The Indian Panorama

Month: July 2013

  • Guns Surrendered in a Gun Buy Back

    Guns Surrendered in a Gun Buy Back

    Queens Borough President Helen Marshall examines some of the guns turned in, Saturday, June 29th at gun buy back event funded by her office with the support and cooperation of the NYPD and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. Event was held at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in south Jamaica. Weapons turned in Saturday, June 29 included: 17 revolvers, eight semi-automatic handguns, three BBs and starter pistols and one rifle. Three of the surrendered guns were loaded.

    These guns were among the 29 surrendered in a gun buy back, funded by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, Saturday, June 29th, at the New Jerusalem Baptist Church in south Jamaica. The buy back was held with cooperation and support of the NYPD and the Queens District Attorney’s Office. Guns surrendered included: 17 revolvers, eight semi-automatic handguns, three BB and starter pistols and one rifle. Three of the guns were loaded.

  • AMERICA CELEBRATES Independence

    AMERICA CELEBRATES Independence

    NEW YORK (TIP): The United States celebrated the 237th anniversary of independence from British rule. Americans traditionally celebrate the Independence Day holiday with parades, picnics, fireworks, sports and concerts. Fourth of July decorations feature the colors of the American flag – red, white, and blue. In New York, the Statue of Liberty re-opened for the first time since Hurricane Sandy struck in October, 2012. The 93-meter statue was not damaged in the storm, but the island it sits on was devastated. The statue was open for a single day last year — Oct. 28, the day before Sandy struck. It had been closed the previous year for security upgrades.

    Neighboring Ellis Island remains closed and there has been no reopening date set. The island was decorated with starspangled bunting, but portions remain blocked off with large construction equipment, and the main ferry dock was boarded up. Repairs to brick walkways and docks were ongoing. But much of the work has been completed since Sandy swamped the 12-acre island in New York Harbor, and visitors were impressed. The statue itself was unharmed, but the land took a beating. Railings broke, docks and paving stones were torn up and buildings were flooded.

    The storm destroyed electrical systems, sewage pumps and boilers. Hundreds of National Park Service workers from as far away as California and Alaska spent weeks cleaning mud and debris. “It is one of the most enduring icons of America, and we pulled it off — it’s open today,” National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis said. “Welcome.” Elsewhere in New York, throngs of revelers packed Brooklyn’s Coney Island to see competitive eating champ Joey Chestnut scarf down 69 hot dogs to break a world record and win the title for a seventh year at the 98th annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Sonya Thomas defended her title with nearly 37 dogs. Macy’s Fireworks lit up New York skies. It was a riot of colors watched by hundreds of thousands of visitors and by millions on their TV screens.

    In his weekly radio address from Washington, Obama urged Americans to work to secure liberty and opportunity for their own children and future generations. The first family was to host U.S. servicemen and women at the White House for a cookout. Nationwide, Boston hosted its first large gathering since the marathon bombing that killed three and injured hundreds, and Philadelphia,Washington and New Orleans hosted large holiday concerts. A Civil War reenactment commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg drew as many as 40,000 people to Pennsylvania. In Arizona, sober tributes were planned for 19 firefighters who died this week battling a blaze near Yarnell. Atlanta and Alaska planned holiday runs — thousands were racing up a 3,022-foot peak in Seward. In New Orleans, the Essence Festival celebrating black culture and music kicked off along the riverfront.

  • MORSI OUSTED, under house arrest

    MORSI OUSTED, under house arrest

    CAIRO (TIP): Mohammed Morsi, in office only a year as the first democratically elected leader of Egypt, was rousted from power by the military July 3 as a euphoric crowd in Tahrir Square cheered his exit. The former leader was placed under house arrest at the Republican Guard Club, a senior adviser to the Freedom and Justice Party and spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood said. Most members of the presidential team have also been placed under house arrest. Egyptian security forces also arrested the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and another of the movement’s top leaders.

    The commanding general of the armed forces, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said on Egyptian television that the military was suspending the constitution, which Morsi pushed through and which many Egyptians saw as slanted toward Islamists. “The armed forces couldn’t plug its ears or close its eyes as the movement and demands of the masses calling for them to play a national role, not a political role as the armed forces themselves will be the first to proclaim that they will stay away from politics,” al-Sisi said.

    He added that the head of the constitutional court, Adli Mansour, would be the acting president, with new elections to be held later. The general said that the military did not have designs on controlling the country’s politics but would “never turn a blind eye to the aspirations of the Egyptian people.” He spoke alongside a leading Sunni Muslim cleric and the head of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, as well as a prominent political opponent of Morsi — Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the U.N. nuclear weapons agency. Armored vehicles, tanks and troops deployed throughout the Egyptian capital, including near the presidential palace. The army seized the headquarters of the state television and the state-run newspaper, which reported that Morsi had been told he was no longer president.

