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German auto major Volkswagen on Wednesday launched its upgraded version all-New Jetta 2 litre in diesel variant starting at Rs 14.12 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).

The New Jetta will be available in four variants -- trend line, comfort line and highline manual and DSG gearbox.

It is equipped with four cylinder CRDi engine with a six speed gear box in both manual and automatic transmission.

“With the introduction of the New Jetta our entire carline from the Polo to the Passat now offers the latest and the best to our customers,” Member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India, Neeraj Garg told reporters in Mumbai.

The company had sold 32,000 units across all models in India last year and 45,000 units since last seven months.

“We have sold good number of Passat and Jetta in the last seven months. Despite economic slowdown we hope this New Jetta will help to increase our market share in coming days,” he said.

Hazare arrest: TDP protest continues

2011-08-17T01:45:00.000-07:00

The HinduTelugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu along with party leaders participating in a protest march in Hyderabad, against the arrest of Anna Hazare in New Delhi. Mr. Naidu led the dharna for the second day on Wednesday. Photo: Nagara Gopal

For the second consecutive day, the Telugu Desam Party organised massive protests across Andhra Pradesh protesting the undemocratic arrest of social activist Anna Hazare and his supporters in New Delhi.

TDP president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu led a dharna of his party workers at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on MG Road in Secunderabad.

“Carry on your fight (against corruption)...we will be with you,” the TDP rank and file promised Mr. Hazare and raised slogans against corruption.

Mr. Naidu once again lashed out at the Central government over the manner in which it dealt with Mr. Hazare’s protest.

“The entire is nation is up against corruption but the Government of India remains indifferent. We want a stronger Jan Lokpal and not a ‘toothless’ law to root out corruption,” Mr. Naidu asserted.

In Krishna district too TDP activists staged protests condemning the arrest of Mr. Hazare.

India faces Rs 1.83 lakh crore exposure to U.S. debt

2011-08-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

APThe Delhi Stock Exchange runs a news flash of "Wall Street sinks on rising economy worries," in New Delhi on Friday.

As one of the 15-largest foreign creditors to the U.S., India’s exposure to the United States’ ballooning debts is estimated at USD 41 billion — higher than the money America owes to countries like France and Australia.

The overall national debt of the U.S. is moving nearer to USD 15 trillion, out of which it owes over USD 4.5 trillion to foreign countries holding the U.S. government debt securities.

While China is the single-largest holder of the U.S. treasury securities with USD 1.15 trillion, India stands at 14th position with USD 41 billion (about Rs 1.83 lakh crore), as per the US Treasury Department.

The unprecedented debt downgrade of the U.S. from the top-notch ‘AAA’ level by Standard and Poor’s might also lead to an immediate action by Reserve Bank of India, which allows holding of government debt securities of countries with mostly a ‘Triple-A’ rating.

While a vast majority of the USD 41 billion portfolio is owned by RBI itself, some Indian banks also might have some exposure, sources said.

They said that the RBI was most likely to allow holding of the US securities even with a notch-lower rating, as it has been itself amassing the US treasury securities over the past one year despite a deepening debt crisis there.

The Indian holding has grown by about USD 10 billion in the past one year, the U.S. Treasury data shows.

The RBI holds the US treasury securities as part of its foreign exchange reserves and the dollar holdings account for about 10 per cent of its total portfolio.

Some experts pointed out that India has been increasing its exposure on the pretext that the US debt bonds were one of the most secure from default risks.

However, the U.S., which was on the brink of defaulting on its debt obligations last week, was saved by way of a last-minute deal reached by President Barack Obama to raise the country’s USD 14.3 trillion borrowing ceiling.

Rating agency S&P, which has based its downgrade of the country’s rating on the political opposition to the government plans to fight the debt problems, has termed the rescue plan as inadequate to tackle the U.S. debt situation.

While an exposure of USD 41 billion is a substantial figure from Indian context, this accounts for less than 0.3 per cent of the U.S.’ total debt and just about 1 per cent of its total foreign debts.

In fact, the Indian exposure is equivalent to an estimated USD 40 billion worth treasury bonds held by one single entity, Warren Buffett-led Berkshire Hathaway.

The overall foreign holding of the US government securities has grown by about USD 500 billion in past one year, while China has increased its exposure by about USD 300 billion during this period.

Among top foreign creditors, China is followed by Japan (USD 912 billion), the UK (USD 346 billion), Brazil (USD 211 billion), Taiwan (USD 153 billion), Hong Kong (122 billion), Russia (USD 115 billion), Switzerland (USD 108 billion), Canada (USD 91 billion), Luxembourg (USD 68 billion), Germany (USD 61 billion), Thailand (USD 60 billion), Singapore (USD 57 billion) and India (USD 51 billion).

Countries with lower exposure than India include Turkey, Ireland, South Korea, Belgium, Poland, Mexico, Italy, Netherlands, France, Philippines, Norway, Sweden, Colombia, Israel, Chile, Egypt, Malaysia and Australia in the respective order.

