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Judicial commission visits Kandhamal
Bhubaneswar, Oct 18 (PTI) The judicial commission probing the violence in Orissa's Kandhamal today made a field visit to the riot-hit district setting the investigation process in motion, official sources said.
Justice S C Mohapatra heading the one-man commission, visited the ashram at Jalespeta where VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and four associates were gunned down on August 23 which triggered the largescale violence in the district and elsewhere in the state.
Soon after arrival here last night, Justice Mohapatra held a meeting with senior officials including District Collector Kishan Kumar and Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar, the sources said.
During his four-day tour of the district, the panel head is scheduled to visit Saraswati's ashram at Chakapada, where the VHP leader's samadhi is situated, tomorrow.
The commission is also likely to meet people in relief camps and tribals who have been agitating for a long time. PTI
Chandrayaan countdown to start on Monday
Chennai, Oct 18 (PTI) Countdown for the launch of Chandrayaan-1, the country's first unmanned moon mission, will start on Monday, a top ISRO official said.
"The countdown will start on Monday early morning," Satish Dhawan Space Centre Associate Director MYS Prasad told PTI.
The spacecraft, which will be launched on October 22, was moved to the launch pad last evening, he said.
"Preparatory activities, including checking of various parameters in payloads, to start the countdown are going on," Prasad said.
He added that all operations are progressing satisfactorily for the launch of the spacecraft on Wednesday at 0620 hrs.
"About 42 tonnes of propellant would be filled during the countdown period," Prasad said.
According to the specifications given by officials, the spacecraft carrying 11 payloads (scientific instruments) weighs about 1,380 kg at the time of its launch.
The spacecraft is shaped like a cuboid with a solar panel projecting from one of its sides. The state-of-the-art sub-systems of the spacecraft facilitates safe and efficient functioning of its 11 payloads.
It is powered by a single solar panel generating a maximum power of 700W. A 36 Ampere-Hour (AH) Lithium ion battery supplies power when the solar panel is not illuminated by the sun.
"To make Chandrayaan-1 escape from orbiting the earth and to travel towards the moon, its Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) is used," an official said, adding, "Liquid propellants needed for LAM as well as thrusters are stored onboard the spacecraft." The craft's dual gimballed antenna will transmit scientific data gathered by its 11 payloads to earth, officials added. PTI
Mayawati tells partymen to prepare for Lok Sabha polls
Lucknow, Oct 18 (PTI) Gearing up with the announcement of assembly polls in five other states, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has started motivating her party workers to prepare for the coming general election scheduled later next year.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo today exhorted partymen to start all out preparations so as to give "surprising" results on all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
"With good results in the Lok Sabha elections, I am sure, when the new government is constituted at the centre, the situation would be entirely different", Mayawati said while addressing a seminar on 'Scheduled Caste/Tribes and OBCs -- Problems, Reasons and Remedy,' here.
"Though every section of society has come with the BSP, those who are left out should also be motivated through the ideology and principals and brought in the party," she said.
Blaming the Congress for social, educational and economic backwardness of SCs and STs, Mayawati said that they continued to suffer because of the casteist mentality and policies adopted by the party which ruled the state and the country for the maximum time period since independence.
"That Congress as also the other parties discriminating these sections of society could be judged from the fact that neither the Congress-led UPA government nor the Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh government declared national mourning on the death of BSP founder Kanshi Ram who had dedicated his life for the upliftment and welfare of the most deprived sections.
As the Congress votebank has been shifting towards the BSP both its leaders and the "yuvraj" (Rahul Gandhi) have been indulging in every sort of drama to bring them back but it would have no effect", she said. PTI
India gain uppper hand, Australia trail by 367 runs
Amlan Chakraborty
Mohali, Oct 18 (PTI) Retiring stalwart Sourav Ganguly notched up his 16th Test century while stand-in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed the mark by a whisker before their bowling colleagues landed late blows on Australia to put India in the box seat on day two of the second cricket Test here today.