    A statement on Morsi’s Facebook page described the army’s move as a “military coup.” Mansour will be sworn in as interim head of state on July 4. The United States will continue to monitor the “very fluid situation” in Egypt, President Barack Obama said in a statement Wednesday night. “We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsy and suspend the Egyptian constitution,” the statement read. “I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsy and hisU.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for calm and restraint, as well as the preservation of rights such as freedom of expression and assembly. “Many Egyptians in their protests have voiced deep frustrations and legitimate concerns,” he said in a statement that did not condemn the Egyptian armed forces’ ouster of Morsi.

    “At the same time, military interference in the affairs of any state is of concern,” he added. “Therefore, it will be crucial to quickly reinforce civilian rule in accordance with principles of democracy.” Security forces, meanwhile, raided the Cairo offices of Al Jazeera’s Egyptian television channel and detained at least five staff members. Four were later released, the channel said. Karim El-Assiuti, a journalist at the station, told Reuters his colleagues at the Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr channel were arrested while working in the studio. The station was prevented from broadcasting from a pro-Morsi rally and its crew there was also detained, he said. Authorities also shut down three Islamistrun TV stations, including one operated by the Muslim Brotherhood. The State Department warned U.S. citizens to defer travel to Egypt and told Americans already living in Egypt to depart “because of the continuing political and social unrest.” Morsi was elected a year ago after Egyptians ousted Hosni Mubarak, the autocrat who had ruled for almost three decades. Egyptians hoped he would build a more pluralistic and tolerant country.

    Instead, Egyptians have been frustrated by a struggling economy and poor services and infuriated by what they see as power grabs by Morsi — stifling the judiciary and forcing through a constitution that favored Islamists and ignored minorities. “Now we want a president who would really be the president of all Egyptians and will work for the country,” Said Shahin, a 19- year-old protester in Tahrir Square, told The Associated Press. The ouster will remake the politics of the Middle East at a volatile time. Egypt is the most populous country in the region, has a peace treaty with Israel and is a partner of the United States. On july 2, Morsi gave a loud, passionate, 45- minute speech to the country, blaming loyalists of Mubarak for fighting against democracy and refusing to step down.

    He vowed to die for his cause. “I am prepared to sacrifice my blood for the sake of the security and stability of this homeland,” he said. On July 3, as the military appeared to be taking control of parts of Cairo, advisers to Morsi said the generals were staging a coup and subverting the will of the people. In Tahrir Square, however, the military announcement hours later was greeted with jubilation reminiscent of the first days of the Arab Spring two years ago. Tens of thousands of people shot fireworks, sang, danced, chanted and waved Egyptian flags. Before they deposed Morsi, Egyptian military officials assured the U.S. that the military would not assume long-term control of the government, and ensured the safety of the U.S. Embassy, personnel and all Americans in Egypt, U.S. officials told NBC News.

  • CBI CHARGESHEET terms Ishrat Jahan encounter fake

    CBI CHARGESHEET terms Ishrat Jahan encounter fake

    AHMEDABAD (TIP): Spelling trouble for the Narendra Modi government, the CBI on July 3 held that 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan was killed in a “fake” encounter in 2004 and chargesheeted seven police officers in the case, saying it was a joint operation between Gujarat police and the subsidiaryIntelligence Bureau (SIB). Those against whom the chargesheet was filed for murder and criminal conspiracy include absconding Additional DGP PP Pandey and suspended DIG D G Vanzara. “The encounter was a joint operation between Gujarat police and SIB of the state,” CBI said in the chargesheet, adding, “the encounter was fake”.

    The investigation is going on against four Intelligence Bureau officers, including its Special Director Rajinder Kumar, and three other officers â ” P Mittal, M K Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede, it said. Supplementary chargesheet would be filed against IB officers once the investigation was over, the court was told. Apart from Pandey and Vanzara other Gujarat police officers who have been chargesheeted are GL Singhal, Tarun Barot, NK Amin, JG Parmar and Anaju Chaudhary. Ishrat, who belonged to Mumbra in Thane district adjoining Mumbai, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in the encounter with the Gujarat police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.

  • Jet-Etihad deal comes under scanner

    Jet-Etihad deal comes under scanner

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Alleging that the Jet- Etihad deal was being rushed through and the government agencies were not allowed to examine it in all its ramifications, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on July 3 asked the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to order a Central Bureau of India (CBI) inquiry monitored by the Supreme Court to trace the manner in which the deal was carried out.

    The BJP has said that the deal was mired in all kinds of controversies as it was carried out in a “half-cooked” and “objectionable” manner and was “predicated” on the increase in number of seats to be made available. “This deal smacks of a scam. It is already stinking. There should be an inquiry into who is responsible. The manner in which the deal was concluded two days after the bilateral agreement with the UAE was signed and assigning them 37,000 additional seats clearly indicates that these two private parties — Jet Airways and Etihad — were fully aware of what the government was going to do,” BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said here in Delhi. “As a matter of fact, given the kind of agreement which they have concluded, in which there will be members on the board much in excess of what 24 per cent entitles them to, is raising all kinds of concerns. The government should order a CBI inquiry monitored by the Supreme Court to probe the manner in which this deal has been done,” Sinha added. Objections to the deal were first raised by a Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury, followed up by senior Members of Parliament Jaswant Singh and Dinesh Trivedi, and Janata Party chairman Subramanian Swamy.

