Month: June 2012

Sri Lanka to establish warning system for n-disasters

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Sri Lanka’s Atomic Energy Authority is to set up nuclear disaster early warning system in the naval bases around the island in the wake of increasing nuclear power stations in the region, a spokesman said Friday.

According to navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya, Sri Lanka’s Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) jointly works with the Disaster Management Centre and the navy on taking measures to establish a warning system to alert possible radiation leak, Xinhua reported.

Giant ocean found on Saturn’s moon

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Around 100 km beneath the rocky crust on Saturn’s largest moon Titan is an ocean of water spanning the entirety of the celestial body, scientists said.

The ocean was hypothesised in 2011, based on Titan’s rotation and orbital movement.

The theory was confirmed by a study based on data from the Cassini-Huygens probe, published in Science magazine.

The ocean theory implied that Titan is becoming slightly deformed by Saturn’s gravity when it nears the planet, something that would not have happened if Titan were completely solid.

No restrictions for tourists in Egypt

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There will be no ban on wearing bikinis or drinking alcohol by tourists coming to Egypt following the election of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood as president, an Egyptian official has said.

Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Alaa El Hadidi told the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily that Egypt would not restrict tourists since tourism accounts for about 12 percent of the country’s GDP.

El Hadidi’s statement came after Morsi’s allies said during the presidential campaign that there will be restrictions for tourists if Morsi is elected.

Russian teenager chokes to death in sunflower seeds

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In a bizarre tragedy, a 15-year-old boy working at a grain tower full of sunflower seeds, fell in and suffocated to death, officials said.

The boy climbed the 35-metre-high storage facility to control the loading process, officers in Krasnodar region said.

But he failed to keep his balance and fell inside, and sank to a depth of two metres.

Other workers pulled him out, but by that time he had choked on the seeds.

Russia is the world’s biggest producer of sunflower seeds, which are used to produce oil as well as consumed by people as a snack.

–IANS

I infiltrated Abhinav Bharat, kept bosses in loop: Purohit

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Malegaon blast accused Lt Col P S Purohit says he had “infiltrated” the Hindu radical outfit Abhinav Bharat and did his job properly and also kept his bosses in the loop.

The Military Intelligence officer is facing two separate trials– one is being handled by the National Investigation Agency(NIA) and the other one is Army’s Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the matter.

“I infiltrated Abhinav Bharat. I have done my job properly, have kept my bosses in the loop and everything is on
paper in the army records. Those who need to know, know the truth,” Purohit told Outlook magazine.

Andhra CID begins probe into leakage of CBI official’s call data

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Andhra Pradesh Police’s CID has taken over probe into the leakage of call data records (CDRs) of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Joint Director V.V. Lakshminarayana and his friend Vasireddy Chandrabala.

A statement from the office of the director general of police here Friday said the CID has taken over the cases from Hyderabad and Cyberabad police.
The CDRs of Lakshminarayana and his friend were made public by YSR Congress Party last week while alleging a conspiracy by the CBI official against its leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who is currently in jail in the illegal assets case.

TDP Telangana Forum opposes “Rayala-Telangana” state

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Telugu Desam Telangana Forum on Friday asserted that it was against any move to create a new state comprising Telangana and parts of Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP wing was reacting to the Congress’ reported move to create a “Rayala-Telangana” state comprising two districts of Rayalaseema and ten of Telangana.

“We will not accept Rayala-Telangana. We only want an exclusive Telangana state, including Hyderabad,” Forum leaders and MLAs Motkupalli Narasimhulu and P Mahender Reddy said here.

Separatists target Srinagar army camp with grenades

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Separatist guerrillas fired two rocket-propelled grenades at an army camp in Srinagar Thursday, but a defence statement said the projectiles fell in a ground without causing any damage. No separatist group has owned responsibility for the attack.

“Unidentified miscreants fired two projectiles at Tatoo Ground at 11.45 a.m. aimed at security forces stationed there. However, the projectiles fell at open ground and there was no injury of any sort to security personnel or civilians,” a defence statement issued here said.

Centre to help rebuild Dastageer Sahib shrine in Kashmir

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Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram Friday extended the central government’s support to the Jammu and Kashmir government’s efforts to rebuild the 200-year-old Dastageer Sahib shrine in the state that was gutted in a major fire earlier this week.

He also expressed sadness over the fire, the source of which is yet to be established.

Call data leakage,Cyberabad Inspector suspended,summoned by CID

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Cyberabad Police Commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao on Friday suspended Nacharam police station Inspector M Srinivasa Rao, who involved in leakage of call data record of the mobile phone of a social activist, Vasireddy Chandrabala, from his duties. The Inspector was summoned by the CID, as the call date case was handed over to the Crime Investigation Department(CID).

The commissioner took this action after the Cyberabad police have reportedly completed investigation into the leakage of call data record of the mobile phone of Vasireddy Chandrabala.

Rajasthan to distribute 200 new drugs free

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Carrying forward a popular health initiative, Rajasthan has decided to distribute 200 new generic drugs free of cost at government-run hospitals to benefit millions of patients in the state.

Under the Chief Minister’s Free Medicine Scheme launched Oct 2 last year, 414 most-used drugs and surgical instruments are at present available at 14,964 distribution centres in government health centres, dispensaries and hospitals across the state.

Three tiger cubs spotted in Ranthambore

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Three new tiger cubs have been spotted at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, bringing cheer to wildlife enthusiasts.

The cubs of tigress T-17, also known as Sundari, were spotted Friday morning in the Rajbagh area of the park.

“The cubs were spotted earlier in the day today and we have set up trap cameras in the area and increased tracking by forest officials, for their safety,” a forest official said.