Src: thehindu.com

President makes her property details public

2011-07-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

The Hindu ANOTHER FIRST: President Pratibha Patil has set a precedent by becoming the first President to voluntarily disclose her assets.

President Pratibha Patil on Monday made public her movable and immovable properties which total to Rs. 2.49 crore. The First Citizen of the country took the step following a request by the Central Information Commission to take a decision on the lines of the Prime Minister.

The President, now on a week-long official visit to South Korea and Mangolia, posted the details of the immovable properties worth Rs. 83.83 lakh and movable assets worth Rs. 1.66 crore on her website. The first woman President of India, Pratibha Patil also completed four years in office on Monday.

The President owns a residential house and a farmhouse in Amravati district of Maharashtra. She also owns two pieces of agricultural land in Jalgaon district and another one in Dhule which she inherited from her father.

While the house in Amravati is worth Rs. 39.60 lakh, the 3.82 hectares farm house has been valued at Rs. 9.82 lakh. She had purchased two agricultural plots of 1.19 hectares and 1.49 hectares in Jalgaon district in 1997-98 which are worth Rs. 3.64 lakh and Rs. 2.90 lakh respectively.

For movable assets, the President has relied on traditional modes of investment such as fixed deposits, Public Provident Fund (PPF), gold and bonds of infrastructure companies.

She has fixed deposits in various banks worth Rs. 68.80 lakh, investment worth Rs. 29 lakh in Rural Electrification Corporation Limited bonds, Rs. 4.71 lakh in Post Office Savings Scheme and Rs. 12.60 lakh in PPF of the State Bank of India, according to the statement as on March 31, 2011.

She has gold jewellery worth Rs. 31 lakh and silver articles worth Rs. 69,134 as well as Rs. 16.33 lakh in her savings bank accounts, besides Rs. 1.87 lakh cash in hand. As far as the share market is concerned, the President has invested only Rs. 21,775. She has also invested Rs. 66,640 in Sanjivini Savings and Investments Limited.

Rupee ends 5 paise down

2011-07-25T06:02:00.001-07:00

The rupee on Monday declined by 5 paise to close at 44.40/41 against the U.S. dollar on month-end dollar demand.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the rupee opened weak at 44.40/41 a dollar from last weekend’s close of 44.35/36.

It settled the day at its opening level of 44.40/41.

Forex dealers said that the main reason behind the fall in the rupee value was month-end dollar demand from importers, mainly oil refiners, to meet their monthly requirements, he added.

However, firm equities amid a weak dollar overseas capped the rupee fall, they added.

The dollar index was quoting lower by 0.09 per cent against a basket of currencies while New York crude oil was trading below $99 a barrel in European market on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Monday rallied by 149 points to a two-week high of 18,871.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) pumped in $118.25 million last Friday as per SEBI data.

Source: thehindu.com

BlackBerry maker to cut 2,000 jobs

2011-07-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

AP In this July 12, 2011 photo, shareholders walk past protest signs outside the Research in Motion annual meeting in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. RIM is cutting 2,000 jobs as part of a cost savings plan announced last month.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is cutting 2,000 jobs as part of a cost savings plan announced last month and is shuffling some senior executives.

The job cuts amount to about 10 per cent of the company’s workforce. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said on Monday it will notify affected employees this week.

It expects to give more information on the layoffs when it reports fiscal second-quarter results on September 15.

Also on Monday, RIM says it is naming two executives to take on different parts of the chief operating officer role. COO Don Morrison went on medical leave in June

Thorsten Heins is being named chief operating officer (product and sales). Jim Rowan will become COO (operations).

Explosion hits Norway govt. headquarters, 1 dead

2011-07-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

APIn this TV grab, smoke is seen billowing from a damaged building as debris is strewn across the street after an explosion in Oslo on Friday. A loud explosion shattered windows at the Norway government’s headquarters, injuring several people.

A powerful blast tore open several Oslo buildings including the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday. One person was reportedly killed and several were injured, as the blast shattered windows and coated the street with documents.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press, although it was unclear whether that meant he was uninjured. Norway’s public broadcaster, NRK, said one person was confirmed killed.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the blast. NRK showed video of a blackened car lying on its side amid the debris.

Most of the windows in the 20-floor highrise were blown out, and the bottom floor appeared to be gutted. Nearby offices were also heavily damaged and evacuated, including those housing some of Norway’s leading newspapers and news agency NTB.

Witness Ole Tommy Pedersen was standing at a bus stop about 100m from the building at around 3.30 p.m. (7 p.m. IST) when he saw the blast shatter almost all windows of the 20-floor high-rise. He said a cloud of smoke is billowing from the bottom floors.

“I saw three or four injured people being carried out of the building a few minutes later,” Mr. Pedersen told The Associated Press.

Video shown by Norwegian broadcaster NRK showed most of the windows of the building had been blown out. The bottom floor appeared to be completely gutted. Shattered glass and debris littered a square in front of the building.

