Delhi Police to launch special drive to recruit women: Shinde

instill confidence among women. "I have directed the Delhi Police to launch a special drive for recruiting women. We will hire more women in the Delhi Police," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters here. Shinde said he has also instructed authorities concerned to deploy at least one woman officer in each of the capital's 166 police stations.

"Every police station should have women police personnel. I have also suggested that each of the 166 police stations in Delhi should have at least one woman police officer. But we do not have that many numbers of police officers. But I told them whatever possible should be deployed till we recruit more women," he said. The Home Minister's statement comes in the backdrop of public protests over the gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in the capital on December 16.

Asked about the condition of the girl, who is currently undergoing treatment in Singapore, Shinde said her condition continues to be critical. He dismissed reports which suggested that doctors at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, where the girl was treated till Wednesday, were sidelined while taking a decision to send her abroad for better treatment, saying it was their (doctors at Safdarjung) opinion to send her abroad.

"Doctors of Safdarjung and doctors of other government hospitals were called. They were also consulted along with Dr Naresh Trehan (chief of privately-run edanta Medicity) before taking the decision," he said. Shinde said the government was ready to send the girl anywhere in the world -- be in Singapore, London or the US --
for best available treatment and did it accordingly.

World's longest high-speed rail line

Beijing: After launching the world's longest high-speed rail line, China on Friday opened its subway line across the mighty Yangtze River to connect the two sides of Wuhan, the most populous city in Central China.

The metro link passes through a 27-km tunnel linking Wuchang and Hanku, two major urban areas in Wuhan city, the capital of Hubei Province, state-run CCTV reported. The two stations are separated by the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway. According to authorities, trains will only take three minutes to run under the Asia's longest Yangtze River.

The subway line will be Wuhan's first, expected to transport five lakh passengers daily with 26 trains scheduled to run every six minutes. The train expected to ease pressure on waterways and motorways to cross to the other side of the city. The 6,300-km Yangtze River, which originates in northwest China's Qinghai province and traverses through 10 provinces and municipalities before flowing into the East China Sea, is a major transport link between west and east China.

Yangtze is the world's third longest river. Yesterday, China has inaugurated its longest high speed rail link connecting Beijing with Guangzhou covering a distance of 2,298-km.

Mobile science Labs in Villages

Kalam asks Nitish to establish mobile science Labs in villages

Darbhanga (Bihar), Dwelling on importance of developing scientific outlook among youngsters, former President APJ Abdul Kalam today suggested to the Bihar government to set up mobile science laboratories in villages and science laboratory in every district. "The value of science has to be propagated to people at large and they should be made to realize the role played by science in their day to day life. Youngsters should be motivated to enquire into science," he said in his inaugural speech at Mega Science Fair here.

Kalam emphasised on establishing science museumms and laboratories across the country to remove fear against science from the minds of the children. Kalam, popularly known as 'Missile Man', referred to his special relationship with Bihar and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who was the chief guest. "I am very close to Bihar, particularly I have worked with Nitish Kumarji when he was minister of railways and later as Chief Minister of Bihar for the last seven years. He is working for development and bringing peace and prosperity for all the citizens of Bihar," he said.

He said the presence of chief minister was indeed an important message to all the people of rural villages of Bihar that education, particularly science education would reach the unreached. Non-governmental bodies 'Agastya International Foundation' and 'Viksit Bharat Foundation' have successfully operated a mobile science Lab during April-July 2010. Nitish Kumar in his address said science helped fight superstition. He appealed to children to give topmost priority to science in their studies.

Sangeet Natak Akademi award to Ilayaraja

Ilayaraja gets Sangeet Natak Akademi award

New Delhi, Legendary South Indian composer Ilayaraja is among nine artistes from the field of music who will receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2012 while Grammy Award-winning percussionist T H Vinayakram and veteran playwright Ratan Thiyam are among three personalities chosen for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowship. The Akademi has selected 36 persons from the fields of Music, Dance, Theatre and Puppetry for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2012.

Ilayaraja has been awarded for Creative and Experimental Music. The other eight eminent artistes from the field of music who have been chosen for the award are Rajashekhar Mansur and Ajay Pohankar for Hindustani Vocal Music, Sabir Khan (Tabla) and Bahauddin Dagar (Rudra Veena) for Hindustani Instrumental Music.
O S Thyagarajan for Carnatic Vocal Music, Mysore M Nagaraja (Violin) and K V Prasad (Mridangam) for Carnatic Instrumental Music, and Bhai Balbir Singh Ragi (Gurbani) for Other Major Traditions of Music have been selected for the Award 2012.

N Rajam, violinist who performs Hindustani classical music, T H Vinayakram and Ratan Thiyam have been selected for the prestigious the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships. The Fellowship of the Akademi is restricted to a very limited number at a given time. At present, there are only 40 Fellows of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.     The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs 3 lakh, while Akademi Awards carry Rs 1 lakh besides Tamrapatra and Angavastram.

In the field of Dance, nine eminent practitioners, namely Priyadarsini Govind (Bharatanatyam), Vijay Shankar (Kathak), Vazhengada Vijayan (Kathakali),  Vedantam Ramalinga Sastry (Kuchipudi), Sharmila Biswas (Odissi), Jai Narayan Samal (Chhau), Painkulam Damodara Chakyar (Kutiyattam), Jwala Prasad (Music for Dance) and Aditi Mangaldas (Creative & Experimental Dance) have been selected for the Akademi Award 2012. 

In the field of Theatre, eight eminent artistes have been selected for the Awards 2012. They include Arjun Deo Charan for Playwriting, Tripurari Sharma and Waman Kendre for Direction, Parvesh Sethi, Nirmal Rishi and Purisai Kannappa Sambandan for Acting, Murari Roychoudhury for Theatre Music and Ghulam Rasool Bhagat for Major Traditions of Theatre (Bhand Pather). Goru Channabasappa for Folk Music (Karnataka), Kinaram Nath Oja for Suknani Ojapali (Assam), Prem Singh Dehati for Folk Theatre (Haryana), Sulochana Chavan for Lavani (Maharashtra), Mattannur Sankaran Kutty Marar for Thayambaka (Kerala), Govind Ram Nirmalkar for Nacha (Chhattisgarh), Heera Das Negi for Mask Making (Himachal Pradesh) and Prafulla Karmakar for Traditional Puppetry (West Bengal) have also been chosen. Nandini Ramani and Arun Kakade will receive the Akademi Award 2012 for Overall Contribution/Scholarship in Performing Arts.

Nine injured - Tata Steel

Nine injured as labourers clash with guards of Tata Steel

Jamshedpur, Nine persons, including a photo journalist, were injured during a clash between contract labourers and security guards at Tata Steel who opened fire at the agitated workers here today. The trouble started when the security guards, in accordance with a new company circular, asked the labourers to board company buses instead of riding bi-cycles to the site, which the labourers resisted.

A senior government official said that five labourers and a press photographer suffered splinter injuries when the security guards, posted at the gate, fired. Three of the guards were wounded when labourers threw stones during the clash, Sub-divisional Officer Subodh Kumar told reporters. All of them have been admitted to Tata Main Hospital, he said.

The photo photographer was identified as Madan Sahu. He suffered injuries in the stomach. Vice-President (Corporate Communication) of Tata Steel Sanjiv Paul, described the incident as "unfortunate" and said a probe had been ordered into the incident.

Nine injured - Tata Steel

Nine injured as labourers clash with guards of Tata Steel

Jamshedpur, Nine persons, including a photo journalist, were injured during a clash between contract labourers and security guards at Tata Steel who opened fire at the agitated workers here today. The trouble started when the security guards, in accordance with a new company circular, asked the labourers to board company buses instead of riding bi-cycles to the site, which the labourers resisted.

A senior government official said that five labourers and a press photographer suffered splinter injuries when the security guards, posted at the gate, fired. Three of the guards were wounded when labourers threw stones during the clash, Sub-divisional Officer Subodh Kumar told reporters. All of them have been admitted to Tata Main Hospital, he said.