Finishing the day at 102 for four wickets is hardly what Australia captain Ricky Ponting would have fancied and Michael Hussey (37) would have a crucial role to play tomorrow if the visitors are to avoid follow on and wipe out the arrears.
Sourav Ganguly (102) struck his 16th century in his 111th Test -- which has already seen him cross the 7000-mark -- and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (92) fell just eight runs shy of his ton as India's first innings ended with 469 runs on board.
Australia needed a good start to their reply but by the time their innings was into its eighth over, opener Matthew Hayden (0) and captain Ricky Ponting (5) were cooling their heels in the hut with the score reading 17.
Zaheer Khan stretched Hayden's bad patch by pegging back the off-stump with his third delivery and Ishant Sharma, not to be left behind, had his bunny again in Ponting, who had survived a leg before appeal before his luck ran out.
Australia had barely weathered the crisis when Amit Mishra claimed his first Test victim in Simon Katich (33), castling the left-hander who looked well set, and then removed Michael Clarke (23) with the last ball of the day. PTI
Bhupathi-Knowles enter Madrid Masters semis
Madrid, Oct 18 (PTI) Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles defeated erring Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle 6-3 7-5 to storm into the semifinals of the USD 2,270,000 Madrid Masters.
The fourth seeded Indo-Bahamian pair took one hour and 15 minutes to beat the sixth seeded Swede-Austrian duo in the quarterfinals of the hard court event.
Bhupathi and Knowles converted one of the three chances apart from saving all three breakpoints they faced to race away with the first set.
In the second set also Bhupathi and Knowles saved two breakpoints and broke their rivals once to ensure a berth in the last-four stage.
They next face fifth seeded pair of Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden and Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe, who stunned top seeded Mike and Bob Byran 6-4 6-4 in their quarterfinal match.
Bhupathi's estranged partner Leander Paes and Luaks Dlouhy had made a shock exit after losing to wild card pair of Pablo Andujar and Marcel Granollers, yesterday. PTI
India dominate Commonwealth Youth Games, win 76 medals
Tapan Mohanta
Pune, Oct 18 (PTI) Hosts India shed their tag of poor performers at Olympic sports and pulled of a major upset at the Commonwealth Youth Games that concluded here today by topping the standings with a rich haul of 76 medals.
Showing a marked improved performance at a time when the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge was present, India betterd their last edition's medals tally by leaps and bounds wrapping up the seven-day extravaganza with 33 gold, 26 silver and 17 bronze.
Last edition's champions Australia finished on the second spot with 24 gold, 19 silver and 22 bronze, while England with 18 gold, nine silver and 14 bronze secured the third spot.
In last edition of the Games at Bendigo four years back, India could manage to garner only 10 medals (two gold, four silver and four bronze medals) to settle for a poor eighth place finish. Australia had ruled the roost there with 58 gold, 41 silver and 30 bronze, while England and South Africa had finished on second and third spots respectively.
India had to settle for a silver and a bronze on the concluding day of the CYG which saw only boys and girls singles finals and third place play-off in tennis being played.
Having pulled out of the singles semi-final after twisting his ankle, Yuki Bhambri made up for yesterday's disappointment as he earned India the first medal -- a bronze -- on the concluding day when he beat New Zealander Logan Mackenzie in straight sets.
Yuki broke Mackenzie twice in each set to wrap it up 7-5 6-2. PTI
Pak will not compromise on its share of Chenab waters: Qureshi
Islamabad, Oct 18 (PTI) Pakistan will not compromise on its share of waters under the Indus Waters Treaty and has taken up alleged violations of the pact with India, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said today.
"We are aware of the problem and Pakistan will not compromise on the water issue," he told a news conference at the Foreign Office here.
Replying to a question about the reported suspension of water flow in the Chenab river by India and the construction of more dams in Jammu and Kashmir, Qureshi said Pakistan's Indus Waters Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shhas has left for New Delhi to discuss these issues with Indian officials.