Nearby offices were evacuated including those housing some of Norway’s leading newspapers and news agency NTB. Some of them were also damaged.

An AP reporter who was in the NTB office said the building shook from the blast and all employees evacuated the building as the alarm went off. Down at the street he saw one person with a bleeding leg being led away from the area.

The government building houses the prime minister’s office and his administration. Several Ministries are in surrounding buildings.

People trapped at bomb site

A Norwegian government official says there are people trapped in the buildings.

State Secretary Kristian Amundsen told BBC that “there are still people in the buildings” at the blast site. He declined to elaborate, saying, “I can't go into details.”

He said this situation is the worst his country has seen.

Src: thehindu.com

Airtel pre-paid tariff goes up by 20%

2011-07-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

PTIBharti Airtel, the country’s largest telecom company by subscribers, has announced an increase in pre-paid tariffs of its “Advantage” and “Freedom” packs.

Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest telecom company by subscribers, on Friday announced a 20 per cent increase in pre-paid tariffs of its “Advantage” and “Freedom” packs for calls and SMS sent within Airtel network.

Users of the “Advantage” pack, which is based on per minute billing, will now have to pay 60 paise instead of 50 paise per minute for local and STD calls and 90 paise for calls to landlines.

Further, Re. 1 and Rs. 1.5 will be charged for local and national SMS, respectively. Existing users will have to pay for new rates after the validity of their existing vouchers end.

Similarly, the users of per second billing-based “Freedom” pack will be charged 1.2 paise for local and STD calls on mobile.

The new tariff structure has been announced for Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh telecom circles.

However, Airtel has not changed tariffs of rack rates, which means customers not opting for the “Advantage” and “Freedom” packs will have to pay the old rates of Re. 1 for local and Rs. 1.5 for STD calls.

“Telecom is probably the only industry where despite increasing inflation, tariffs have been falling unabatedly. Continuously declining margins, high 3G and BWA auction prices, constrained spectrum and rural roll out aspirations leave us with little choice but to make some price corrections,” an Airtel spokesperson said.

As per a recent TRAI report, Airtel had in May 2011 over 16.7 crore mobile phone customers, which makes for 19.88 per cent share of the market.

The company shares today closed 3.99 per cent higher at Rs. 410.95 on the BSE.

Mumbai blasts: Sequence of events reconstructed

2011-07-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and city Crime Branch probing the Mumbai serial blasts said on Friday it has reconstructed the sequence of events at two of the three sites before the blasts with the help of CCTV footages.

“The sequence of events that led to the blasts at Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House on July 13 has been reconstructed with the help of CCTV footages. We now have got the actual idea as to what had happened on that fateful day,” said an IPS officer probing the blasts case.

The blast incident was not captured on the CCTV at Dadar, the official said, adding, “The investigators have possession of CCTV visuals of seven days prior to the blasts at the Opera house.”

When asked how many people were involved in placing the explosives before blasts, the official said, “at least six persons may have been involved in placing the explosives at three locations. But the actual number could be known only after the accused’s arrest.”

Asked about the reports of getting “good leads” from Pune and Parbhani cities of the state, “We have been questioning several people for the leads from within and outside the state. We do have good leads in the case.”

The ATS had taken the help of technical experts, who have worked on Hollywood movies, to get the clear picture of the grainy images in the CCTV footages and the agency got “excellent results” of the footages, the official said.

Source: thehindu.com

Dog bites shark and goes viral

2011-07-22T09:53:00.001-07:00

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - It's got a big yellow dog, sharks, a dead dugong, attracted millions of viewers on YouTube and you couldn't make it up.

Video footage of a dog attacking a shark under water on the Australian coast has "gone viral", becoming a top Internet hit.

The footage shows two dogs swimming in the ocean near the West Australian town of Broome, about 1,650 km (1,025 miles) northeast of Perth.

The dogs appear to be herding several sharks towards shore, when one suddenly ducks under the water and attacks a shark.

"The dog is biting the shark," said Russell Hood-Penn in the voice-over as he video-taped the incident. "That is unbelievable. I've seen it all now."

Hood-Penn placed the footage on video-sharing website YouTube where it has been viewed more than 27 million times.

Daring dog bites sharkCheck out these daring dogs as they battle for fish scraps with several man eaters.

When the camera pans out, a dead dugong (a large marine mammal similar to a manatee) can be seen beached on the shore and Hood-Penn speculates that is the reason the sharks are circling so close to shore.

At the end of the video the dog emerges from the ocean and shakes the water from its fur. There was no word on the fate of the shark.

(Edited by Paul Casciato)

Bomb blast rocks Oslo Norway

2011-07-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Debris is seen on the street after a powerful explosion rocked central Oslo

Smoke rises from buildings in Oslo, Norway, at the scene of a large explosion which tore apart several buildings Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday in several buildings including the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press. The cause of the blast is not

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Space shuttle Atlantis makes final landing

2011-07-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Space shuttle Atlantis makes its final landing

Space shuttle Atlantis has landed back on Earth, bringing to a close America's 30-year orbiter programme.