The photo photographer was identified as Madan Sahu. He suffered injuries in the stomach. Vice-President (Corporate Communication) of Tata Steel Sanjiv Paul, described the incident as "unfortunate" and said a probe had been ordered into the incident.

Kolkattad

Kolkattad: Enraged at the delay in serving food at a hotel in West Bengal's West Midnapore district, a group of tourists from Odisha attacked the hotel staff, killing one and injuring four others. 35 people have been arrested, police said today.

"A bus of tourists from Odisha, who had come on a picnic to Belda, attacked the hotel staff following a heated argument late on Monday night.. Anil Kar was killed in the fight while three others have been hospitalised with serious injuries," said an officer of Belda police station.

"We have arrested 35 people from the picnic party. The body of the victim has been sent for post-mortem," said the officer. The incident happened at Belda, which is around 160 kilometres from Kolkata.

"The picnic party came late into the night to our hotel and demanded food. We were about to close but on their insistence, we agreed. Serving over 40 people at a time is not easy and naturally there was some delay," said Amit Kar, brother of the victim and also a hotel employee.

"Later, they started abusing us for the delay which eventually led to an argument. Around 20 of them then attacked us. While my brother died on the spot, three from the staff are battling for their lives," he added.

London

London: The family of an Indian nurse who was found dead after being caught in a royal prank call has written to the British hospital that employed her, demanding answers to several questions surrounding the incident and her condition before her death. The grieving family has assembled a set of 60 questions which they have posed to the hospital as well as to the parent company of the Australian radio station that played the prank as they seek answers to the circumstances surrounding her death.

The letters were sent by Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is acting as a spokesman for the family at their request, with some of the questions suggesting the hospital may not have taken extra security measures during the stay of a pregnant Kate Middleton, according to a report in the Daily Mail. "Was there any indication that Jacintha was under increased pressure or stress in the weeks preceding her death?" asks the family in one of the questions.

A question also suggests that the nurse may have been involved in a dispute with a colleague a few weeks before the Duchess was admitted while another implies that the 46-year-old may have been 'spoken to' by the hospital's matron on phone a day after the prank call. Saldanha's body was discovered on December 7, and the notes left by her suggested that she may have been under pressure after she fell for the prank.

While 40 questions have been directed to the King Edward VII's Hospital, where Saldanha worked, another 20 have been posed to Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of 2Day FM, whose RJs were behind the prank. The letter to the company asks why nobody from the company or the radio station attempted to contact the family since the hoax call led to the tragedy. It also asks if there was "any evidence" that 2Day FM staff called the hospital five times to alert them that they were about to broadcast the prank.

"On December 11 the family handed you a list of questions that specifically relate to the hospital. They have not had a written confirmation of the answers. They now have additional questions (and) would like answers... As soon as possible," wrote Vaz in a letter to John Lofthouse, the chief executive of the hospital. The paper said Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza, son Junal and adopted daughter Lisha have returned to Britain after her funeral in India.

The report also said that the nurse had made two attempts to kill herself during a visit to India last December -- first with an overdose of pills after which she had to be rushed to a hospital and nine days later by jumping off a building. She spent several days in intensive care before receiving psychiatric treatment and being prescribed antidepressants, the report said. Her family said the nurse was ashamed after taking the hoax call during which she had revealed confidential medical information about Kate who was being treated for acute morning sickness.

The report said she was so ashamed that she did not tell her family about the episode, just asking her husband to watch the news. "The first her husband knew that she was the victim of the hoax call was when police told him she was dead. Nobody in the family knew," said her younger brother Naveen Saldanha, 42.

"They spoke several times that week but she did not tell him or the kids anything about it". A hospital spokesman declined to comment on reports that Ms Saldanha had previously tried to commit suicide.

A pair of robotic twins that have been diligently mapping the moon this year went out with a bang Monday.

As scheduled, the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory probes Ebb and Flow crashed into a mountain on the moon, ending a fruitful mission to study the surface and composition of the celestial body.

"The two probes were sent purposely into the moon because they no longer had enough altitude or fuel to continue science operations," NASA said.

The agency named the site where the spacecraft crashed for Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut in space. She died in July. Could moon outpost propel space travel?

U.S. had plan to nuke the moon in 1950s

Ebb and Flow crashed on a mountain near the moon's north pole at 2:28 p.m. PT and 2:29 p.m. PT at a speed of 3,760 mph, NASA said. They were about the size of a washer and dyer.

"We will miss our lunar twins, but the scientists tell me it will take years to analyze all the great data they got, and that is why we came to the moon in the first place," said GRAIL project manager David Lehman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "So long, Ebb and Flow, and we thank you."

Thanks to GRAIL, scientists now have the highest-resolution gravity field map of any celestial body, NASA has said. That means the probes have been making a high-quality map of the gravitational field of the moon, giving scientists unprecedented insight into what's below the surface and how the moon may have formed.

Results from this mission have delivered several other important findings, principal investigator Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told reporters last week.

These include:

-- Evidence that the crust of the moon is much thinner than scientists believed.

-- Some of the large impact basins dug into the moon's mantle, which is useful because scientists want to understand the moon's composition. It is believed that the composition of the Earth's mantle is similar to that of the moon.

-- The moon's crust is much more fractured than scientists thought.

-- It appears the crusts of planets, including Mars, have been bombarded in a similar way. If there was water on Mars, as scientists believe there may have once been, where would it have gone? GRAIL, looking at the moon, provides a clue:

"These fractures provide a pathway deep inside the planet, and it's very easy to envision now how a possible ocean at the surface could have found its way deep into the crust of a planet," Zuber said.

Another major finding: large, lava-filled cracks (dykes), which are hundreds of miles long and exist about 6 miles below the surface. There's no record of them at the surface of the moon.

"These dykes actually provide evidence for early expansion of the moon shortly after it formed," Zuber said. "This had been predicted by models, but no evidence had been found."

Viswanathan Anand to Sachin Tendulkar

Crazy to stop playing for no reason: Viswanathan Anand to Sachin Tendulkar
 

KOLKATA: Struggling Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Monday received support from unexpected quarters with five-time world champion chess wizard Viswanathan Anand urging him to continue playing as long as he wanted.

"Criticism is fine, but if you still like playing it's crazy to stop for no reason. In sport there is no question that it favours young people in general. But I really want to play chess still," the 43-year-old Anand told reporters here at a promotional event.

"I am lucky to have the chance to play and I intend to use it. I imagine the same for him (Tendulkar)," India' first Grandmaster in 1988 said.

Terming 40 as just a number, Anand said it's funny when one is questioned about age.

"The first question people ask is when are you going to retire? And if both of you want to retire, can one of you retire... It's a little bit funny. In my case, I don't think there is any fundamental change from December 10, 2009 to December 11, 2010. But it seems to affect the way people see you," Anand, who turned 43 on December 11, said.

The chess wizard clubbed Tendulkar, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, tennis veteran Leander Paes as three top icons he had seen.

"In general I have seen a lot of Leander Paes... I might have started a few years earlier but Sachin and I have been there for quite a long time. Sourav was there for quite a good part there as well. I think most of our careers we share together," he said.

Kurnool

Three killed in firing after group clash in Kurnool

Hyderabad, Three villagers were killed and five others, including two policemen, injured in firing after a clash between members of two communities at Jillela village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, police said today. Three persons, including one Ganni Mian, have been taken in custody in connection with the case, police said. Ganni Mian, who was convicted earlier in a murder case, allegedly fired at the villagers last evening in which three persons were killed and five others sustained injuries, including a police sub-inspector and a constable, a senior police officer from Kurnool said.

The situation in the village is now under control and additional forces have been deployed since yesterday as a precautionary step, he said. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh BJP unit president G Kishan Reddy alleged that failed to prevent the clash and demanded a judicial inquiry into it. Reddy claimed before mediapersons here that the accused opened 53 rounds of firing. Police recovered 26 bullets from the spot, but failed to take action against the accused, he alleged.