    The Parliamentarians have alleged that with the deal, Abu Dhabi will get thousands of new passengers on its routes to Europe, Africa and West Asia at the cost of Indian airports. Additionally, Prabodh Panda of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and BJP leader Nishikant Dubey have written to the Central Vigilance Commission, demanding to investigate the deal. “The deal has been struck just to benefit private players, which will hamper the interest of Air India. This has been done in violation of all norms and deliberately done to cause losses to the state-owned carrier.We have asked for a vigilance probe into the matter. Also profitable routes have been given away to private players at low rates. Delhi airport, which is attempting to emerge as an international hub, would also suffer at the cost of Abu Dhabi,” Panda said here.

    Both the bilateral agreement and the airline deal were announced on April 24 this year. Since then, the deal has run into trouble.With each passing day, the matter is getting complicated as more and more Indian political leaders are clamouring for a review of the deal. Last month, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) had deferred a decision on clearing the Rs20.58 billion deal. According to industry experts, the deal is all set for a delay, probably much longer than expected by the two airlines. Sources have revealed that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) does not want to be dragged into another 2G-like controversy, more so since the number of bilateral weekly seats between Abu Dhabi and Delhi were dramatically increased from 13,330 to 36,370 just before the deal.

  • Government of India introduces Food Security: Program will benefit 67% of Population

    Government of India introduces Food Security: Program will benefit 67% of Population

    NEW DELHI (TIP): President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday, July 5, signed the ordinance on food security after due consideration. The bill would now go before the Parliament when it convenes for the Monsoon Session. Brushing aside political opposition, Government had issued the ordinance to give nation’s two-third population the right to get 5 kgs of foodgrains every month at highly subsidized rates of Rs 1-3 per kg.

    The Food Security program when implemented will be the biggest in the world with the government spending estimated Rs 125,000 crore annually on supply of about 62 million tons of rice, wheat and coarse cereals to 67 per cent of the population. Opposition parties have slammed the government for bringing the ordinance, accusing it of bypassing

    Parliament and acting in a hurry with an eye on polls.
    The government rejected the charge saying it wants to provide food security to crores and alleged that Opposition leaders, who had earlier disrupted Parliament sessions were now shedding “crocodile tears” over parliamentary propriety.

  • NASA to support ISRO in India’s Mars mission

    NASA to support ISRO in India’s Mars mission

    MUMBAI (TIP): The US would support India in its much-awaited Rs 450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) slated for lift off from Sriharikota in October-November 2013. “Nasa is providing the deep space navigation and tracking support to this mission during the non-visible period of the Indian Deep Space Network,” said a US state department announcement.

    The decision to cooperate was taken at the fourth meeting of the US-India joint working group on civil space cooperation held in Washington on March 21. But the details of the meeting were made public on Monday through the US-India joint fact sheet. Its release coincided with the Indo-US Strategic dialogue, and the talks between Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan and Nasa administrator Charles Bolden in New Delhi.

    Nasa will provide support from its facilities at Goldstone in the US, Madrid in Spain and Canberra in Australia. The teaming up for the Mars mission assumes significance in the context of Bolden calling for strengthened co-operation in this programme, when he addressed Isro staffers nationwide from the Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre.

    The American state department document also stated that both countries have “agreed to cooperate in potential future missions to the moon and Mars”. Isro officials have not ruled out a second mission to Mars, which they said will have more scientific content. It is learnt that Nasa was keen on participating with Isro in the analysis of data from the Methane Sensor For Mars, which is one of the five instruments on board the present Indian Mars orbiter. But Isro has not given any firm response so far.

  • Google India ties up with Getit Infomedia

    Google India ties up with Getit Infomedia

    HYDERABAD (TIP): Google India has tied up with Getit Infomedia to help SMEs in the South to go online. Google’s Global Channel Sales Managing Director Todd Rows said that the company has so far tied up with 16 partners for this initiative with a total sales force of 3,000. The company targets to reach out to 10 lakh SMEs. “We have so far covered 2 lakh and will cross 5-lakh mark by 2015,’’ he said.

  • European Union leaders clinch deals on banks, budget

    European Union leaders clinch deals on banks, budget

    BRUSSELS (TIP): European leaders agreed on new steps to fight youth unemployment and promote lending to credit-starved small business on Thursday after deals on banking resolution and the long-term EU budget gave their summit a much needed lift. The 27 leaders resolved to spend 6 billion euros over the next two years to support job creation, training and apprenticeships for young people, and to raid unspent EU budget funds to keep the effort going thereafter.