President Asif Ali Zardari too raised the issue during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. "(Singh) said India would abide by the (Indus Waters) Treaty and respect its sanctity," Qureshi said.
Pakistan has been using diplomatic and all other channels to raise the issue. Pakistan's High Commissioner to India had taken up the matter with Indian leaders while the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was contacted to convey that the Treaty is being violated, he said.
"We are taking all possible steps to take up the issue with the Indian leadership to resolve it as soon as possible so that there is no shortage of water for crops in Pakistan," Qureshi said.
He described the Indus Waters Treaty as a "tested" framework and mechanism that had delivered in the past. However, Pakistan will resort to "all available mechanisms" to address the problem. PTI
No nuclear deal with Pak: US
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Oct 18 (PTI) The US has made it clear that Pakistan cannot be given a nuclear deal similar to the one it has worked out with India.
The nuclear cooperation with Islamabad is "just not on the table," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, said at a recent Round Table on Pakistan.
He said the Indo-US nuclear deal was "unique" and "not a model for anything else," according to a transcript released by the State Department.
Boucher's remarks came against the backdrop of repeated statements by the Pakistani leadership, including Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, seeking a nuclear agreement on the lines of the Indo-US deal.
".... We are absolutely committed to working with Pakistan on Pakistan's energy needs. And indeed during the strategic partnership meeting we had with the Foreign Minister (Shah Mahmood Qureshi) and others who were here, we talked about Pakistan's energy needs.
"We talked about how to improve the cooperation. And Pakistan's energy problems are also balanced by Pakistan's energy potential," Boucher said, adding the goal is to help Pakistan with its energy needs.
"... I think there's a developing programme by the government to address those energy needs. But yeah, there's a lot to do, and unfortunately a lot of the energy investments take time so it's hard to immediately satisfy the needs for energy that are appearing now," he said. PTI
IPI gas pipeline project can become IPC: Pak
Islamabad, Oct 18 (PTI) The Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project could become the Iran-Pakistan-China project in view of New Delhi's delay in joining the venture, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said today.
India would be welcome to join the project whenever it chooses to do so but Pakistan could not delay the venture any further due to its growing energy requirements, Qureshi told a news briefing here after President Asif Ali Zardari's just-concluded visit to China.
"The IPI project can become the IPC (Iran-Pakistan- China) project or even if it is the IP (Iran-Pakistan) project, China can invest in it," he said, adding the pipeline could feed energy-deficient areas in China bordering Pakistan.
Pakistan has been actively pursuing China to join the 7.4 billion-dollar project ever since India stayed away from several meetings held last year to discuss the finalisation of the pipeline. China has given no firm commitment on joining the project as yet.
Referring to talks held recently between Pakistani and Iranian leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and in Islamabad, Qureshi said there had been a "qualitative change" in the project as the two countries had agreed to proceed bilaterally on the pipeline without waiting for India.
"As we are not prepared to wait for the third partner, we will proceed bilaterally," he said. "Iran and Pakistan will welcome India (whenever it chooses to join the project), but it has not reached the stage of making a decision." Pakistan and Iran now planned to implement the pipeline in a "fast track" mode and Qureshi said he would visit Tehran to finalise modalities for the venture.
The two countries decided to proceed bilaterally on the pipeline during Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's visit to Islamabad on October 10. PTI
Nissan signs MoU with Ennore port for exporting vehicles
Chennai, Oct 18 (PTI) Japanese automaker Nissan Motor today entered into an agreement with Ennore Port Ltd to export its vehicles from India.
"We are happy to sign an MoU with Ennore Port Ltd and it would meet Nissan's requirements to export vehicles," Nissan Motor India Managing Director Shouhei Kimura said after signing an MoU in the presence of Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu here.
Initially, they would export about 1,10,000 units of automobiles including LCVs, cars by second half of 2010 primarily to European countries and hope to increase it to 1,80,000 units in future, Kimura said.