Though members of two communities were at loggerheads on the issue of a land for sometime, police did not take any preventive measure to resolve the problem, he further alleged. "It was a pre-planned attack on the villagers of a particular family," he said.

Railway Board - New Rule

NEW DELHI: You will now have to pay a fine of up to Rs 500 if caught littering on railways stations or in trains.

After the failure of several awareness campaigns, requests and sign boards to convince travelers to keep platforms and trains clean, the Railway Board has decided to prosecute offenders with a fine of up to Rs 500.

Throwing garbage, urinating, bathing, defecating, washing utensils and clothes, feeding animals or birds on railway premises — station buildings, platforms, rail tracks and trains -- will be punishable according to a circular issued by the Railway Board to its zonal heads on Friday.

Putting up posters or writing in train compartments or railway premises will be treated as an offence according to the notification issued under Railways Act, 1989. Any one caught defacing railway property will also be penalized, a senior railway official said.

According to the new rules, authorized vendors and hawkers will have to make arrangements to keep waste baskets or containers for collecting litter and ensure its proper disposal.

To implement the fresh measures, railways has authorized the station master or station manager, any official not below the rank of ticket collector (TC) or any official asked by railway administration to keep an eye on passengers littering on platforms and trains to punish the offenders.

The Board has also directed general managers of zonal railways to widely publicize the new rules and penal provisions.

"We had put up display boards and launched cleanliness campaigns appealing for passengers' cooperation to keep platforms and trains clean. But this did not help much. So now, we have decided to implement provisions of the Railway Act and penalize those found littering," a senior railway official said, adding that the provision of fine will be implemented properly. "We are hoping this will yield desired results," she said.

Army soldiers were killed

Six Indian Army soldiers were killed and one is missing in an avalanche that struck the Siachen.

The tragedy occurred in Sub-sector Hanif of the glacier around 6 am when troops were moving between posts at 19,000 feet. A rescue operation is underway to trace the missing soldier. The Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalayas is the world's highest and coldest battlefield, with both Indian and Pakistani soldiers stationed there.

There have been repeated calls to demilitarise the glacier because of the cost of maintaining troops at those icy heights and the high casualties from hostile weather. More troops have died on the glacier due to adverse weather than combat. In April, an avalanche killed 139 people at a Pakistan Army camp. India and Pakistan have held several rounds of talks to end the military stand-off, but without success. Talks were last held in June this year in Rawalpindi, but both sides stuck to their stated positions. Indian and Pakistani troops have been engaged in the standoff on Siachen since 1984. The guns have largely been silent since late 2003 after a ceasefire

New York- Gunman

New York: A young gunman killed his mother and 26 other people, including 20 children, when he went on a shooting rampage inside a US school, before turning the gun on himself, in one of the deadliest such incidents witnessed in the country. The shooter whose act of firing indiscriminately at students and staff left the Connecticut city of Newton shocked and paralysed was identified as 20-year-old Ryan Lanza. According to the New York Times, Lanza's mother, Nancy Lanza, was a teacher at the school and he walked up to her classroom loaded with two 9mm handguns and wearing all black, and opened fire, killing her and 24 other adults and children.

He first shot and killed his mother and then shot 20 students in the classroom before killing himself inside the school. However, conflicting reports suggest that the gunman first killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, at home by shooting her in the face before heading to the school where she worked as a teacher and killing the children.
The incident occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown city of Connecticut state. Connecticut police said "several fatalities" have been reported in the incident that sent crying children spilling into the school parking lot as frightened parents waited for a word on their kids. Connecticut State Police lieutenant Paul Vance told reporters outside the school that the "shooter was deceased inside the building”.

He said the shooting resulted in "several fatalities including students and staff”. The police have recovered a 9mm handgun from the scene. Officials said the shooter wore black combat dear and a military vest. There was also some confusion initially about the number of shooters as some reports suggested two men were likely involved in the shooting episode. Fox News quoted a law enforcement official as saying earlier that the shooter was believed to be a father of one of the students at the school. The police, however, did not release information about the shooter and whether he was a parent or worked at the school. Pictures showed panicked children, some of them crying, being led out to safety by their teachers.

US President Barack Obama was briefed by his top counter-terrorism advisor on the deadly shooting shortly after which he called the FBI director and the Connecticut governor. US President Barack Obama choked up several times as he said "our hearts are broken today" before the White House Press Corps. "Our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost," Obama said during his brief appearance before the White House Press on Friday afternoon. Obama spoke to Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He promised that his administration would offer all help necessary to help deal with the tragedy.

Vance said the police received a 911 call at around 9:30 in the morning (local time) about the shooting. The school has been evacuated and the police is extensively searching the "every door and crack of the school" for information about the shooter and the motive. A woman on the scene told CNN that "20 parents were told that their children are dead. It was awful”. Vance said the scene has been secure and many agencies are working together to investigate the horrific incident.

He said the FBI was supporting state law enforcement as well as local law enforcement, as they respond to and begin to investigate this incident. Newtown is about 60 miles northeast of New York City and the school has about 600 students. NBC Connecticut further reported that the entire school district was in lockdown and police and FBI agents were going room to room searching the school. Such cases have prompted several politicians to seek a review of American gun laws. In August, a gunman went on a shooting spree in a Wisconsin Gurdwara, claiming six lives.

In July, 12 people were killed and 38 injured in Colorado where a gunman opened fire at the premiere of the Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises'. "We are all stunned, shocked, and distraught by this tragic shooting, by this violent act, and by the loss of so many young children. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the students, teachers, and educators killed and wounded in Newtown, Connecticut," said House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi.

"The entire nation will continue to stand as a source of support to this community in the days and weeks to come," Pelosi said. US Senator Mark Begich said he was deeply saddened by the "deplorable" act of violence against children, who are the most vulnerable of individuals. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer described the incident as a parent's worst nightmare and called it a "senseless tragedy". "There can be no consolation other than to know that they have the heartfelt prayers and support of an entire nation," Hoyer said.

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP)

Russian envoy terms anti-KNPP protests 'gimmicks and games'

Chennai, Protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) that have led to delay in its commissioning are "gimmicks and games" of those who do not want to see India emerge stronger, Russian Ambassador to India Alexander M Kadakin has said. He also told reporters last night that the first KNPP unit is almost ready and second one will be ready within six months.

"But as regards pressure from protestors and from other people, these are all gimmicks and games. The games by those who do not want to see India strong, who don't want India and Tamil Nadu to have really much power," the envoy, who was here yesterday to attend 40th anniversary of Russian Centre of Science and Culture, said. Early this week, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited had said the commercial operation of the 1,000 MW first unit of the controversy-ridden Indo-Russian project was expected by January next year.

It also said commercial operation of the second unit had also been fixed for August 2013. Anti-nuclear activists, spearheaded by People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, have resorted to a series of protests including "sea siege" of the plant, demanding its scrapping, citing safety concerns. Commissioning of the first unit was originally scheduled for December last year but it has been delayed due to protests.

Indian shuttler

Saina reaches semis of World Super Series Finals

Shenzhen (China): Saina Nehwal looks all set to cap a remarkable year on a high as the ace Indian shuttler reached the semifinals of the BWF World Super Series Finals with a fine straight-game win over Juliane Schenk of Germany, on Friday.

Saina had her back against the wall after two back-to-back losses in Group ‘B’ but the London Olympics bronze-medallist made a remarkable comeback and put herself back into the reckoning for her fifth Super Series title this year with a 21-7 21-18 victory over Schenk in 37 minutes.

The World No. 3 Saina made a resounding start reeling off six straight points with a mix of her trademark crosscourt smashes and drop shots to which Schenk had no response. Saina was ahead 9-2 just five minutes into the match and swelled her lead to 15-7 as Schenk looked a pale shadow of herself in the opening game.

