of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, drinking water needs are being rationed through tankers. In Punjab, out of the 138 blocks, 103 have over exploited groundwater, five have reached critical levels and another four are nearing the red zone. The groundwater development in Punjab is 145% which means that water is being used at a rate of 45% more from underground sources than natural systems or artificial recharging can replenish. A planning commission report records number of critical blocks grew from four per cent in 1995 to 15 per cent in 2004. With crop productivity declining, there has been a shift to use of more and more fertilizers and pesticides requiring larger quantities of water. With the government planning to combat drought by sinking in hundreds of tubewells, the pressure on groundwater is bound to increase. As a hydrological cycle, groundwater replenishment sees a percentage of water that falls on the ground seeping through to fill underground aquifers. When a well or a diesel pump pulls out water it begins to deplete the water bank underneath. Normally rains and river water recharge the ground. But clearly, agriculture and drinking water is taking a serious toll. These signs have been visible in green revolution states for more than a decade now with the diesel costs running higher each year as pumps have to be sunk deeper. The crop boom in Haryana and Punjab helped achieve food security but this has come at an ecological cost even as sustaining agriculture became more difficult as productivity tapered off. The green states of the north are now witnessing a situation where extensive irrigation required is not adequately met by the surface water alone. A bad monsoon has only shown how close to the edge we live.
In days to come, an H1N1 explosion?
22nd of Aug 09
NEW DELHI: The world could see an explosion of H1N1 swine flu cases in the next few months, the WHO has said. Warning that the virus was likely to
spread at a faster pace, thanks to favourable climatic conditions in some parts of the world including India, WHO on Friday said most countries would see swine flu cases "double every three to four days for several months until a peak transmission period is reached". According to the global health body, the influenza virus could endanger more lives with the way it is spreading. Countries therefore have been urged to prepare for a likely second wave of the H1N1 pandemic, expected to strike anytime during the upcoming winter months. Responding to the warning, the health ministry said it had already started seeing a steep rise in the number of new H1N1 infections. According to data presented at the state health ministers' conference in Delhi on Friday, India saw an average 150 new cases of H1N1 every day over the past week. While the minimum cases in one single day has been 90, the country recorded a maximum of 220 positive H1N1 cases in a single day. Around 81% of all cases of H1N1 till now are from eight cities — Pune (28%), Delhi (16%), Mumbai (17%), Bangalore (7%), Hyderabad (4%), Chennai (5%), Gurgaon (2%) and Ahmedabad (2%). Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said India was now reporting indigenous cases with no travel history abroad. "This is all the more reason for us to gear up for a large scale pandemic in the country," he said. According to the WHO, till now, there have been more than 1.82 lakh laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 infection and 1,799 deaths in 177 countries. As most countries have stopped counting individual cases, particularly of milder illness, the case number is significantly lower than the actual number of cases that have occurred. "Areas of tropical Asia are reporting increasing rates of illness as they enter their monsoon season, as represented by India, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong," WHO said. WHO director general Margaret Chan said, "We cannot say for certain whether the worst is over or the worst is yet to come. We need to be prepared for whatever surprises this capricious new virus delivers next. Constant random mutation is the survival mechanism of the microbial world. We also need to prepare for a second or third wave of spread as typically seen in past pandemics." Another worrying trend has been that WHO has also been notified of 12 cases of oseltamivir resistant virus. These isolates have a mutation that confers resistance to oseltamivir or Tamiflu, the anti-viral of choice globally against H1N1.