    Critics say the money is a drop in the ocean with more than 19 million people unemployed in the EU, and more than half of all young people under 25 without a job in Spain and Greece. Leaders also approved plans for the European Investment Bank to lend hundreds of billions of euros to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) particularly in southern EU states where bank finance has largely dried up due to the euro zone’s debt crisis. “The last 24 hours have been a great success,” European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told a news conference. “Today we have agreed the money to back up our words.” After late-night talks in Luxembourg, European Union finance ministers agreed how to share the cost of future bank failures among investors and wealthy savers as far as possible. Separately, negotiators for the European Parliament, the European Commission and EU member governments clinched a deal on a 960 billion euro ($1.25 trillion) seven-year budget for the bloc for the period 2014-20, ending months of squabbling.

    The leaders unanimously endorsed the agreement, EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy said, overcoming a last minute snag over Britain’s rebate, which will remain intact. The European Parliament must approve the deal next month so the new budget can take effect next January. The banking resolution agreement designed to shield European taxpayers from having to foot the bill for rescuing troubled banks will be implemented on a national basis from 2018. It lays the ground for a single system to resolve failed banks in the euro zone and the 27-nation EU, the second stage of what policymakers call a European banking union, meant to strengthen supervision and stability of the financial sector.

    The European Commission, the EU’s executive, will put forward proposals for a single resolution mechanism next week, but any deal on it is a long way off because EU paymaster Germany opposes taking any liability for other countries’ banks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the EU budget breakthrough, saying it would allow new spending on everything from agriculture to research, roads, bridges and development aid to move ahead, promoting economic growth in Europe.

  • Reliance building on real estate interests in Kenya

    Reliance building on real estate interests in Kenya

    MUMBAI (TIP): Reliance Industries is expanding its presence in the real estate sector in Africa. In its second major foray, the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries has acquired 10 prime plots of land in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, for around Rs 202 crore ($33.9 million). The land, which has a developable area of about 1.2 million sq. ft., has been acquired for commercial and residential property development. Reliance Industries’ (RIL) real estate interests in Africa started around 2008, through Delta Corporation East Africa, a local subsidiary.

    According to people familiar with the development, RIL entered Africa’s real estate market with a few small buys. In 2011, the company extended its foray into Kenya’s real estate market with a series of office and residential property developments. The company bought prime plots of land in Nairobi, and developed them for residential and commercial use. In some instances, it also sold or rented plots to global agencies, private firms and some government organisations.

    For the 10 Nairobi plots, Reliance Industries is the major stakeholder with a 60 per cent shareholding, while Delta Corp has a 40 per cent holding. Through Delta Corporation, RIL is currently building office towers in Nairobi’s Upper Hill and Westlands areas. Delta Corporation is also developing a multi-million dollar residential estate along the Athi River. Nilesh Shah, executive director, Delta Corporation East Africa, could not be reached for comment. In a recent annual report, Delta Corporation said it has four projects under development. The company owns around 27.5 acres of land. Real estate major Knight Frank has ranked Nairobi as the city with the fastest growth rate in rentals for high-end commercial property in 2012.

  • Customers Bancorp Inc to invest in Religare Enterprises

    Customers Bancorp Inc to invest in Religare Enterprises

    NEW DELHI (TIP): US-based Customers Bancorp Inc (CUBI) has agreed to invest $51 million (about Rs 300 crore) in various securities of banking licence aspirant Religare Enterprises Ltd. The investments will take place through a combination of primary and secondary market transactions. The transactions involve a secondary purchase of Religare Enterprises equity shares from its promoters for $22 million, investment of $28 million in compulsory convertible warrants to be issued by Religare on a preferential basis, and a $1-million investment in new equity shares to be issued by Religare.

    It is still not clear what Customers Bancorp’s eventual equity stake in Religare will be after these transactions. The CUBI Board has already cleared the transactions. Religare’s board has now approved Customers Bancorp’s investments in the company. Religare’s promoters — billionaire brothers Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh — had recently agreed to shed a 22 per cent stake to enable the company to set up a non-operative financial holding company, in line with RBI guidelines for licensing of new banks in the private sector. Of the 22 per cent, the transaction with CUBI will result in the promoters offloading about 2.2 percent, it is learnt. “We are delighted to have Customers Bancorp Inc. as an investor at Religare. CUBI’s management team expertise in global banking will be extremely supportive in our banking foray.We are confident that the proposed association will further strengthen Religare’s endeavour to create a distinctive and diversified financial services conglomerate that believes in the Indian market’s long term growth potential,” said Sunil Godhwani, CMD, Religare Enterprises, in a statemen.

  • Govt’s new target: Rs 1.15 lakh crore infra projects

    Govt’s new target: Rs 1.15 lakh crore infra projects

    NEW DELHI (TIP)In a fresh attempt to provide a push to the infrastructure sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday set a target to roll out projects worth Rs 1.15 lakh crore in public-private-partnership mode by the end of this calendar year, including setting up 60 airports and upgrading Bhubaneswar and Imphal to international status at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.

    The other major projects include monitoring the construction of Mumbai’s Rs 30,000 crore elevated rail corridor and power and transmission projects worth Rs 40,000 crore. The targets were set at a meeting called by Singh to finalise infrastructure projects for 2013-14. It was attended by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and ministers of power, coal, railways, roads, shipping and civil aviation.