He said that they would introduce nine new models in future which would be manufactured and exported from their manufacturing plant at Oragadam located about 45 kms from here.
Meanwhile, Ennore Port Ltd Chairman and Managing Director S Velumani said that the Port was considered to be the 12th major port since 2001.
Stating that the Port was mainly targeted in exporting coal and iron ore, Velumani said that the signing of the MoU with NMIPL would give a major boost to the Port.
On the upcoming works, the Chairman said "there are 14 projects worth Rs 6,400 crore of investments which is expected to be implemented in two phases".
The company has till now used Rs 2,700 crore for infrastructure development of port purposes, while Rs 1,500 crore for other purposes, he said. PTI
Sensex tumbles below 10K on signs of recession in US
Mumbai, Oct 18 (PTI) For the first time in two years, the benchmark Sensex closed below the psychologically 10,000 level as funds continued their selling spree amid strong signs of recession in the US -- the world's biggest economy -- becoming a reality.
The 30-share barometer on the Bombay Stock Exchange fell to end the week at 9,975.35, the lowest level since June 20, 2006 when the key index had closed at 9,822.52. The index also fell to an intra-day low of 9,911.32 during the week compared to 9,875.35 on July 24, 2006.
The Sensex ended the week at 9,975.35, against the last weekend's level of 10,527.85, showing a sharp loss of 552.50 points, or 5.25 per cent.
The 50-share Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also dropped 205.60 points, or 6.27 per cent, to close at 3,074.35, against the last weekend's level of 3,279.95.
Marketmen said signs of uncertainty on the domestic political front, coupled with fears of global recession becoming a reality, took a severe toll on the bourses. Foreign institutional investors continued their selling spree in view of the dim picture in the global financial markets.
Brokers said less-than-expected corporate earnings also contributed to the fall in Sensex. They said efforts by the government and the Reserve Bank to ease money supply in the system had no major impact on investor sentiment.
Meanwhile, the government has reportedly sought data from the Reserve Bank to consider a proposal to enhance the investment limit for bank exposure to equity markets. PTI
Stop giving prominence to voices that spread hatred: Naseer
Bedika
New Delhi, Oct 17 (PTI) Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shahis critical of giving prominence to voices that spread hatredas he emphasises that it is not the view of the majority ofthe community he represents.
Shah, who is depicting the liberal face of Islam inthe new venture 'Shoot On Sight' based on the 2005 London tubebombings, also disapproves of the 'theory of prosecution'citing the aftermath of Delhi serial blasts.
"I do not subscribe to the theory of persecution thatmany people believe in. One can see that a lot of the coveragethat is done in the media is biased. They give prominance tothe people who spread hatred and portray it as if these arethe feelings of whole community," he says.
Talking to PTI ahead of film's release, the actorsays, "I am playing the character of Tariq Ali, a devoutMuslim who represents the modern face of the religion whilethe character of Om Puri propogates another face which istotally different from Tariq's understanding of the religion".
The film, which is entirely shot in London anddirected by the critically acclaimed filmmaker Jag MohanMundra, known for making socially relevent films like'Provoked' and 'Bawander,' is releasing in theatres today.
The film, which is banned in Pakistan, is a grippingthriller and a family drama that unfolds the turmoil in thelife of a liberal muslim police officer Tariq Ali (NaseerudinShah)at Scotland Yard. PTI
Seventh Asian film fest begins in Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 16 (PTI) The seventh edition of Asian film festival began here today with Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh making a fervent appeal to Asian filmmakers to explore the megapolis for their cinematic ventures.
"Asian countries have witnessed a sea change in terms of socio-political development. Societies in these countries face same concerns and cinema is a reflection of society," Deshmukh said while inaugurating the 8-day festival which began with the screening of Chinese film "Tuya's marriage" at the Y B Chavan centre.
Deshmukh said Mumbai is soon emerging as a world class metropolis with well-equipped film studios and trained personnel. He assured more financial assistance to the Asian film foundation which organises the festival.