NEW DELHI: The world could see an explosion of H1N1 swine flu cases in the next few months, the WHO has said. Warning that the virus was likely to
spread at a faster pace, thanks to favourable climatic conditions in some parts of the world including India, WHO on Friday said most countries would see swine flu cases "double every three to four days for several months until a peak transmission period is reached". According to the global health body, the influenza virus could endanger more lives with the way it is spreading. Countries therefore have been urged to prepare for a likely second wave of the H1N1 pandemic, expected to strike anytime during the upcoming winter months. Responding to the warning, the health ministry said it had already started seeing a steep rise in the number of new H1N1 infections. According to data presented at the state health ministers' conference in Delhi on Friday, India saw an average 150 new cases of H1N1 every day over the past week. While the minimum cases in one single day has been 90, the country recorded a maximum of 220 positive H1N1 cases in a single day. Around 81% of all cases of H1N1 till now are from eight cities — Pune (28%), Delhi (16%), Mumbai (17%), Bangalore (7%), Hyderabad (4%), Chennai (5%), Gurgaon (2%) and Ahmedabad (2%). Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said India was now reporting indigenous cases with no travel history abroad. "This is all the more reason for us to gear up for a large scale pandemic in the country," he said. According to the WHO, till now, there have been more than 1.82 lakh laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 infection and 1,799 deaths in 177 countries. As most countries have stopped counting individual cases, particularly of milder illness, the case number is significantly lower than the actual number of cases that have occurred. "Areas of tropical Asia are reporting increasing rates of illness as they enter their monsoon season, as represented by India, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong," WHO said. WHO director general Margaret Chan said, "We cannot say for certain whether the worst is over or the worst is yet to come. We need to be prepared for whatever surprises this capricious new virus delivers next. Constant random mutation is the survival mechanism of the microbial world. We also need to prepare for a second or third wave of spread as typically seen in past pandemics." Another worrying trend has been that WHO has also been notified of 12 cases of oseltamivir resistant virus. These isolates have a mutation that confers resistance to oseltamivir or Tamiflu, the anti-viral of choice globally against H1N1.
The Associated Press: Hurricane Bill scatters sand, debris in Bermuda
22nd of Aug 09
HAMILTON, Bermuda — Tourists and residents in Bermuda are waking up to debris
scattered across roads, some power outages and minor flooding as Hurricane Bill
skirts past the island.
At 8 a.m. EDT Saturday, the center of Bill was about 235 miles west-northwest of
Bermuda and about 410 miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C. Bill was bringing bands
of rain and big waves to Bermuda as well as high surf and the threat of rip
currents to the East Coast of the U.S.
Bill has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The storm mostly spared Bermuda's
pink shores but some of the sand, palm tree debris and coral is sprinkled across
the roads.
On the East Coast, a tropical storm warning is in place for parts of
Massachusetts. Forecasters say the storm could regain intensity over the
weekend.
HAMILTON, Bermuda — Tourists and residents in Bermuda are waking up to debris
scattered across roads, some power outages and minor flooding as Hurricane Bill
skirts past the island.
At 8 a.m. EDT Saturday, the center of Bill was about 235 miles west-northwest of
Bermuda and about 410 miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C. Bill was bringing bands
of rain and big waves to Bermuda as well as high surf and the threat of rip
currents to the East Coast of the U.S.
Bill has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The storm mostly spared Bermuda's
pink shores but some of the sand, palm tree debris and coral is sprinkled across
the roads.
On the East Coast, a tropical storm warning is in place for parts of
Massachusetts. Forecasters say the storm could regain intensity over the
weekend.
Slumdweller is latest flu death - Mumbai
22nd of Aug 09
MUMBAI: In an indication of how swine flu-which apparently first
came from abroad-has spread through a variety of economic
backgrounds in the city,
a flower-seller from a Ghatkopar slum became Mumbai's third official
death on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Dattatraya Gawde passed away at Kasturba Hospital in
Chinchpokli last evening after being on a ventilator since Tuesday.
He had developed Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and
high-blood sugar levels due to diabetes, said additional municipal
commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar. "He came to us after a delay of
almost four days since his symptoms began,'' she said, adding that
his H1N1-positive report came from the National Institute of
Virology on Wednesday.
Since August 8, Mumbai has recorded two other deaths-Jogeshwari
resident Fehmida Panwalla and seven-month-old Moida from Byculla.
Neighbouring Thane district registered an H1N1 death when
63-year-old Mumbra resident Syeda Dorjiwala passed away at Byculla's
Noor Hospital on August 10. While the BMC does not count Dorjiwala
among Mumbai's victims, the Centre does because it accounts for
Mumbai and Thane districts together.