Saina did not give her opponent any chance to claw her way back into the match and reeled off another six points to pocket the first game with relative ease. The first game saw Saina hitting six smash winners against three by her German opponent. In the next game, Schenk looked a better player and used her on-court experience to perfection to take a 6-3 lead.

However, her three-point lead was short-lived as Saina used her crosscourt smashes to perfection to reduce the deficit. The second game saw both the players running neck and neck with the scoreline locked at 11-all. None was ready to relent first as Saina relied on her fine baseline game to neutralise Schenk’s trademark power-game.

NASA Moon Maping

Cape Canaveral (Florida): NASA plans to crash a pair of small robotic science probes into the moon next week after a successful year-long mission to learn what lies beneath the lunar surface. The twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft will make suicidal plunges on Monday into a mountain near the moon's north pole, a site selected to avoid the chance of hitting any of the Apollo or other lunar relics.

The impacts, which are not expected to be visible from Earth, will take place about 20 seconds apart at 5:28 p.m. EST (2228 GMT) on Monday. "They're going to be completely blown apart," GRAIL project manager David Lehman, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

Almost out of fuel and currently flying just 7 miles (11 km) above the lunar surface, the probes will make a final steering maneuver on Friday and shut down their science instruments in preparation for Monday's crash. The two spacecraft, each about the size of a small washing machine, have been flying in close formation around the moon for nearly a year to map the lunar gravity.

Scientists precisely measure the distance between the two, a figure that slightly changes as they fly over denser regions of the moon. The gravitational pull of the additional mass causes first the leading probe and then the following one to speed up, altering the gap between them.

Gravity maps from the first part of the mission, collected between March and May 2012 when the spacecraft were about 34 miles (55 km) above the lunar surface, revealed the moon has a shallower and much more fractured crust than expected - the result of asteroid and comet impacts billions of years ago.

"We know that the moon had been bombarded by impacts but what we found is just how broken up and fractured the crust of the moon is," said lead scientist Maria Zuber, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Similar bombardments happened on all the solid bodies of the inner solar system though the evidence on Earth has been erased by erosion, plate tectonics and other phenomena. "With Mars, there's a questions about where did the water that we think was on the surface go," Zuber said. "These fractures provide a pathway deep inside the planet and it's very easy to envision now how a possible ocean on the surface could have found its way deep into the crust."

Scientists also discovered lava-filled subterranean cracks inside the moon, evidence that the body expanded early in its history. In addition to planetary science, the gravity maps, along with detailed images of the lunar surface, should help engineers pick landing sites for future robotic and human expeditions to the moon, Zuber said.

"In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined that this mission would have gone any better than it has," she said, adding that NASA will be getting $8 million or $9 million back from the mission's $471 million budget.

The spacecraft will hit the surface at about 3,760 miles per hour (6,120 kph). No pictures are expected because the region will be dark at the time of impact, but a sister spacecraft circling the moon, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will attempt to survey the crash site.

"These are two small spacecraft with empty fuel tanks, so we're not expecting a flash that is visible from Earth," Zuber said.

Agriculture minister

Agriculture minister Umesh V Katti is of the opinion that a separate state of northern Karnataka should be carved out by 2020 for better administration.

Addressing media persons at Suvarna Soudha on Thursday, he said the rationale for creating a new state would be population, besides providing better governance. He asserted that there would be no linguistic difference between Karnataka and the new state.

Katti said that by 2020, India would have as many as 50 states, adding that he wanted north Karnataka to be one of these states. In a lighter vein, he said he can become the chief minister of the present, integrated Karnataka and his son can become the chief minister of north Karnataka.

Also, he said that although the Cauvery issue consumed two days of the legislature session, issues that are of importance to north Karnataka—like giving special status to Hyderabad-Karnataka region, Upper Krishna project and others—were discussed at length. He said people of the region are happy that the state’s administration has come to north Karnataka.

New Delhi

New Delhi: India is coordinating with its embassy in the UAE to help in the return of non-resident Indians who are without valid documents, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told parliament Thursday.

In his reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Ravi said: "The Indian mission has taken measures to facilitate issue/update of travel documents and to expedite completion of exit formalities for illegal Indian residents who want to avail amnesty announced by the UAE authorities."

In reply to another question, he said that India receives complaints about non-payment of salaries, long working hours, inadequate living conditions and physical harassment among other things from Indian workers "from time to time". In this year so far, the highest number of complaints has been received from Kuwait 3,228, followed by Qatar (3,087), Saudi Arabia (2,547), Oman (2,183), Bahrain (812) and Abu Dhabi, UAE (491)

London

London: Indian diaspora is the largest ethnic group in the UK and Hinduism with 1.5 per cent of the population is the third most popular religion in the country, the latest census indicated on Tuesday. The 2011 census data revealed that the immigrant population of England and Wales went up by nearly three million over the past decade to 7.5 million people. The most common birthplaces outside of the UK for residents are India, Poland and Pakistan, it said.

Just 3.7 million Londoners described their ethnicity as 'White British' in 2011 - down from 4.3 million in 2001, and making up 44.9 per cent of the city's population. It is believed to be the first time that British whites have become a minority in any region of the UK. The number of ethnic white British has dropped to 80 per cent. Another major change came in the decreasing number of Christians as a quarter of Britons said they had no religion. There were 33.2 million people claiming to be Christian, down from 37.3 million in 2001 and making up just 59 per cent of the population.

Nearly twenty-five per cent of people said they had no faith, up from 14.8 per cent a decade earlier, while the proportion of Muslims rose from 3.0 per cent to 4.8 per cent, making it the fastest-growing religion in the country. The third most popular religion was Hinduism, with 1.5 per cent of the population, while 0.8 per cent were Sikhs and 0.5 per cent Jewish. In 2011, 7.5 million residents were foreign-born, making up 13 per cent, or one in eight of the population - up from 4.6 million people in 2001. The total population of England and Wales was 56.1 million, a seven per cent increase on 2001 - and 55 per cent of the increase is due to migration.

New Delhi

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh accounted for the maximum of 30,788 cases of human rights abuses in the country in 2012-13 followed by Haryana, the Lok Sabha was told Tuesday. Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh said the number of such cases registered by the National Human Rights Commission in respect of Haryana was 6,002.

Then came Delhi (5,558 cases), Odisha (3,986) and Bihar (2,984). The total number of cases registered across the country stood at 68,259, the minister said in a written statement. Uttar Pradesh also accounted for 13,656 of the total 22,908 cases of alleged police atrocities registered in 2012-13, Singh said. Delhi took the second spot with 1,798 cases followed by Haryana (1,554), Bihar (801) and Rajasthan (762). Sikkim reported no such case.

Play School Building Collapsed

Three laborers were buried alive and nine wounded when an under-construction play school building collapsed in Greater Faridabad on Tuesday. The incident happened at 12.45pm in SRS Residency apartments in Sector 88. Eyewitnesses said the collapse caused earthquake-like tremors. “Iran for safety when I felt the earth shaking,” said Dharamvir Singh, a security guard of the residential society. The victims have been identified as Beeru and Gopal from Bihar Sharif in Bihar. The identity of the third victim is still to be ascertained.

Nearly 200 policemen came for the rescue operations. Only after their arrival did the rescue work begin. Most of the residents were asked to vacate their flats till the rescue work was over. “My family has been out in the cold since the afternoon,” said Shokinder, one of the residents of SRS Residency, said.

A rescue team from National Disaster Rescue Force was also called from Ghaziabad. “We are concentrating on the rescue work. After that, we will investigate incident and fix responsibility,” said Balraj Singh, deputy commissioner. SRS spokesperson Sanjeev Grover told HT that the school site had been leased out to a woman from Delhi for 99 years.

But Sanjiv Maan of the District Town and Country Planning Board, Faridabad, said, “We have no information what SRS did to this school site. We should have been informed.” “We have been crying ourselves hoarse for years that builders were dictating terms to both the government and investors. They have been violating their own agreements, and providing us poorly constructed apartments,” said Ajay Yadav, spokesman of Greater Faridabad Welfare Association, an organization looking after welfare and concerns of the investors in Greater Faridabad.