Currently, the state government provides Rs 10 lakh as financial assistance.
Deshmukh also appreciated the emerging content-driven cinema which has blurred the divide between commercial and art film.
80 films from 20 countries will be screened at the festival.
Films from Korea, Palestine, Egypt, Mongolia, which have never been screened before in India, are the highlights of the festival.
Kumar Ketkar, editor of Marathi daily Loksatta, said film as an art was instituted in Maharashtra more than a century ago by Dadasaheb Phalke. "This art has been promoted and encouraged by various institutions and the government should promote and protect this art," he added. PTI
Digest of domestic news for the week Oct 11-Oct 17, 2008
Saturday Mumbai: Iconic Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is admitted to Lilavati hospital here after he complains of abdominal pain due to suspected incisional hernia, giving anxious moments to millions of fans on his 66th birthday.
Srinagar: Kashmir's first train service is inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, realising a long-cherished dream of the people that saw a decade-long arduous effort overcome challenges posed by inhospitable terrain and weather.
Sunday Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh government orders a CBI inquiry into burning of six persons of a family at a village and a judicial probe into communal violence in a town of Adilabad district.
Kochi: Sister Alphonsa, a Catholic nun from Kerala, is elevated as Saint by Pope Benedict XVI at a solemn function at the Vatican, making her the first Indian woman to be canonised.
Monday New Delhi: A broad consensus to contain communal discord and violence and to protect minority rights is reached at the meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) which was dominated by the anti-Christian violence and terrorism.
Agra: Four days after he fell into a 150-ft deep borewell, the lifeless body of two-year-old Sonu is pulled out by rescue workers who were hoping against hope to save him while authorities ordered legal action against a contractor and two engineers who allegedly left the pit uncovered.
New Delhi: Love and emotions of a couple who brought up a woman's love child for a year took a back seat in a legal battle as a court here ordered handing over of the baby to his biological parents who had given him away fearing social stigma. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has taken strong exception to the Centre's contention that the court would divide the country if it recognises homosexuals as a minority group.
Friday Chennai: Mounting pressure on the Centre on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, 13 DMK MPs, including seven union ministers, submit their resignation to party patriarch and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
Bangalore/Chennai: India moves a step closer to launch its maiden unmanned moon session when the lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-I was today mated with the polar rocket which is set to blast off on October 22 from the Sriharikota spaceport. PTI
NGO sets up an employment exchange for the old
Raj Kumar Sharma
New Delhi, Oct 17 (PTI) Wizened with wealth of experience and years of knowledge but to utilize the same in a gainful way is not an easy task for the senior citizens.
An NGO has found a solution and claims that it is doing well. In August alone the NGO has helped around 1000 senior citizens find gainful employment, says Himanshu Rath of Agewell Foundation. "We provide them with work assistance like home tuitions, managerial jobs etc," he says.
Started in 1999 the Foundation's aim is to instill self-confidence in the senior citizens and to tell them that there is nothing wrong in becoming old. Our endeavour is to bring about a change in the perception of old age," says Himanshu Rath, who founded the organisation.
The NGO has its offices in 540 districts all over the country and says its employs services of professionals, senior bureaucrats, professors; artists, writers, judges - all people who sincerely feel for the cause. They are assisted by a huge base of volunteers and trained counselors.
"We interact with thousands of senior citizens all over the countary in a day. Our Delhi office gets around 200-250 calls a day," says Rath.
Around 8 per cent of Indian population consists of old age persons, while in Delhi, its around 12 per cent.
The most common problem that these people suffer from is of alienation. He feels that the primary cause of this problem is lack of dialogue between the senior citizens and their family members, which is due to "generation gap".
"When there are inter-personal problems, we mediate between senior people and their family members and in most cases, it turns out to be a problem of lack of communication," says Rath. PTI
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1 Qatar Rial = 13.436 INR
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