The vehicle swept into the Kennedy Space Center, its wheels touching the runway just before local sunrise.
Nasa's shuttles were instrumental in building the space station, and were used to maintain the Hubble telescope.
"The space shuttle changed the way we view the world and it changed the way we view the Universe," said commander Chris Ferguson on landing.
"There's a lot of emotion today but one thing's indisputable: America's not going to stop exploring," he radioed to mission control.
Retirement of Nasa's iconic shuttle fleet was ordered by the US government, in part due to the high cost of maintaining the ships.
The decision leaves the country with no means of putting astronauts in orbit.

The Atlantis crew became known as "the final four"

The US space agency's intention is to invite the private sector to provide it with space transport services, and a number of commercial ventures already have crew ships in development.
These are unlikely to be ready to fly for at least three or four years, however.
In the interim, Nasa will rely on the Russians to ferry its people to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
Despite the dark skies over Florida's Space Coast, large crowds came out to try to glimpse Atlantis as it made its historic return from orbit. Two thousand people were gathered at the landing strip itself, but even in Texas, where mission control is sited, they mingled outside the gates of the Johnson Space Center.
The de-orbit track brought Atlantis across central Florida and the Titusville-Mims area before a hard bank to the left put the vehicle on a line to Runway 15 at Kennedy.

Analysis

Andy Gallacher BBC News, Kennedy Space Center

A huge cheer went up across the Kennedy Space Centre as the space shuttle Atlantis touched down for the final time just before dawn.
Many here believe this is the end of an era and the end, for now, of America's dominance in space.
It is a bitter-sweet moment. Nasa plans to celebrate the shuttle programme's countless milestones over the next few days but on Friday thousands of workers will lose their jobs.
For now, though, this is a chance for everyone involved in the 30-year programme to reflect on what the world's first re-usable spacecraft has achieved.
Over the decades, the orbiters deployed almost 200 satellites, carried out important scientific research and built the International Space Station.
A chapter in human space exploration has now closed for good, but the space shuttles' place in history is assured.

Commander Ferguson, a veteran of two previous shuttle missions was at the controls, with his pilot Doug Hurley alongside him. Mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim were sitting directly behind on the flightdeck.

Their ship's rear wheels touched the ground at 0556 local time (0956 GMT; 1056 BST), and the vehicle was stationary under a minute later.
It concluded a 13-day re-supply mission to the ISS.
The return of Atlantis marked a moment of high emotion for the Space Coast - not least because it will trigger a big lay-off of contractor staff. More than 3,000 people involved in shuttle operations lose their jobs this week.
Mindful of this, Nasa Administrator and former astronaut Charles Bolden was quick to thank programme staff in the speeches that followed the landing.
"I want everybody who was involved in this to feel incredibly proud of what you did and what your role was," he said.
"Like me, [the crew of Atlantis] got to do the flying but we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the thousands, literally tens of thousands, of folks all around the country who made all this possible."
The orbiter programme does not officially end for a month, but even then it is likely to take a couple of years to close all activities, such as the archiving of decades of shuttle engineering data.

Click to play

Commander Chris Ferguson: 'Flying in space is a real dream'

For Atlantis, its retirement will be spent as a static display at the Kennedy visitor complex.
The Discovery and Endeavour shuttles, which made their final flights earlier this year, will go to the Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia and the California Science Center in Los Angeles, respectively.
Nasa hopes to invest money saved from shuttle operations in a new spaceship and rocket that can take humans beyond the ISS to destinations such as the Moon, asteroids and Mars.
The conical ship, known as Orion, has already been defined and is in an advanced stage of development. The rocket, on the other hand, is still an unknown quantity.
The US Congress has told the agency what its minimum capabilities should be. However, the agency is currently struggling to put those specifications into a concept it says can be built to the timeline and budget specified by the politicians.
It promises to detail the rocket's baseline design before the summer is out.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Leopard mauls six in Siliguri

2011-07-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

In a horrifying moment, a fully grown leopard pounced on a forest guard in Siliguri

AFP PHOTO/Diptendu DUTTA

A leopard was shot dead after it attacked and injured six people in a slum in West Bengal's Darjeeling district Tuesday. In Photo: A leopard (Panthera pardus) pounces on a forest guard at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri

AFP PHOTO/Diptendu DUTTA

Hearing the news, forest and wildlife officers reached the spot, but the animal took refuge in a bush, as thousands of locals gathered in the area - some to see the fun, and others terrified.

AFP PHOTO/Diptendu DUTTA

In the evening, the leopard emerged again and attacked three people, including a policeman. 'The police and forest officials then fired in self-defence. The injured leopard was taken to the Sukna forest office, where it died,' said sood.