    However, for the second straight year, the Prime Minister’s infrastructure review did not set a target for the road sector, which failed to reach its goal of 9,500 km for 2012- 13. “The Prime Minister has highlighted the need to ramp up investment in infrastructure to revive investor sentiment. For this purpose, a target of rolling out PPP projects of at least Rs 1 lakh crore in the next six months was set. A steering group is being formed to monitor the award and implementation of projects from among the following on priority,” a government statement said.

    The list, however, shows that many projects flagged last year have not moved much. For instance, the list of eight greenfield airport projects to be awarded this year include three announced last year Navi Mumbai, Goa and Kannur.

    The new ones are in Pune, Sriperumbudur, Bellary, Juhu (Mumbai) and Raigarh. Of the Rs 1.15 lakh crore announced Friday, railway projects account for Rs 45,000 crore followed by power at Rs 40,000 crore. The statement quoted the Prime Minister as saying that a lot of work still needs to be done and there should be no slackening of the pace of work to award projects or to complete them.

    The target set by the Prime Minister did not enthuse industry leaders. “Setting targets is a little old fashioned as we all know that these are not usually met. The main focus must be to go behind these targets and see why projects are stalled. If the meeting had focused on the stalled projects with the Cabinet Committee on Investment, it would have been more productive,” said Vinayak Chatterjee, chairman and managing director, Feedback Infrastructure.

  • Ishrat Jahan case: CBI gets closer to Modi, may quiz Amit Shah

    Ishrat Jahan case: CBI gets closer to Modi, may quiz Amit Shah

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The CBI, probing the June 2004 fake encounter deaths of Mumbai college student Ishrat Jahan and three other terror suspects in Ahmedabad, is likely to examine the then state home minister Amit Shah to verify if he had known about the conspiracy. The agency will take Shah’s version for the first time as part of the probe, after filing its charge sheet in the case early next week, according to a CBI source. “There is a suspicion that a case accused was in touch with Shah before and after the incident telephonically, the records of which we are verifying.

    We may examine him after filing our charge sheet, which will be followed by a supplementary charge sheet,” he said. The agency may charge sheet Intelligence Bureau’s special director Rajinder Kumar, a 1979 batch Indian Police Service officer who was posted in Gujarat from 2001 to 2005, without seeking a prosecution sanction from the home ministry. “We don’t need any prosecution sanction to charge sheet the IB officer since sanction under section 197 of the CrPC is mandatory only if the crime is committed as part of the government servant’s official duties. This was a fake encounter, orchestrating it wasn’t part of his official duty,” he said. “No prosecution sanction was required to charge sheet senior police officers accused in fake encounter probes in Punjab,” said the source. A home ministry source, however, said that CBI’s evidence only indicated that Kumar was in the loop, not conspired to murder.

  • Munde’s Rs.8-crore poll expenses claim could land him in trouble with EC

    Munde’s Rs.8-crore poll expenses claim could land him in trouble with EC

    Mumbai (TIP):L The Election Commission is likely to seek an explanation from senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde sooner than later over is reported claim that he had spent Rs.8 crore as poll expenses during the 2009 general elections as against the official sanctioned limit of Rs.25 lakh.

    According to a report in the New Indian Express, the Election Commission will in all likelihood question Munde on the issue, especially after he claimed that he had only Rs.6.22 crore in assets.

    The paper quotes RTI activist Anil Galgali, as saying that Munde has lied about the money he spent in the elections and also about his total assets. Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil has asked the EC to take cognizance to the claims made by Munde.

  • Dialogue with Pak after new govt settles down: Khurshid

    Dialogue with Pak after new govt settles down: Khurshid

    SRINAGAR (TIP): India on June 28 said the composite dialogue with Pakistan will be resumed after the new government there settles down and pending confidence building measures (CBM) between the two countries are implemented. “It is not good that we say everything right at the outset. The atmosphere is good at the moment. Let it improve further to be conducive for talks,” External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said. “Let the new government in Pakistan settle down and understand their job, then we can resume talks. However, there are some issues on which both the government and people expect some progress, and we will get some satisfaction from it,” he said. The focus of the government, at present, is to resume sectoral dialogue, whereby progress can be made on certain issues, Khurshid said after addressing Congress workers. “Our formulation at the moment is to start a sectoral dialogue.

    The issues on which we can make forward movement, we will do that. There are some issues on which expecting some quick progress is not possible,” he said. Khurshid also said there were some CBMs, which were to be implemented by both the countries to further improve the atmosphere. “There are CBMs such as the most favoured nation status (to India), which they had decided earlier, but has not been implemented yet and the new visa regime which we have announced and will enable travel of more people across the border is to be implemented,” he said.

  • Abu Salem attacked inside Taloja jail in Mumbai

    Abu Salem attacked inside Taloja jail in Mumbai

    MUMBAI (TIP): Gangster Abu Salem, an accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, was on June 27 attacked inside Taloja Central Jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, police said. According to police, Salem was shot by Devendra Jagtap, an accused in the advocate Shahid Azmi murder case. Salem sustained injury to his hand as Jagtap fired one round. This is the second attack on Salem inside a jail after he was deported from Portugal in 2005. He had faced attack at the Arthur Road jail here in 2010.