Unidentified Disease

Unidentified disease claims seven lives in Bihar

Ara, Seven persons have died of an unidentified disease in a village in Bihar's Bhojpur district since last night, Civil Surgeon Virendra Kumar said today. The deceased, including three women, of Mushar tola of Anaith village under Nawada police station area were taken ill and succumbed to the unidentified disease at the
Sadar Hospital, Kumar said.

Autopsies were conducted on the bodies and the visceras would be taken for further tests at a forensic laboratory in Patna, he said. Three other persons with symptoms of the disease were under treatment at the hospital, he said.

On unconfirmed reports that the dead were victims of spurious liquor, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Shahabad range, Ajitabh Kumar ruled it out.

Tsunami Warning

A tsunami warning has been issued after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's eastern coast. The epicentre of the quake was about 300km (183 miles) from Kamiashi at a depth of about 33km, the US Geological Survey said. The quake was felt in the capital Tokyo, media report. The tsunami warning was issued for the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, which was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011

Champions hockey

Champions hockey: India lose to Germany but top group

A spirited India topped Pool A in the FIH Champions Trophy hockey despite losing 2-3 to Olympic champions Germany after giving them a tough fight in Melbourne on Tuesday. In the quarterfinals, eight-time Olympic champions India will on Thursday face Belgium, who finished fourth and last in Pool B. For India this was their first loss in the ongoing tournament. They had previously beaten England and New Zealand in their pool. India and Germany both finished on six points from three matches but the former won Pool A due to a better goal difference. Germany finished in second place.

Germany’s win came thanks to a strong five minutes of play in the fag-end of the second-half that saw them come from a 1-2 deficit to earn the 3-2 win. For India, Gurwinder Singh Chandi kicked things off quickly when he stormed down the field and put in a quick first goal of the match just four minutes into action. Germany calmly regrouped after falling behind and were eventually rewarded when one of the veterans on the team Oliver Korn scored on a strong second effort to bring the sides even.

With scores tied 1-1 at half-time, India opened up the second-half scoring when Nithin Thimmaiah deflected in a second penalty corner shot five minutes after the break. India led for more than 15 minutes until Patrick Schmidt deflected in a shot from Tobias Matania, levelling the match again. The Germans took the lead for the first time in the match, two minutes later when Matania scored on a penalty corner. India kept the pressure on the Germans till the final whistle but couldn’t get the equaliser. This was the 600th game in Champions Trophy's history

India's new farming techniques

Afghan farmers impressed by India's new farming techniques

Chandigarh, A group of progressive farmers from war-torn Afghanistan today evinced interest in replicating Indian poly-house technology for vegetable cultivation and irrigation system in their country to improve the age-old farming practices. A team of 18 farmers is visiting farm expo 'Agro Tech' here as part of training  programme sponsored by the Indian government under United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

"We want to have green house cultivation in our field in Afghanistan for vegetables and seedling," said Sediqullah, a farmer from Balkh province of Afghanistan, who as part of the delegation. A wide variety of vegetables and fruits such as raddish, tomato, potato, onion, chilly, cauliflower, grapes, pomegranate, apple, orange, apricot, strawberry is grown in Afghanistan.

The farmers hailing from various places including Kabul, Baghlan, Logar, Paghman and other areas of Afghanistan viewed with interest the new technology innovations displayed at farm expo here. The armers said they were impressed by the technology adopted by Indian farmers in growing vegetables for achieving
higher productivity. Farmers also showed interest in drip irrigation and canal system for watering crop. "We also like to have drip irrigation technology for watering the crop," Sediqullah said.

Ebrahimi, the Coordinator of UN Agency, who is leading the delegation, said that Afghan farmers also visited the Centre of Excellence for vegetables at Gharaunda in Karnal and Centre of Excellence at Mangiana in Sirsa district of Haryana. Haryana government in collaboration with Israel had set up centre of excellence at Karnal
and Sirsa.

Indian Olympic Association

IOC suspends Indian Olympic Association, can't play in Olympic games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday suspended the Indian Olympic Association for holding hold elections under a controversial government sports code.

The IOC's decision--taken in Lausanne, Switzerland--will prevent India from taking part in Olympics. The IOA has been directed by a Delhi court to hold the elections adhering to the government's sports code, while the IOC wants the governing body to abide by the Olympic charter. The IOA had to provide written guarantees to the IOC by Friday that the December 5 elections will be held without government interference.

Economic Growth

5.3% economic growth in July-Sept below expectations:

New Delhi, Terming the second quarter economic growth rate of 5.3 per cent as "below expectations", Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said it was mainly due to scanty rainfall and poor showing by the manufacturing sector. "Overall, the growth rate is below our expectations," Chidambaram said in a statement after the official data showed that GDP growth fell to 5.3 per cent in July-September period. The gross domestic product (GDP) had expanded by 6.7 per cent in the same period of last fiscal. In the April-June period of 2012-13, the economic growth rate was 5.5 per cent.

During the three-month period ended September 30 this year, farm sector output expanded by just 1.2 per cent, against 3.1 per cent in the same period last year. "The reduction in growth in agriculture and allied sectors has been on account of rainfall being lower than normal, particularly in June-July. The impact on the khariff crop has pulled down the growth rate," Chidambaram said. He said the industry growth has been lower mainly due to poor show by manufacturing, which grew marginally by 0.8 per cent, against 2.9 per cent in the same period of 2011-12.

Growth rate of services sector, including insurance and real estate, stood at 9.4 per cent in the second quarter, against 9.9 per cent recorded in same quarter last fiscal. "The growth rate of services sector showed some improvement in Q2 of 2012-13 vis-a-vis the Q1, it still remains below the trend level," Chidambaram said.    The economic growth in the first six months (April-September) of this financial year (2012-13) is 5.4 per cent, lower than 7.3 per cent clocked in the year-ago period.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu tops in domestic violence cases

New Delhi, Tamil Nadu has got the dubious distinction of having the highest number of domestic violence cases in the country with the state recording 3,983 such cases last year, the government said today. According to the latest data of the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 9,431 domestic violence cases were reported across the country during the period, Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath informed the Lok Sabha. Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of such cases against women with 3,983 cases followed by Gujarat with 3,266 and West Bengal with 1,661.

In 2010, 11,718 cases were registered under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act while in 2009, 7,803, cases were registered. In reply to another question, the minister said the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had dealt with 36 complaints against alleged suicides of students in school or colleges. Of these, the maximum 21 complaints were in Tamil Nadu followed by four from Andhra Pradesh.

Captain Dhoni

Captain Dhoni has his way, BCCI sidelines Eden Garden curator

In a move which has triggered a fresh controversy, the BCCI today asked the Cricket Association of Bengal to appoint East Zone curator Ashish Bhowmick to prepare the Eden track in place of veteran Prabir Mukherjee, who has been in charge of the historic Eden Gardens pitch for decades. According to reports, octogenarian Mukherjee, who looks after the Eden strip, has been sidelined due to his differences with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who insisted for rank turners from day one of the Kolkata Test against England, starting December 5. Bhowmick, who hails from the Tripura Cricket Assocition (TCA), is arriving this evening following BCCI instruction.

"He is going there as per BCCI's instruction. But I've no idea whether he has replaced the local curator there (Prabir Mukherjee). I'm not aware of the details," TCA secretary Arindam Ganguly said. CAB joint-secretary Sujan Mukherjee, however, termed Bhowmick's visit as a "routine" inspection tour and maintained that the 83-year-old Mukherjee has not been replaced. "It's a routine visit to assess the pitch and conditions which happens every time before a match. Prabir Mukherjee remains the Eden curator," Sujan Mukherjee said.

The BCCI's move to send Bhowmick to Kolkata ahead of the third Test has raised many eyebrows as, only on Sunday, Daljit Singh, who is the chairman of BCCI's ground and pitches committee, did a recce of the same Eden track. Senior BCCI official and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla refused to read too much into the matter and said the decision to send Bhowmick to Kolkata was taken by the Board's ground and pitch committee.