AFP PHOTO/Diptendu DUTTA

An unidentified forest guard aims his rifle as he is attacked by a wild leopard (Panthera pardus) at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri on July 19, 2011.

AFP PHOTO/Diptendu DUTTA

An unidentified forest official is taken to the hospital after being attacked by a leopard at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri on July 19, 2011.

Bareilly baby boy with 34 fingers and toes sets new Guinness record

2011-07-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), July 20 (ANI): Akshat, a baby boy over the age of one, registered his name in the Guinness world records for having a total of 34 fingers and toes.

He has set the record for having the highest number of fingers and toes and hails from the Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh.

Amrita Saxena, the mother of the child, said it was difficult for her to believe that her son broke the world record, until a family friend convinced her.

"He (family friend) read on the internet about the baby born in China with 31 fingers. Then he said that my boy has broken the record of having 34 fingers. At first, I was not convinced at all. It was hard to believe that my son has broken the record. But later, he along with my husband and my younger sister registered the data in the Internet. Then I was asked to submit certain documents after which his name was in the Guinness World Records," added Saxena.

Doctors attending to the child informed the mediapersons that it was a rare phenomenon and diagnosed it as polydactyly.

"The person who is diagnosed with it is polydactylic. It is due to certain defects in the bone development of the uterus. The reason behind this defect can be either developmental congenital formation or chromosomal anomalies, which is due to maternal infection or drugs," said Dr. Parul Gupta, a gynaecologist.

Gupta further explained that this congenital physical anomaly could be easily cured by performing a surgery.

"Yes, it is absolutely curable. Mostly people go for plastic surgery. And sometimes when polydactyly is minimal, it can be cured normally, without an operation. And if there is a major problem, then people prefer to go for a plastic surgery," added Gupta.

Meanwhile Saxena was a little worried for her son's future. She aspires for her son to lead a 'normal' life and wants him to undergo proper treatment for it.

It is quite interesting to know that Polydactyly or polydactylism is also known as hyperdactyly. It is a congenital physical anomaly in humans, dogs, and cats having supernumerary fingers or toes. (ANI)

Source: Yahoo.com

Somali pirates hijack UAE vessel with 5 Indians

2011-07-21T07:51:00.001-07:00

A UAE-based vessel carrying 16 members on board including five Indians were hijacked by Somali pirates off an Island which forms part of Yemen.

Sources in the Ministry of Shipping on Thursday said they were trying to ascertain the details of the Indians who were part of the 16-member crew that has been hijacked by pirates on July 16.

Vessel MV Jubba of Juba General Trading was on its regular route from the United Arab Emirates to the port of Berbera, Somalia with the crew members including a Sri Lankan, three Bangladeshis, a Sudanese, a Myanmarese, a Kenyan and four Somalians.

According to preliminary information, the vessel was located by a Maritime Patrol aircraft 100 nautical miles north-west of Socotra Island, heading to the northern Somali coast.

The sources said the hijacked vessel was a general cargo freighter having a capacity of 2,100 tonne.

In a related move, Pakistan’s human rights activist and former federal Minister Ansar Burney, whose office had also received information about the hijacking of the vessel, said at present little information was available, but it was reported that nine suspected Somali pirates were on board.

Mr. Burney, whose trust has been on forefront of negotiation with pirates, demanded with the United Nations and NATO to take stern action against the terrorist Somali pirates to get MV Iceberg, MV Jubba XX and over 40 other vessels released and ensure safe and secure recovery of more than 700 innocent crew members on board including those from India and Pakistan.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/

Gadkari supports demand for separate Telangana state

2011-07-19T05:48:00.001-07:00

London, July 18 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari has supported the demand for a separate Telangana state and assured the protagonists of the cause that his party will fulfil the long-standing aspirations of the people of the region if it returns to power.

The BJP has always been in favour of smaller states and was the first national political party which adopted a resolution for a separate Telangana state if elected to power, Gadkari said while addressing an impressive gathering of the Telangana Development Forum, UK, here Sunday evening.

He accused the ruling Congress Party for the present crisis in Andhra Pradesh where legislators belonging to the region from different political parties including the ruling Congress have resigned in support of their 'just and reasonable demand'.

Gadkari alleged that the Congress was continuing with its delaying tactics by sitting over the recommendations of the Justice Srikrishna Commission which was asked to look into the issue. He assured the pro-Telangana activists that the BJP, when in power at the centre, will complete the proposed irrigation projects and undertake river connectivity programme for better water management of the Krishna and Godavari rivers.

'We will ensure proportionate water for Telangana and make it prosperous and economically viable state with improved agriculture and irrigation', Gadkari said amid laud applause. He said his party proposes to prepare a vision document for all-round progress and development of Telangana.

Speaking on the occasion, Smriti Irani, MP and president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, recalled that the mounting discontent and disillusionment among the protagonists of separate Telangana was first reflected in the movement organised by the students of Osmania University when they launched a protest against discrimination in government jobs against Telangana people more than 40 years ago.