According to officials, the park is home to around 24 adult tigers and around 26 cubs, including the three spotted Friday.

Put service tax on NRI remittances on hold: Tharoor

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Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to put on hold the service tax on remittances by non-resident Indians (NRIs).

In his letter to the prime minister Wednesday, Tharoor pointed out that the decision to impose 12.36 per cent service tax on remittances to India by NRIs with effect from July 1 has generated tremendous resentment across Kerala.

Rosaiah gets relief from ACB court summons

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In a major relief to former chief minister and Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday stayed an order of a designated ACB court which directed him to appear before it on August 2 in connection with the Ameerpet land allotment case.

The court while staying the ACB court orders, observed that the orders were in violation of Article 361 of the Constitution. The court said that it was against the Constitution to issue summons to a state governor.

IPS officers told to immediately submit property returns

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The over-500 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers who have not yet tendered their annual property returns have been asked to mandatorily submit the details immediately, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday.

The deadline for submission of property returns by the IPS officers to the state governments, as per their cadre, had ended on Jan 31 this year.

Growth recovery essential for capital inflow: Rangarajan

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C. Rangarajan, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council of the prime minister, Friday said foreign capital inflows would come in once global economic prospects improve and the country’s growth starts picking up.

“The uncertain world economic situation, especially in Europe, has created a situation of risk aversion. That is some concern about investment in general. And therefore it has affected to some extent the overall capital inflow of the developing economies,” Rangarajan said during an event organised by the Indian Statistical Institute(ISI) here.

Lata likes ‘Indian Idol’

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Singing reality show “Indian Idol” is in its sixth season and it has earned a huge fan following. Latest to enjoy the show is singing legend Lata Mangeshkar herself.

Lata’s younger sister Asha Bhosle, who has joined the judges panel of the show this year, shared this information with the contestants.

According the sources, the news left all the contestants elated and encouraged.

Asha also revealed that Lataji had a message for Ludhiana’s Devender Pal. She told Devender that his voice had touched Lataji’s heart in a special way and that she has sent her best wishes for him.

Sonia likely to visit flood-hit areas of Assam

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Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to visit Assam to take stock of the devastation caused by floods in the state.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhubaneswar Kalita briefed Gandhi about the flood situation in the state Friday. She expressed her willingness to visit the state soon, informed sources in APCC here said.

“No date has, however, been fixed for the visit so far,” an APCC source said, adding that the Congress president was likely to pay an aerial visit to all the flood-affected areas in Assam.

Madhya Pradesh achieves 12 pc economic growth rate, claims Govt.

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(Pervez Bari): The year 2011-12 is going to be a watershed vis-à-vis economic growth of Bharatiya Janata Party ruled Madhya Pradesh with revised estimates of that period having put the economic growth rate of the Heartland State at 12 per cent.

Having agrarian economy Madhya Pradesh has also posted an exceptionally high 18 per cent agricultural growth rate. This is, undeniably attributable to the well contemplated and committed efforts made by the state government to make agriculture a lucrative proposition, an official spokesman claimed.

Egypt President to Give Key Tahrir Speech

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Hundreds of thousands thronged to iconic Tahrir square on Friday, June 29, as Islamist President Mohamed Morsi prepared to address supporters on the eve of his swearing-in as Egypt’s first civilian president.

“Down with the power of the military,” the demonstrators chanted, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

“Field marshal, tell us the truth — is Morsi your president or not?”

Thousands have gathered in the square to protest against decrees issued by Egypt’s military rulers before Morsi’s election.

Russia to deliver ammunition worth $1 bn to India

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Russia will deliver ammunition, including tank and artillery shells, worth $1 billion to India, a media report said.

The Vedomosti daily found that one of the largest contracts in weapons trade for the last two years was a contract with India for the delivery of ammunition worth $1 billion dollars, reported ITAR-TASS news agency.

Woman battered to death three days before delivery

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In a gruesome murder, a British woman has been battered to death barely three days ahead of delivering her baby who was also killed in the incident.

College student Eystna Blunnie, 20, was found with multiple head injuries on a busy road at 3 a.m. A heavily-pregnant Eystna was rushed to hospital Wednesday morning. But she was later pronounced dead, The Sun reported Friday.

On Thursday night, Essex police were questioning her ex-boyfriend Tony McLernon, 23, on suspicion of murder and over the death of the unborn child.

‘Indian rupee a victim of unstable global emerging market’

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The Brazilian real has taken as bad a battering as the Indian rupee, Morgan Stanley Investment Banking India managing director Aisha de Sequeira said Friday, adding that the rupee’s fall was a result of global emerging market instability.

Sequeira was speaking at the annual general body meeting of the Goa Small Industries Association (GSIA) here.

“It is not that the rupee alone is falling. Look at the Brazilian real. Both currencies have depleted considerably. It is a sign of emerging markets being at the receiving end,” Sequeira said.

Man kills mother, brother for money

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A 30-year-old unemployed man killed his mother and younger brother in Rajasthan’s Ajmer town Friday after they refused to lend him money, police said.

The man, identified as Kishan Kumar, lived with his widowed mother, Gyarashi Devi, and younger brother Rajendra in Palbisla area of the town, some 150 km from here.

“The widow was living on her husband’s pension. As Kishan was unemployed, he used to quarrel with his younger brother and the mother for money. The regular fights turned violent Thursday night,” said a police officer.

Violence, killings down in Maoist areas, says Mamata

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There was a significant improvement in law and order in the three Maoist-affected districts of West Bengal with the number of violent incidents and killings of civilians declining, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Friday.

She said 235 Left wing extremists have been arrested while 20 of them surrendered to the police since the Trinamool Congress government came to power last year.