Incidentally, Gawde's family physician Dr Jatin Soni told TOI that
he had referred his patient to Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, last
week itself. "But they didn't take his swab. When he returned to me
on August 18 with breathlessness, I sent him to the private Satyam
Hospital,'' said Soni.
At Satyam Hospital, doctors immediately suspected swine flu and sent
him to Kasturba Hospital in their ambulance. "He was with us for
barely an hour, but it was obvious to us that he had swine flu,''
said a medical officer at Satyam.
Admitting that Gawde had come to Rajawadi for a swab test earlier,
BMC executive health officer Dr J Thanekar said, "He had no fever or
cold when he came to us. Let us not make this a blame game. H1N1 is
a new entity and it will take the medical community some time to
completely understand it.''
However, he pointed out that Gawde's descent to ARDS within three
days shows how immuno-suppressed he was. "The virus must have
multiplied aggressively as his sugar levels were shockingly high at
450 when he came to us,'' he said. Mhaiskar said that Gawde's
condition was so acute when he reached Kasturba that he was put on a
ventilator before his swab samples were collected.
MUMBAI: In an indication of how swine flu-which apparently first
came from abroad-has spread through a variety of economic
backgrounds in the city,
a flower-seller from a Ghatkopar slum became Mumbai's third official
death on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Dattatraya Gawde passed away at Kasturba Hospital in
Chinchpokli last evening after being on a ventilator since Tuesday.
He had developed Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and
high-blood sugar levels due to diabetes, said additional municipal
commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar. "He came to us after a delay of
almost four days since his symptoms began,'' she said, adding that
his H1N1-positive report came from the National Institute of
Virology on Wednesday.
Since August 8, Mumbai has recorded two other deaths-Jogeshwari
resident Fehmida Panwalla and seven-month-old Moida from Byculla.
Neighbouring Thane district registered an H1N1 death when
63-year-old Mumbra resident Syeda Dorjiwala passed away at Byculla's
Noor Hospital on August 10. While the BMC does not count Dorjiwala
among Mumbai's victims, the Centre does because it accounts for
Mumbai and Thane districts together.
Incidentally, Gawde's family physician Dr Jatin Soni told TOI that
he had referred his patient to Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, last
week itself. "But they didn't take his swab. When he returned to me
on August 18 with breathlessness, I sent him to the private Satyam
Hospital,'' said Soni.
At Satyam Hospital, doctors immediately suspected swine flu and sent
him to Kasturba Hospital in their ambulance. "He was with us for
barely an hour, but it was obvious to us that he had swine flu,''
said a medical officer at Satyam.
Admitting that Gawde had come to Rajawadi for a swab test earlier,
BMC executive health officer Dr J Thanekar said, "He had no fever or
cold when he came to us. Let us not make this a blame game. H1N1 is
a new entity and it will take the medical community some time to
completely understand it.''
However, he pointed out that Gawde's descent to ARDS within three
days shows how immuno-suppressed he was. "The virus must have
multiplied aggressively as his sugar levels were shockingly high at
450 when he came to us,'' he said. Mhaiskar said that Gawde's
condition was so acute when he reached Kasturba that he was put on a
ventilator before his swab samples were collected.
Roof flies off at IGI's new terminal in Delhi
22nd of Aug 09
NEW DELHI: It took half-an-hour of heavy rain for things at Delhi airport to unravel. On Friday evening, 31.8 mm of rain and a wind speed of 91.2 kmph saw part of terminal 1D's roof fly off. The new terminal, that became functional earlier this year and has suffered from occasional problems of a leaking roof, had rain water pouring in this time, causing many essential services to come to a halt. There was almost knee-deep water at the boarding level and many parts of the ground floor were also inaccessible due to waterlogging. The arrival terminal was completely flooded.
Meanwhile, with the approach roads to the airport severely waterlogged and massive traffic jams all over the city, several passengers ended up missing their flights. Many flights had to be rescheduled as the crew also reported late.