The BJP president and his delegation visited the Swaminarayan temple, a gurudwara and a Sanatam Dharam Temple in Southall, an Indian dominated area of London.

Source: www.yahoo.com

2.5 lakh people affected in floods in Assam; Govt. sounds flood alert

2011-07-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

Assam government on Tuesday sounded an alert across the State after flood waters breached embankments and submerged roads and houses in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sonitpur districts, affecting around 2.5 lakh people, officials said today.

Incessant heavy rains in Arunachal Pradesh and the affected districts triggered the first wave of floods with 75,000 people being displaced as their dwellings were washed away, the officials said.

The State government, after sounding the alert, directed the National Disaster Management teams and district administrations to provide rescue, medical and relief materials to the affected people, they said.

The road link between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh through Dhemaji district has been severed following the flood waters running over National Highway-52 at Samarajan.

The rising waters of the Brahmaputra were also swelling the streams inside the one-horned rhino habitat Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district, Park sources said.

A report from worst-hit Lakhimpur district said more than 150 villages with around 1.2 lakh people were submerged by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries flowing above the danger mark.

The North Lakhimpur College area of district headquarters Lakhimpur town was waterlogged by the Sondi river, while the Ronganadi river overran 60 villages under Lakhimpur revenue circle (RC).

Rain-fed river Subansiri entering the State from Arunachal washed away the homes of 120 families following erosion at Borsapori, Nahori and Kolakhuwa areas, the officials said.

The Kakoi river affected 20 villages under Kodom RC and Boginadi river hit 10 villages under Boginadi RC. A part of NH—52 was breached at Baghinijan near Podumoni temple last night but was repaired today by the Border Road Organisation to enable movement of small vehicles.

In neighbouring Dhemaji district, 115 villages with over one lakh population have been affected by the ravaging floods and around 40 villages have been submerged by Simen river under Jonia sub—division.

River Jiadhol broke a dyke affecting 60 villages under Machkhowa RC, river Singara overran 15 villages under Naoboicha RC and river Ranganadi 10 villages, they said.

Another 15 villages under Narayanpur RC have been affected by the deluge, besides 25 villages submerged due to breach of an agricultural dyke at Duprang.

Kaziranga National Park’s four ranges of Burapahar, Bagori, Arimora and Kohora have been submerged following erosion on its north-west side and the waters rushing in to swell up the streams inside which are now overflowing.

Stating that the animals inside were safe as they had taken shelter on the highlands, the Park sources said 75 forest security camps had been alerted, 125 country boats pressed into service for patrolling and Section 144 CrPC promulgated on the NH-37 passing by the Park for the animals’ security.

In Sonitpur district the floods submerged 30 villages with standing crops in Gohpur and Biswanath sub—divisions. 60 families were rendered homeless by river Jiabharali at Dikraijan, Korokoni, Kuttamara, Gotaimari, Panchmile, Borghat and Rajbhara areas.

Flood waters were overflowing on the National Highway at three places in both the sub-divisions, disrupting movement of vehicular traffic between Biswanath Chariali and Lakhimpur district.

With some people taking shelter on high road sides, many had shifted to the makeshift relief camps set up by the district administrations in government schools and offices for their succour, the officials said.

The Central government deployed NDRF teams were ready for flood emergencies, equipped with deep diving gear, inflatable boats, lifebuoys and life jackets, the officials added.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

Bombay, Karachi chambers to form joint forum

2011-07-18T20:28:00.001-07:00

Seeking to promote bilateral trade ties between India and Pakistan and to take it to a new level, the Karachi and Bombay Chambers of Commerce have entered into an agreement to establish a joint forum.

The decision to establish such a body was taken after the fifth round of talks on commercial and economic cooperation between the Commerce Secretaries of both countries in Islamabad in April this year, the Bombay Chamber of Commerce (BCC) said in a statement here.

The agreement was signed here by BCC president Ashok Barat and vice-president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce Junaid Esmail Makda on Friday. Mr. Barat said there was a need for taking effective and practical steps for boosting commercial ties between the neighbouring countries. Reciprocating the sentiment, Mr. Makda said businesses could forge lasting and mutually beneficial relationships between the two countries.

Earlier this week, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry secretary-general Rajiv Kumar visited Pakistan and held discussions with various commerce chambers.

The chambers have been stressing on the need to facilitate trade and economic integration between the two countries.

There has been a growing demand by businessmen of the two countries that a joint group on the visa issue should be formed and long-term visas issued on multi-city basis for businessmen of both sides.

“Tummalapalle in A.P. could have one of world's largest uranium reserves”

2011-07-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

PTIAtomic Energy Commission Chairman Srikumar Banerjee inaugurates the construction of an atomic power plant at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan on Monday

It will still not be sufficient to meet India's needs: Banerjee

Tummalapalle in Andhra Pradesh could have one of the largest uranium reserves in the world. Recent studies have indicated that it could have a reserve of 1.5 lakh tonnes of the scarce material.

Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Srikumar Banerjee said: “Studies have already shown that the area had a confirmed reserve of 49,000 tonnes and recent surveys indicated that this figure could go up even three folds.”

He was here to inaugurate the construction work on two more units of 700 MW each at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS), by making “the first pour of concrete.”

Exploration under way

He said uranium deposits in Tummalapalle appeared to be spread over 35 km. Exploratory works are under way. At present, the country is estimated to have a total reserve of about 1,75,000 tonnes of uranium, apart from this.

Terming the new findings a major development, Dr. Banerjee, however, pointed out that the indigenous reserves would still not be sufficient to meet the entire demand of the country's nuclear programme. “The new findings would only augment the indigenous supply of uranium. There would still be a significant gap. We would still have to import.”

Dr. Banerjee sought to allay any misapprehension that the government was keener on importing nuclear technology than promoting indigenously developed technology and said the Centre was seeking to import nuclear technology only to ensure faster development of nuclear power. He asserted that setting up of plants based on indigenous and imported technologies would proceed alongside.

“Nuclear power is absolutely essential to meet the growing energy needs of the country. If the economy has to grow by 9 per cent per annum, we need a 10 per cent growth in electricity production. We cannot do without nuclear power.”

To be ready in five years

The two new units at Rawatbhata are being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 12,000 crore and are scheduled to be ready in five years from “the first pour of concrete.”

The reactors are on the lines of the two 700 MW reactors under construction at Kakrapar in Gujarat. They have been designed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited by scaling up the 540 MW reactors operating at Tarapur in Maharashtra since 2005.

The reactors have advanced safety features, including passive safety systems that work on natural principles such as gravity, and natural convection and do not need operator intervention or motive power to ensure reactor safety under any state of operations.

According to a NPCIL note, there would be two independent and diverse systems to shut down the reactor, a passive decay heat removal system to ensure cooling of the reactor core even in case of total loss of power and steel-lined containment to contain the entire radioactivity within the reactor building even in a severe accident scenario.

Noting that the country already had 20 nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 4,780 MW in operation and seven more with a capacity of 5,300 MW were under construction, NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Jain said more reactors were being planned to take the total installed capacity to at least 20,000 MW by 2020.

Among other things, NPCIL is working towards setting up two more reactors of 1,000 MW each at Kudankulam, and two each in Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh of 700 MW each, apart from two units of 1,650 MW each at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.

Viru's absence a reprieve for England: Emburey

2011-07-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Virender Sehwag at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The opener is expected to join the team in England after two Tests. (TOI Photo)

Times of India

MUMBAI: India's dramatic collapse against Somerset - ahead of the first Test at Lord's - might have made the occasion for the 2000th Test more compelling but former England spinner John Emburey has warned the hosts against any complacency.

Speaking to TOI from London, the former England off-spinner said India have the quality and experience in their side to bounce back any time.

"India's struggle shouldn't be read as any kind of weakness. They are the No. 1 Test team in the world and have the knowledge of playing in England. They have experience and talent to outplay any opponent," he said.

Emburey, who is closely watching the tour game, felt home advantage was not England's only asset. Their greatest advantage, he felt, was the absence of Virender Sehwag in the first two Tests.

"Not having Virender Sehwag in the side will be a big disadvantage for India, while it's a big reprieve for England. He (Sehwag) is such an entertainer and the crowd at Lord's will be disappointed not to see a batsman like him play. No doubt it will be a big occasion for Sachin Tendulkar to get his hundredth 100, but Sehwag has his own charm," he said.

The former England offie ruled out the utility of a spinner at Lord's due to rain in the last few days, though he thought Graeme Swann would be more useful in home conditions than India's Harbhajan Singh. "Harbhajan (Singh) doesn't have an incredible record in England, but he's an experienced bowler. Graeme Swann has performed marvellously in the last two years and can be dangerous in home conditions. He has the perfect drift and turn but more importantly he is, at present, a more attacking spinner than Harbhajan."

Emburey felt a lot would depend on Andrew Strauss and Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captains on the outcome of the series. "Both teams are reasonably equal. I feel all four Tests would be drawn unless Strauss or Dhoni does something special. Strauss needs to show more confidence and clear himself of any clutter ahead of a big series," he said.

Emburey considered Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma as a potent threat adding the two could trouble the English batsmen.

"Strauss is uncomfortable with the ball that leaves left-handers and the key would be to drop the length against him periodically. This is where Zaheer (Khan) would be very handy, while Ishant (Sharma) has that extra pace and bounce to be able to push the batsmen on the backfoot. Ishant also brings the ball into the right-handers which I feel only (Jonathan) Trott is comfortable with," he said.

The forthcoming Lord's Test will be memorable for cricketing as well as mathematical reasons. It will be thrilling if India manage to win it after their dodgy start to the series.