First Prize

Chennai girl wins first prize in US Embassy-organised contest

Chennai, Shruti Balaji, a nine-year-old girl from Chennai won the all India first prize in the art contest "Being a Child in India", organised by the US Embassy in New Delhi to highlight the importance of child survival. US Ambassador to India Nancy J Powell presented an Apple iPod to Shruti, a student of PSBB School in  Nungambakkam, today for her picture "Healthy and Happy".

Samya Rehan, 10, from Noida and Madhu Bhaandari, a fifth grader from New Delhi won second and third prizes respectively. "India, Ethiopia and the US joined together in June to say that we wanted to make sure that every child around the world made it to age five. If you make it to age five, the chances are that you are going to make it to age 65. But it is very, very difficult for many children around the world to get to five."

"They suffer from lung diseases, from malnutrition, from diarrhoeal diseases and a variety of things... We wanted to have children tell us about their vision of what makes a child survival project work", the envoy said. The Embassy announced the contest in September and the results were announced on October 11 this year, recognised as the International Day of the Girl Child by the UN.

Earthquake shakes

Earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA - The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude has hit the eastern part of Indonesia. There are no immediate reports of damage. Indonesian seismologist Fauzi says there is no risk of a tsunami. The U.S. agency says Wednesday's quake was centered 56 kilometers (35 miles) under the sea.

Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency initially reported a quake measuring a preliminary 6.3 magnitude that was centered about 157 kilometers (97 miles) northwest of Tual in the southeastern part of Maluku province. It said the epicenter was 12 kilometers (7 miles) deep.

Chinese restaurant blast

Fourteen killed in Chinese restaurant blast

Beijing: Fourteen people were killed and 47 injured when a blast tore through a restaurant in northern China, state media said Saturday, with initial investigations pointing to a gas leak as the likely cause.

The explosion occurred in the city of Jinzhong in Shanxi province, which lies to the west of Beijing, on Friday evening, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The blast shattered windows of buildings near the two-storey restaurant, which served hot pot -- a popular Chinese kind of stew.

Xinhua quoted local investigators as saying that 17 of the injured were in a serious condition.

China has a notoriously poor health and safety record, blamed on a combination of poor regulations, lax enforcement and corruption.

vehicle falls into gorge in Himachal

11 die as vehicle falls into gorge in Himachal

Shimla, Eleven people were killed and fifteen injured when an overcrowded multi-utility vehicle carrying locals fell into a gorge near Timbi on Bakhal–Timbi road of Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh today, police said. Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Lakhanpal said eight persons, including a couple Kanwar Singh and Kamla Devi, died on the spot while three succumbed to their injuries on way to hospital.

The 15 injured were admitted to the hospital at Paonta Sahib and Shillai while four critically injured persons were referred to PGI, Chandigarh. Most of the victims belonged to Bakral and Timbi villages of Shillai block. Eyewitness told the police that the vehicle was overloaded and driver was rash.

64th Kargil Victory Day

Army celebrates 64th Kargil Victory Day

    Jammu, Army officers and civilians on November 24th celebrated the 64th anniversary of liberation of Kargil from Pakistan raiders in 1948. Senior army officers laid wreath at the Kargil war memorial here on the occasion of 'Kargil Yome Fateh', also known as 'Kargil Victory Day'. Civilians too joined in paying homage to the martyrs who liberated Kargil town after it was captured by Pakistani raiders in 1948 on May 10 by taking advantage of the thin deployment of Indian Army troops.

The troops of 1/5 Royal Gorkha Rifles and 77 Para Brigade had recaptured Kargil from Pakistani raiders on November 23, 1948.

Interceptor Missile

India successfully test fires supersonic interceptor missile

India today successfully test-fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile , capable of destroying a hostile ballistic missile , from a test range off the Odisha coast. "At around 12.52 hours, the interceptor hit the target missile successfully at an altitude of about 15 kilometres," DRDO spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta told PTI. India is working towards development of a multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system. The test was conducted to validate various parameters of the interceptor in flight mode, said a defence source.

The "hostile" ballistic missile, a modified surface-to-surface 'Prithvi', mimicking an incoming enemy weapon, first lifted off from a mobile launcher at around 12.52 hours from the launch complex-3 of integrated test range(ITR) at Chandipur-on-Sea, about 15 km from here. Within about four minutes, the interceptor, Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile positioned at Wheeler Island, about 70 km from Chandipur, after getting signals from tracking radars, roared through its trajectory to destroy the incoming missile mid-air, in an "endo-atmospheric" altitude, defence sources said. "The 'kill' effect of the interceptor is being ascertained by analysing data from multiple tracking sources," a Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist said soon after the test was carried out.

The interceptor is a 7.5-metre-long single-stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator, the sources said. The interceptor missile had its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities, besides sophisticated radars, the sources added. The previous trial conducted on February 10, 2012 from the same base was successful. The earlier trials were conducted on November 27, 2006, December 6, 2007 and March 6, 2009 from Wheeler Island, the sources said.

The fourth test which was scheduled in mid-March 2010 was put-off twice. Due to some technical glitches in the sub-system of the missile, the mission was aborted prior to its take off on March 14, 2010. On March 15, 2010, the target missile, a modified 'Prithvi', deviated from its pre-determined trajectory, which forced the scientists of DRDO to put-off the launch of the interceptor missile at the last minute. However, the fifth trial, conducted on July 26, 2010 incorporating some new technologies in the interceptor missile, was a success, the sources said. The last two trials conducted on March 6, 2011 and February 10, 2012 were also successful and today's test is the eighth trial, they said.

Beaumont

2 dead, many injured after at least 140 vehicles collide on US highway in dense fog

Beaumont: Two people died and more than 80 people were hurt on Thursday when at least 140 vehicles collided in Southeast Texas in a pileup that left trucks twisted on top of each other and authorities rushing to pull survivors from the wreckage. The collision occurred in extremely foggy conditions at about 8:45 a.m. Thanksgiving Day on Interstate 10 southwest of Beaumont, a Gulf Coast city about 80 miles east of Houston. A man and a woman were killed in a Chevy Suburban SUV crushed by a tractor trailer, the Texas Department of Public Safety told KFDM-TV.

Jefferson County sheriff's Deputy Rod Carroll said in a news release that 80 to 90 people were transported to hospitals with 10 to 12 of those in serious to critical condition. He said 140 to 150 vehicles were involved in the pileup. According to DPS, a crash on the eastbound side of the highway led to other accidents in a dangerous chain reaction. There were multiple crashes on the other side of the highway as well. Carroll told The Associated Press the fog was so thick that deputies didn't immediately realize they were dealing with multiple accidents.

"It is catastrophic," Carroll said. "I've got cars on top of cars." I-10's eastbound lanes were re-opened Thursday evening after more than eight hours. DPS trooper Stephanie Davis told KFDM that two people in an SUV died after the crash. Carroll said uninjured drivers tried to help as authorities sorted through the wreckage.
"It's just people helping people," Carroll said. "The foremost thing in this holiday season is how other travelers were helping us when we were overwhelmed, sitting and holding, putting pressure on people that were injured."

Four double centuries in calendar year

Clarke becomes first batsman to score four double centuries in calendar year

Adelaide: Michael Clarke set a benchmark in Test cricket that surpasses even the great Don Bradman's best years when he stroked his fourth double century of 2012 with a stunning, unbeaten 224 against South Africa. It was a recently as January last year that an Australian crowd booed him as he walked on to the field during a barren patch. On Thursday, he had 16,500 people on their feet applauding him at the Adelaide Oval for becoming the first batsmen to ever score four double centuries in a calendar year.