  • Msd’s Legacy As Captain Cemented

    Msd’s Legacy As Captain Cemented

    BIRMINGHAM (TIP): “Dhoni, captain cool” – the placard held by an Indian fan appropriately sums up the magic of India’s cricket captain. “I don’t turn up in the ground to achieve anything special as a captain,” Dhoni said after his team had defended a modest 129 to defeat England and win the Champions Trophy. These modest words may seem out of place for India’s most successful cricket captain in all formats of the game – Tests, ODIs and T20s. “For me winning the game is very important and that is of utmost importance for us as a team,” Dhoni said.

    For the 31-year-old Dhoni, winning the Champions Trophy completed a remarkable cycle of triumphs which started with the T20 World Cup in 2007. India also won the 2011 ODI World Cup under his leadership and the victory yesterday reaffirmed his status as India’s best-ever captain. No other captain in international cricket has won three major ICC trophies.

    The British media also doffed their hats at the “pragmatic, ineffably calm captain” and highlighted his leadership qualities which ultimately gave India a thrilling five-run victory in the rain-hit final. “India could hardly believe what was happening, though for MS Dhoni, their pragmatic, ineffably calm captain it was probably a normal day at the office. He had put the squeeze on England at the start and he has been round long enough to know that anything can happen in short-form cricket and often does,” the ‘Independent’ said. The Daily Telegraph described Dhoni’s decision to bowl the last two overs with spinners as a “masterstroke”. “… completely confounding tradition, the last two overs were entrusted by MS Dhoni to spinners.

    Spin has been one of the surprising successes of the shortest form of the game, and Dhoni’s choice was a master stroke,” the paper wrote. The Daily Mirror was also effusive in its praise of the Indian captain who “marshalled his field and his bowlers like an all-knowing general”. “India played much the smarter cricket and were brilliantly led by MS Dhoni who marshalled his field and his bowlers like an all-knowing general who just needed the merest crack to break England down,” the Daily Mirror said. The Guardian wrote: “The India captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, started to turn the screw, hounding the batsmen with close fielders, the ball spitting and the crowd ecstatic.” Dhoni was also praised by former Indian cricketers who said he has moulded the young team into a winning unit. “He (Dhoni) has got this ability of rising from the ashes.

    It is his temperament where he has treated those two imposters – fame and failure – in just the same manner. I think that is the reason why he is able to bounce back after a tough time,” batting great Sunil Gavaskar said. Ex-India skipper Gundappa Viswanath lauded Dhoni’s “cool and composed” approach. “Full marks to M S Dhoni. Now, he has all the world titles to his name. He is undoubtedly one of the best captains we have ever produced. There has been no change in his captaincy and he has been continuing in the same way with his cool and composed approach to the game and is taking up the challenge up front,” Vishwanath said.

    Another former skipper Ajit Wadekar rated Dhoni as India’s best-ever captain. “It was a superb win. Hats off to Dhoni, I think he is the best captain we have got. Despite not having Sachin (Tendulkar) Rahul (Dravid), Dhoni could get all the youngsters together and showed the team spirit within this unit. This looks like a complete team and Dhoni is probably the best captain India has ever had,” he said. Legendary off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna said Dhoni’s captaincy has been “brilliant”. “It’s a victory that definitely indicates India are best side in cricketing world. Dhoni’s captaincy has been brilliant,” he said. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India played 47 Test matches out of which they won 24, lost 12 and 11 ended in draws. In 140 onedayers as captain, Dhoni led India to 82 victories, while losing 47. Three matches ended in tie and eight produced no results. In T20, his record has been slightly less impressive having won 20 matches and losing 19. One ended in a tie.

  • Changlang In The Lap of Mother Nature

    Changlang In The Lap of Mother Nature

    Changlang District is situated on the southeastern corner of the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, near the Myanmar border. Known for its rich biodiversity and scenic beauty, Changlang is a popular tourist destination in North-East India.

    As per folklore, the name ‘Changlang’ was derived from a hilltop called ‘Changlangkan’, where the natives discovered an herb that can be used for poisoning fish in the river. Changlang District is bounded by Lohit District and Tinsukia District of Assam in the north, by Tirap District in the west and by Myanmar in its southeast.

    Patkai Bum Hills, which are the extensions of the Greater Himalayas reaching up to Nagaland, is the natural barrier between Changlang and Myanmar. Changlang town is the administrative headquarters of Changlang District. The population of Changlang District consists of Tutsa, Tangsa, Nocte, Singpho and the Lisu tribes along with Deoris, Tibetans and Chakma and Hajong refugees.

    Tangsas, Singphos and Tutsas are the native tribes of Changlang District. Tangsas reside in the south-eastern Patkai Bum Hills of the Indo-Myanmar Border, Singphos on the plains towards the north of Changlang and Tutsas occupy the western part of Changlang. Tangsa, Assamese, Hindi and English are the most common languages used in Changlang though there are many tribal languages in use that belong to Tibeto- Burman language family. Moh-Mol, Pongtu Kuh and Shapawng Yang Manu Poi are the main festivals celebrated by the Tangsa, Tutsa and Singpho tribes respectively. Changlang District, primarily an agrarian region, consists mostly of hilly areas.