Man who got Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple riches revealed dies

2011-07-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Advocate TP Sunderarajan, the 1964-batch IPS officer whose legal intervention led to the stock-taking of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple's colossal assets, died on Sunday, spurring talks of "divine retribution" among the believers.

The 70-year-old passed away at about 12.45am at his brother's home around 30 metres from the shrine's west entrance. A family source said Sunderarajan, who was otherwise in good health, was uneasy and feverish for the last two days. On Saturday evening, he complained of wheezing and said he would not last until Sunday morning. He refused to take any medicine or go to a hospital. "At about 12.45am on Sunday, he said he wanted to go to the toilet, but collapsed before he could step in," a family source said.

While some said his sudden death was divine retribution, others asserted he was not put through any suffering of old age. Stories of how tragedy had befallen those who entered the shrine, too, did the rounds during the day, but these could not be confirmed.

Sunderarajan's health, who was behind the legal intervention for the stock-taking of Kerala's Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple's assets, deteriorated on Saturday evening. He had said he would not last until Sunday morning. His family members chose to dismiss his apprehensions; apparently he had said the same thing earlier as well.

Sunderarajan also told a person close to him that he wanted to die before sunrise as otherwise the sun would pass from 'Uttarayana' (north) to Dakshinayana (south). According to Hindu texts, 'Uttarayana' is an auspicious time to leave the body.

By about 8.30am, Sunderarajan's wheezing increased but he refused to take any medicine or go to a hospital. If he is relatives are to be believed, he never took medicines all his life. A home blood glucose test showed his level had dropped to 34. Intravenous glucose failed to revive the dipping sugar level.

Sunderarajan had resigned from the Intelligence Bureau in 1974 to care for his ailing father T K Padmanabha Iyer who had lost his eyesight following a bout of diabetes. While in IB, he was a part of the inner security ring of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, said a family member.

Sunderarajan was a bachelor living with his brother's family. The mortal remains were consigned to flames later in the day.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

CID probe ordered into death of blasts suspect

2011-07-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

PTI Ruwaida Usmani waits with her son Azeem Usmani and relatives to receive her husband Fayaz Usmani’s body outside the Lokmanya Tilak Hospital in Mumbai on Sunday.

He died of brain haemorrhage: provisional post-mortem report

Maharashtra's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will probe the death of Fayaz Usmani (35) after he was taken by the police for questioning in connection with Wednesday's blasts here.

The Director-General of Police ordered the CID probe after Fayaz's family members suspected foul play in the death. “A CID inquiry has been ordered,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Nisar Tamboli told The Hindu.

A provisional post-mortem report came late on Sunday night. “Prima facie it appears to be a natural death. We have still preserved the viscera and sent it to the laboratory for testing,” Dr. Tatyarao Lahane, Dean of J J Hospital, where the post-mortem was conducted, said.

Fayaz was called for questioning by the Crime Branch on Saturday afternoon. He complained of stomach ache and vomiting within 20 minutes of questioning, the police said. He was taken to the Lokmanya Tilak Hospital and a CT scan report said he had suffered massive brain haemorrhage. He died around 1 a.m. on Sunday.

“According to the post mortem, he suffered from cardiac infarction and brain haemorrhage. This means he suffered from a heart attack. A 90-100 gms blood clot was found in his brain. No marks of injury were found on his body,” Dr. Lahane said. Fayaz's heart has been kept for investigation, official sources said.

Fayaz was the elder brother of 2008 Ahmedabad blast suspect Afzal Usmani, who is now under arrest.

Dr. Randhir Singh, who treated Fayaz told The Hindu, “The police brought him in an unconscious state at 5 p.m. from the Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi. His blood pressure was 225/180, which is very high. We immediately admitted him to the ICU. A CT scan showed massive brain haemorrhage due to hypertension. It is natural death. We did not find any torture marks on the body. There were no external injuries or internal injuries due to external hit.”

Mr. Tamboli said, “He was called for questioning on Saturday afternoon. He came to the Crime Branch. He cooperated with the investigation, but started feeling uncomfortable within 20 minutes. He complained of stomach ache and vomited. We immediately took him to hospital. We later came to know that he suffered from hypertension and had not taken his medication for two-three days.”

But the family members claimed that he did not suffer from any health problem.

Fayaz's son Azeem Usmani told The Hindu, “He was perfectly fine when he left home. Policemen in plainclothes came and took him for interrogation. They said they were from the Crime Branch Unit 6. They took him at 3 p.m. yesterday [Saturday]. But a policeman came some time later to tell us that he was suffering from stomach ache and vomiting, and was taken to hospital. When we went and saw him, his hands were shaking. Doctors told us that he suffered from brain haemorrhage. Late in the night, they said, he was no more.”

He said: “It has happened because of the police. He had gone alone with the police. There was no one else. How will we know what happened? It must have happened because of torture. He looked fine when he left home.” The police recorded the statement of the family members.

According to informed sources, a CID team interrogated some officials of the Crime Branch Unit 6 for nearly two hours on Sunday.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com