The Australia captain has now scored a combined 483 runs in two innings without getting out against South Africa, the No. 1-ranked team in the world. The 31-year-old Clarke started the year with a career-high knock of 329 not out at Sydney and 210 at Adelaide in January against India. His two more against South Africa take him past the usually incomparable Bradman, who scored three double centuries in an Ashes series in England in 1930. While Bradman's Test average of 99.94 is out of every modern batsman's reach, Clarke certainly deserves credit for his form since assuming the captaincy from Ricky Ponting after the 2011 World Cup

Lajpat Nagar blast case

Lajpat Nagar blast case: High Court slams Delhi Police probe, acquits two death row convicts

 New Delhi: Sixteen years after a powerful bomb blast killed 13 people in the Capital, the Delhi High Court today let off two convicts sentenced to death and reduced the death penalty of the third to life imprisonment. The court said its verdict was forced by the Delhi Police's shoddy investigation in the case.

The high intensity blast at Delhi's popular and perennially overcrowded Lajpat Nagar market on May 21, 1996 was triggered by explosives packed in a stolen Maruti car. Thirty eight people were injured in the terror attack. A city court had in April 2010 convicted six alleged militants of the Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF). Three of them - Mohd Naushad, Mohd Ali Bhatt and Mirza Nissar Hussain - got death sentences while the fourth, Javed Ahmed Khan, was punished with life imprisonment.

Today, the court converted Naushad's death penalty to life term, acquitted Hussain and Bhat, and upheld the life sentence given to Khan. But not before giving the Delhi Police some tongue-lashing. The police showed "casual approach in the case", the court said. "The police has not maintained a minimum standard of probe. The test identification parade was not conducted and the statements of key witnesses were not recorded," the bench said.

The two other convicts in the case, Farooq Ahmed Khan and his accomplice Farida Dar, had been held guilty by the trial court under the Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act. They were sentenced to imprisonment for seven years and four years and two months respectively

Ranjit Sinha

Bihar cadre IPS officer Ranjit Sinha appointed as new CBI chief

New Delhi: Bihar cadre Indian Police Service Officer Ranjit Sinha has been appointed as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sinha, who joined the IPS in 1974, was the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief.

Sinha will take over from AP Singh, who belonged to the IPS 1974 Jharkhand cadre. Sinha has already worked in the CBI. He was on deputation as DIG, CBI, Patna and also served as Joint Director (Anti-corruption), Delhi and Joint Director (Admn) in CBI, HO. In course of his tenure in CBI, he supervised a number of important cases.

He joined CRPF and was posted as IG (Ops), Srinagar, during which period, the security of Srinagar city was taken over by CRPF from BSF. He has also served as IG (Pers) in CRPF. Sinha also headed RPF as DG and made significant contribution in implementing integrated security scheme at various railway stations in the wake of terrorist attack at CST Railway Station, Mumbai in November 2008.

He has been awarded Indian Police Medal of Meritorious Service in 1991 and President Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1997 as well as DG's commendation discs in CRPF and ITBP Force.

Mumbai

Mumbai: In one of the nicest ironies in Shiv Sena supremo and 'Hindutva' champion Bal Thackeray's life, the doctor who treated him for the past five years and was with him in his last hours was a Muslim.

Dr Jalil Parkar, well known Pulmonologist from Lilavati hospital who had been Thackeray's trusted physician for the last five years, made the announcement of Sena chief's death last evening with tears in his eyes before the crowd of party workers and mediapersons here.

Dr Parkar, a Muslim, earned the faith of Thackeray family after he successfully treated the Sena patriarch's chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease that makes breathing difficult, some years ago. From thereon, every time Thackeray developed health complications, Dr Parkar was called in. He became so close to the family that in the recent years he was spotted on the dais with other VIPs at the annual Dussehra rally of Shiv Sena.

Dr Parkar is credited with saving Thackeray's life five times in five years. When senior Thackeray needed a second heart intervention in 2009 (the first was needed in 1996), it was Dr Parkar who prescribed the treatment which was readily accepted by the Sena chief.

When Uddhav Thackeray, his son and Shiv Sena executive president, needed a heart surgery some months ago, it was again Dr Parkar who led the medical team which treated him.

Though there was some commentary in political circles about Thackeray's personal doctor being a Muslim, Dr Parkar never commented on this aspect. All he would say was the Sena Chief had been very kind to him.

I haven't signed on any new film

I haven't signed on any new film: Genelia D'Souza

New Delhi, Genelia D'Souza says she has not signed on any new film yet because she is enjoying her post-marriage break. The 25-year-old actress, who got married to Riteish on February 3 this year, said that she was eagerly waiting for a break after constantly working in five film industries - Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam for a decade.

"I have not signed on a new film yet as I am on a small break. I started my career at a very young age and worked for 10 years and all 365 days without taking any break. I was a part of five film industries including Bollywood and I feel I deserve this break now after marriage," Genelia told. The actress, who was last seen with husband in rom-com 'Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya', said life has not changed post marriage.

"No, life is still the same. The only thing which has changed now is that I am seen less on TV. But there are other things happening off-screen which keep me busy. Riteish has purchased a cricket team in Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) and also produced his maiden home production 'Balak Palak'," she said at a Samsung event here. Genelia will next be seen in Anees Bazmee's "It's my life" and zombie comedy "Rock the Shaadi" opposite Abhay Deol. She had signed both the films before marriage.

India get past Hong Kong

India get past Hong Kong China in women's squash

Nimes (France): India outclassed Hong Kong China 2-0 in a playoff match here and will take on Ireland in the 5-6 classification tie in the WSF Women's World Team squash championship. Dipika Pallikal overcame Annie Au 11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-5 in 53 minutes to put India in front and then Anaka Alankamony defeated Tong Tsz-Wing 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 in 40 minutes to give her team an unbeatable lead Friday.

The third singles was not played.

India next take on Ireland who got past New Zealand 2-1 in a match that lasted more than two hours.

Meanwhile, top seeds England eliminated Malaysia 2-1 to set up a title clash with No.2 Egypt who brushed aside Australia 3-0 in the semi-finals.

CBSE textbook row on Nadar community

CBSE textbook row on Nadar community: Centre assures to look into issue

CHENNAI: As political parties in Tamil Nadu strongly protested the "wrong" depiction of Nadar community in a CBSE textbook, the Centre today assured it would look into the issue and do the needful. The assurance was given by HRD minister M M Pallam Raju to his party colleague and shipping minister G K Vasan when the latter met him to discuss the issue. Raju said he was holding discussions with officials to find out the reality and would "definitely try to do the needful on this important issue". He said the "wrong" information given in the CBSE textbook "wounded" the sentiments of the Nadar community and the particular portion should be removed at the earliest. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding removal of the "objectionable" references in the book about Nadars, a trading community concentrated in southern districts of the state.

"The social and economical development achieved by the Nadars over the years is commendable. Their success in the fields of education and business can be attributed to their hard work and determination," she said urging the Prime Minister to direct officials to remove "objectionable" references. Noting that great leaders, including Kamaraj, belonged to the Nadar community and their contribution to society was immeasurable, Jayalalithaa said various associations belonging to the community made representations to her condemning such "objectionable" references about their community. DMK chief M Karunanidhi yesterday urged the PM to direct officials to rectify these "errors" and remove the objectionable references from the textbook of class IX. It was "historically incorrect" to have labelled Nadars as migrants to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, he had said. DMDK chief Vijaykant, MDMK leader Vaiko, and PMK leader S Ramadoss have also objected to the references.

Family drown in the Ganga river

Five of family drown in the Ganga river

Haridwar, Five members of a family, including a father-son duo, drowned in the Ganga today while trying to cross the river near Ajitpur Jiyapota village of the district. All the five drowned as they did not have an idea of the depth of the river and tried to wade through it to reach the trees on the other side laden with plum fruits, police said. Shyam Singh(35), his 14-year-old son Rohan, nephew Ajay (13) and two more relatives Gaurav and Chotu drowned near Ajit Ghat of the river, police said. A co-villager Anil was also with them, however, he swam to safety, police said. All the five bodies have been fished out.