Rita Verma, an executive who had to catch an 8 pm flight to Chennai, was stuck at Race Course Road till 9.15 pm. Mohit Basu, who was to fly to Bangalore, missed his 6.45 pm flight as he was stuck in a traffic jam at Pragati Maidan for over 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, terminal 1D's condition left `officials at a loss for words. The situation became so critical that they were considering shutting down the terminal and shifting operations to 1A. DIAL COO Andrew Harrison claimed it was "unprecedented rainfall of 77 mm'' that caused the mess. "Our challenge was to ensure that passengers did not face daily problems as was the case at the old terminal. I think we have achieved that,'' he said. As ministry of civil aviation officials called the situation "ridiculous'', secretary M Nambiar said: "We are aware of the situation. Such an incident should not be repeated.''
As runway visibility fell to 100-300 m, no operations could take place for almost 45 minutes. The main runway had been taken up for regular maintenance at 3.30 pm, shortly before the weather changed, leaving only one runway operational. The heavy downpour between 4.10 pm and 4.40 pm led to 10 flights being diverted. "The rain was almost blinding and the wind was extremely strong. So, we were unable to carry out any boarding while arrivals also could not take place. Almost all evening flights were delayed by 1-3 hours,'' said an airline official.
P K Bannerjee, a passenger stranded at 1D during the storm, reported that once it started raining, panels of the roof fell off and water gushed in. "Most of the terminal was waterlogged and there were many foreigners taking pictures of the mess. Boarding had to be stopped as that level was full of water,'' he said.
Another passenger reported that the bathroom drains had started overflowing. X-ray machines had to be closed down and covered with plastic sheets while shortcircuiting led to the information display system switching off. Passengers, wading in water, were left without any flight information for almost two hours.
NEW DELHI: It took half-an-hour of heavy rain for things at Delhi airport to unravel. On Friday evening, 31.8 mm of rain and a wind speed of 91.2 kmph saw part of terminal 1D's roof fly off. The new terminal, that became functional earlier this year and has suffered from occasional problems of a leaking roof, had rain water pouring in this time, causing many essential services to come to a halt. There was almost knee-deep water at the boarding level and many parts of the ground floor were also inaccessible due to waterlogging. The arrival terminal was completely flooded.
Meanwhile, with the approach roads to the airport severely waterlogged and massive traffic jams all over the city, several passengers ended up missing their flights. Many flights had to be rescheduled as the crew also reported late.
Rita Verma, an executive who had to catch an 8 pm flight to Chennai, was stuck at Race Course Road till 9.15 pm. Mohit Basu, who was to fly to Bangalore, missed his 6.45 pm flight as he was stuck in a traffic jam at Pragati Maidan for over 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, terminal 1D's condition left `officials at a loss for words. The situation became so critical that they were considering shutting down the terminal and shifting operations to 1A. DIAL COO Andrew Harrison claimed it was "unprecedented rainfall of 77 mm'' that caused the mess. "Our challenge was to ensure that passengers did not face daily problems as was the case at the old terminal. I think we have achieved that,'' he said. As ministry of civil aviation officials called the situation "ridiculous'', secretary M Nambiar said: "We are aware of the situation. Such an incident should not be repeated.''
As runway visibility fell to 100-300 m, no operations could take place for almost 45 minutes. The main runway had been taken up for regular maintenance at 3.30 pm, shortly before the weather changed, leaving only one runway operational. The heavy downpour between 4.10 pm and 4.40 pm led to 10 flights being diverted. "The rain was almost blinding and the wind was extremely strong. So, we were unable to carry out any boarding while arrivals also could not take place. Almost all evening flights were delayed by 1-3 hours,'' said an airline official.
P K Bannerjee, a passenger stranded at 1D during the storm, reported that once it started raining, panels of the roof fell off and water gushed in. "Most of the terminal was waterlogged and there were many foreigners taking pictures of the mess. Boarding had to be stopped as that level was full of water,'' he said.
Another passenger reported that the bathroom drains had started overflowing. X-ray machines had to be closed down and covered with plastic sheets while shortcircuiting led to the information display system switching off. Passengers, wading in water, were left without any flight information for almost two hours.
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