    Changlang, which has a gentle slope towards its north-west, exhibits varying altitudes that range from 200 meters to 4500 meters. Rivers like Noa-Dehing, Namchik, Tirap, Namphuk, Dapha, Namphai, Tissu, Tarit, Tara, Tikeng and Tiging are the water resources of the region, most of which eventually merge with River Buri-Dihing. The plains of Changlang often get flooded during the monsoon months as they are situated in the valley of Dihin. Changlang is rich in various species of flora and fauna. The region comprises of the Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests towards Assam and the eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests towards its south-east. The hilly areas and mountain slopes of Changlang are covered by alpine, temperate and subtropical forests. The upper reaches of Changlang are covered in thick foliage of rhododendron, oak, pine, maple, fir, juniper, sal and teak. The highlight of Changlang tourism is the Namdapha National Park.

    Namdapha National Park consists of about 96 species of mammals, 453 avian species and 50 reptilian species along with numerous species of other life forms. Changlang town can be reached from Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Margherita and Miao by road. The nearest airport to Changlang town is situated at Dibrugarh and the nearest railhead is at Tinsukia. November to February is the best time to visit Changlang.

    Tourist places in Changlang
    The District of Changlang provides numerous sightseeing attractions for the tourists to explore. The most popular ones include The Namdapha National Park, Miao, Tibetan Refugee Settlement Camp, Stilwell Road, World War II Cemetery, Lake of No Return and Nampong.

    The Namdapha National Park is the largest national park in the north east India situated at a few km from Miao. It is spread in a total area of 1985 sq. and has a separate camera point and camping site present within its premises. Places like MotiJheel and Gandhigram are also its special attractions. Its most popular feature is its wildlife safari that provides a complete tour of the whole park.

    Miao is another popular sightseeing attraction of Changlang. Its main attractions include its mini zoo, museum and the Tibetan Refugee Settlement where colourful woollen carpets are produced. It is also popular for tea farming, oil drilling and opium cultivation.

    The Tibetan Refugee Camp is the oldest settlements of Tibetan refugees in the place and is situated at 4 km from Miao. This camp houses 500 families having 2800 members making it the 45th largest refugee settlement of India and 75th in the world. It is also popular for producing carpets.

    Stilwell is a historic road and is located in the town of Jairampur in the Changlang District. It was created by Americans during the Second World War and joins India with the Chinese City of Kunming. The World War II cemetery is located at 25 km from the town of Pangsau near the Indo-Myanmar Border and Stilwell Road. It is a burial ground for the soldiers who died in the world war second and most of the soldiers buried here are of Chinese, Kachins, Indian, British and American origins.

    Nampong is the threshold of the Indo-Myanmar border and it is the same region through which the historic Stilwell Road passes.

    The Lake of No Return is visible from Pangsau Pass and provides a soft landing for the fighter planes that were hit in the war by the enemy planes. As all the planes perished here, the place came to be called as the lake of No Return.

    There are also several nearby villages to Changlang that provides a close look to the culture, traditions and people of the place. The most popular ones include Vijoynagar, Jairampur, Ranglum, Kengkho, Jongpho- Hate, and Thamlom Village.

  • New Record: Electric Car @328.6km/Hour

    New Record: Electric Car @328.6km/Hour

    LONDON (TIP): A British team has set a new world record after its lightweight electric powered car touched the top speed of 328.6 km per hour. Drayson Racing Technologies broke the world land speed record for a lightweight electric car as its Lola B12 69/EV vehicle surpassed the previous top speed of 281.6kph at a Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire. The company’s chief executive Lord Drayson, who was behind the wheel, said the achievement was designed to highlight electronic vehicle technology’s potential.

    The previous 281.6kph record was set by Battery Box General electric in 1974, the ‘BBC News’ reported. “What it, I hope, shows to people is just what the future potential of electric cars is,” Lord Drayson said shortly after his record-breaking time was confirmed. “It is a pointer to the future – the technology that we developed for this car will filter down to the cars we use every day,” he said. In order to qualify for an attempt on the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile’s world electric land speed record, the team had to make its vehicle weigh less than 1,000kg without the driver.

  • Nasa Discovers Ten Thousandth Near-Earth Object In Space

    Nasa Discovers Ten Thousandth Near-Earth Object In Space

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Nasa has discovered the 10,000th near-Earth object (NEO) that could pass close to our planet in the future. The 10,000th near-Earth object, asteroid 2013 MZ5, was first detected on the night of June 18, 2013, using Pan-Starrs-1 telescope in Hawaii, located on the 3,000-meter summit of the Haleakala crater.