Sri Lankan nationals

3 Lankan nationals held for bid to smuggle gold jewels

Chennai, Three Sri Lankan nationals, including two women, were arrested at the airport here today for allegedly attempting to smuggle gold ornaments totally weighing nearly one kg and valued at Rs 37 lakh. The two women and a man, who arrived from Colombo by two different flights yesterday, were detained after customs officials found them carrying the gold ornaments kept concealed in their inner garments, airport sources said. The women, aged 52 and 42, were illegally  carrying 382 grams and 342 grams of jewels while the 44-year old man had 325 grams of ornaments, they said.

Mulayam's jolt to Congress

Mulayam's jolt to Congress, releases list of candidates for 2014

 Lucknow: Mulayam Singh Yadav has indicated he is ready for the elections. His Samajwadi Party released its list of candidates today, a good 18 months before the Lok Sabha polls are meant to take place. The 55 candidates on the list  today include Mr Yadav, whose constituency is Mainpuri, and his daughter-in-law  Dimple, who will ask voters to re-elect her from Kannuaj.

Mr Yadav's list will be interpreted by many as a sign that he does not expect the ruling UPA coalition to complete its term.  The government is in a minority since its main ally, Mamata Banerjee, dropped out in September over new economic reforms.  Since then the government is on life support courtesy Mr Yadav and his fierce rival Mayawati.  Both UP powerhouses do not participate in the government but lend external support.  The vote of their 43 MPs is crucial for the government to help    pass important legislation. The winter session of parliament begins on Thursday, November 22.

Three killed in Naxal attack

Three killed in Naxal attack on police van in Jharkhand

Giridih: Naxals attacked a prison van and killed three people, including two policemen and an undertrial in Jharkhand's Giridih district today. 32 prisoners, who were being transported, are missing. Several Naxal leaders were also in among these prisoners. The prison van was returning from the local court to Giridih jail when it was attacked.

Nobel Prize for Malala Yousufzai

UK campaigners call for Nobel Prize for Malala Yousufzai

Tens of thousands of Britons called on the government on Friday to nominate Malala Yousufzai, a Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls' education, for the Nobel Peace Prize. The 15-year-old is receiving specialist treatment in the English city of Birmingham after gunmen shot her on Oct. 9 for standing up against the Taliban and openly advocating education for women. The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation and Yousufzai has become a powerful symbol of resistance to the Taliban's attempts to suppress women's rights. On Friday, a campaign led by a Pakistani-British woman urged Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior government officials to nominate Yousufzai for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala doesn't just represent one young woman, she speaks out for all those who are denied an education purely on the basis of their gender, campaign leader Shahida Choudhary said in a statement issued by global petition platform Change.org. More than 30,000 people have signed the petition in Britain as part of a global push by women's rights advocates to nominate her for the prize. Similar campaigns have sprung up in Canada, France and Spain. Under the Nobel Committee's rules, only prominent figures such as members of national assemblies and governments are able to make nominations. Yousufzai was unconscious and fighting for her life when she was flown to Britain a month ago but the hospital in Birmingham where she is being treated says she is recovering well. On Friday it released photographs of Yousufzai reading a book and clutching a white teddy bear, dark bruises covering her eyelids.

Delhi councillor suicide

Delhi councillor suicide: Husband arrested, charged with dowry death

New Delhi: Police today arrested the husband of a councillor in Delhi's municipal corporation, who committed suicide after killing her one-and-half-year-old baby. Satyam Yadav, 27, hanged herself at her Nangloi home in west Delhi on Thursday morning after strangling her daughter. She represented Nangloi (East) in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Her husband Pawan Yadav, a teacher, has been charged with dowry death and cruelty towards his wife. Mrs Yadav's family has alleged she was harassed by her in-laws for dowry and giving birth to a girl child.

"Satyam's in-laws were demanding Rs. 10 lakh and a car. We went to Delhi to bring her back to Bulandshahr. They refused to let her come and said they will not leave her until their demands were fulfilled," her brother Nishat Yadav alleged.

US Election Result

US election results: Ministry of External Affairs congratulates Barack Obama; Pranab Mukherjee & Manmohan Singh to send messages

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday congratulated US President Barack Obama on his re-election. "The Government and people of India send their congratulations to President Obama on his winning a second mandate from the people of the USA who have expressed their will in the great tradition of democracy in their country," the MEA said in a press release.

The release stated that President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will send separate messages of congratulations to US President Obama upon his re-election.

 "India and the US have developed extensive bilateral cooperation and partnership based on shared values based on belief in democracy, the rule of law and pluralism. We look forward to continuing to deepen and widen the engagement between India and the US in the years ahead," the release added.

US President Barack Obama rolled to re-election and a second term in the White House on Tuesday with a victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney as the Democrat overcame deep doubts about his handling of the US economy.

Obama, America's first black president, won by convincing voters to stick with him as he tries to reignite strong economic growth and recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. An uneven recovery has been showing some signs of strength but the country's 7.9 per cent jobless rate remains stubbornly high.

Obama's victory in the hotly contested swing state of Ohio - as projected by TV networks - was a major step in the fight for the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the White House and ended Romney's hopes of pulling off a string of swing-state upsets.

Mahesh Bhupathi-Rohan Bopanna

Mahesh Bhupathi-Rohan Bopanna enter Paris semis, clinch World Tour Finals' berth

Paris: The Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna booked the final berth at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London after advancing to the semi final of the BNP Paribas Masters.

In a winner-take-all quarter-final clash yesterday fifth seeds Bhupathi and Bopanna defeated the Polish Power pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-4.

They will now be up against the Australian-British combination of Paul Hanley and Jonathan Marray.

Bhupathi and Bopanna will make their team debut at the season finale.

The 38-year-old Bhupathi is a four-time runner-up at the event, losing in the final in 2010 (w/Max Mirnyi) and 1997, '99 and 2000 with Leander Paes.

Bopanna, 32, made his debut at the year-end championships last year, partnering Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

The Indian pairing joined forces this season and have compiled a 29-20 match record. They won their first title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and were runners-up at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Cincinnati and Shanghai.

Seventh seeds Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer, who have also qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, reached the semi-finals in Paris with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor.

Manmohan Singh

12th Plan will triple spending on health: Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that the 12th Five Year Plan will enhance spending on health up to three times and that more medical and nursing colleges were needed to overcome a shortage of trained human resources in the sector.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying of the Lady Hardinge Medical College project here, the prime minister also said that health indicators reflected a country's overall well-being.

"Recognising the need to provide for the complex challenges in the health sector, the allocation for health has been enhanced three times in the 12th Plan as compared with the 11th Plan allocation," he said.

He said the government was paying more attention to medical education. In the last three years, the number of MBBS seats in medical colleges rose by over 30 percent and the seats for post-graduate programmes by 51 percent.

"However, the availability of trained human resources remains a challenge. We need to set up more nursing and medical colleges to increase both undergraduate and postgraduate seats in the 12th Plan," he said.

The prime minister said that nutrition, drinking water, sanitation, housing and education, particularly of the girl child, were increasingly being underlined as the social determinants of health.

He added that generic drugs would be made available free in all public hospitals across the country to help the poor reduce their out of pocket expenditure on health.

Goods Train Derailment

Derailment of goods train disrupts train movement

New Delhi, A goods train derailed near Palwal in Haryana, disrupting the services of more than a dozen trains. However, no one was injured in the derailment. "A wagon and engine of a goods train derailed near Palwal following which we had to cancel some trains and divert a few," a Northern Railway spokesperson said. Rail traffic was restored by 11 AM, he said. Five trains including Ferozpur-Mumbai Express and Amritsar-Mumbai Golden Temple Express were diverted towards Ghaziabad-Tundla-Agra section while six trains including Agra-Palwal passenger and Mathura-Ghaziabad passenger trains were cancelled. Timings of six trains including Niazamuddin-Coimbator Express and Nizamuddin-Yashwantpur Karnataka Express were also rescheduled because of the incident.