    Ninety-eight per cent of all near- Earth objects discovered were first detected by Nasa-supported surveys, the US space agency claimed. “Finding 10,000 near-Earth objects is a significant milestone,” said Lindley Johnson, programme executive for Nasa’s near-Earth Object Observations Programme at Nasa Headquarters, Washington. “But there are at least 10 times that many more to be found before we can be assured we will have found any and all that could impact and do significant harm to the citizens of Earth,” Johnson said.

    Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets that can approach the Earth’s orbital distance to within about 45 million kilometres. They range in size from as small as a few feet to as large as 41 kilometres for the largest near-Earth asteroid, 1036 Ganymed. Asteroid 2013 MZ5 is approximately 300 meters across.

    Its orbit is well understood and will not approach close enough to Earth to be considered potentially hazardous. “The first near-Earth object was discovered in 1898,” said Don Yeomans, long-time manager of Nasa’s near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Of the 10,000 discoveries, roughly 10 per cent are larger than six-tenths of one kilometre in size – roughly the size that could produce global consequences should one impact the Earth. However, the Nasa’s NEOO programme has found that none of these larger NEOs currently pose an impact threat and probably only a few dozen more of these large NEOs remain undiscovered.

    The vast majority of NEOs are smaller than one kilometre, with the number of objects of a particular size increasing as their sizes decrease, Nasa said. A NEO hitting Earth would need to be about 30 meters or larger to cause significant devastation in populated areas. Almost 30 per cent of the 460- foot-sized NEOs have been found, but less than one per cent of the 100-footsized NEOs have been detected

  • World’s First Talking Robot-Astronaut Ready To Go To Space

    World’s First Talking Robot-Astronaut Ready To Go To Space

    TOKYO (TIP): In a world first, Japan is set to send a talking robot-astronaut to the International Space Station to conduct the first conversation between a human and a robot in outer space. Kirobo, the robot astronaut, is scheduled to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, located in southwestern Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture, aboard the Kounotori 4 cargo spacecraft to ISS on August 4. Named after a combination of the Japanese word kibo, or “hope”, and the word “robot”, the Kirobo project is part of an experiment that will see the first human-robot conversation held in space, the ‘Japan Daily Press’ reported. Kirobo is about 34 centimetres tall and weighs about one kilogramme, which makes it smaller than most robots that go into space.

    The robot has already undergone several pre-launch tests, including simulations with zero gravity, the report said. During one of the first demonstrations, the robot’s developers asked Kirobo what its dream was. It replied that it “hoped to create a future where humans and robots live together and get along.” Kirobo, the talking robot, was jointly developed by the University of Tokyo, Toyota, and Dentsu Inc.

  • A ‘Switch’ To Curb Alcohol Craving

    A ‘Switch’ To Curb Alcohol Craving

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Researchers have identified and deactivated a brain pathway linked to cravings for alcohol in rats, a finding that could lead to treatment for alcohol abuse. Scientists at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at University of California, San Francisco, were able to prevent the addicted animals from seeking alcohol and drinking it, the equivalent of relapse.

    “One of the main causes of relapse is craving, triggered by the memory by certain cues ,” said lead author Segev Barak. The researchers found that just a small drop of alcohol presented to the rats turned on the mTORC1 pathway. The researchers then set out to see if they could prevent reconsolidation of memory of alcohol by inhibiting mTORC1, thus preventing relapse . When mTORC1 was inactivated , there was no relapse to alcohol-seeking next day.

  • Norway Now Closer To Asia

    Norway Now Closer To Asia

    KIRKENES (TIP): The town of Kirkenes in northernmost Norway used to be further away from Asia than virtually any other European port, but it suddenly seems a lot closer. The reason: Global warming. Melting ice has opened up the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Arctic coastline, changing international trade patterns in profound ways. The travel time between the Japanese port of Yokohama and Hamburg in Germany has been cut by 40%, while fuel expenditure is down by 20%. In 2012, when the ice reached its lowest extent on record, – 3.4 million square kilometers – 46 ships used the new route, compared to only four in 2010, according to Rosatomflot, a Russian operator of icebreakers.

  • Kim Tricks Pals With Fake Baby Pictures

    Kim Tricks Pals With Fake Baby Pictures

    Kim Kardashian and Kanye West sent fake photos of their newborn daughter, North West, to trick friends and test their betrayal. The reality star, who was allegedly concerned that pictures of her newborn baby were going to be leaked to the media, apparently wanted to weed out untrustworthy pals, the Mirror reported.

    A source told the publication that the new mum developed a plan to see who she can trust and who she can’t. According to TMZ.com, six snaps were sent to half-dozen friends and someone has already tried selling them to US media for mega money.

  • Kelly Brook To Star In Bonnie And Clyde Comedy

    Kelly Brook To Star In Bonnie And Clyde Comedy

    Kelly Brook is likely to star in a British comedy inspired by 1920s bank robbers, Bonnie and Clyde. The 32-year-old model’s character in the upcoming film is of a struggling actress who turns to crime after her boyfriend dumps her and she loses her job, the Daily Star reported. The curvy model said that the film is hilarious, full of twists and turns and that ‘Taking Stock’ will be her first starring role.