Showing posts with label NEWS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NEWS. Show all posts

Lokayukta court summons Yeddyurappa, his family members

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BANGALORE: Lokayukta Court today issued summons to former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, his family members and others in an illegal land denotification case.

The summons, directing the accused to be present in the court on March 16, were issued by Special Lokayukta Court Justice N K Sudhindra Rao.

Summons were issued to Yeddyurappa, his two sons, B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra, son-in-law Sohan Kumar and three others.

Two other accused, Bharathi Shetty, MLC and Selva Kumar have been dropped from the case as there was no prima facie evidence against them.

Taking a cognisance of the case filed by advocate Sirajin Basha (the fourth case out of the total five cases filed by him) the court observed that there was prima facie evidence to proceed against Yeddyurappa and his family members. The case pertains to illegal denotifcation of government land in Hebbal, Sreerampura and allotment of site in RMC-II stage.

This is the third corruption case (out of the five) in which Yeddyurappa has been issued summons.

In August last he was issued summons in two such corruption case resulting in his arrest during October. Yeddyurappa spent 24 days in Judicial custody and secured bail from High Court.

Nice guys finish last!

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Another story to prove that this country is destined only to suffer at the hands of the dirty politicians and honest guys will always lose out!

So called Law of Karma does not apply here for the avaricious Politicians?


             
        First Rank in State in Secondary School Examination

        First Rank in University in Plus Two

        First Rank in IIT Entrance Examination

        First Rank in All India IIT Computer Science

        First Rank in IAS Entrance Examination

        First Rank in IAS Training Institute

       

        On passing out from IIT Chennai Mr. Narayanaswamy was offered scholarship by the

        prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology , USA .. He who came from a

        middle class family believed that he had a moral obligation to give something in return

        for the lakhs of rupees the government spent on him as an IIT student. He had the

        intelligence and conviction to realize that this money came also from the poorest of

        the poor - who pay up the excise duty on textiles when they buy cloth, who pay up customs,

        excise and sales tax on diesel when they travel in a bus, and in numerous other ways

         indirectly pay the government. So he decided to join IAS hoping he could do something

        for the people of this country. How many young men have the will power to resist such

        an offer from USA ? Narayanaswamy did never look at IAS as a black money spinner as

         his later life bears testimony to this fact.

       

       

        After a decade of meritorious service in IAS, today, Narayanaswamy is being forced

        out of the IAS profession. Do you know why?

       

        A real estate agent wanted to fill up a paddy field which is banned under law.

        An application came up before Narayanaswamy who was sub collector the,

        for an exemption from this rule for this plot of land. Upon visiting the site he

        found that the complaint from 60 poor families that they will face water logging

        due to the waste water from a nearby Government Medical College if this paddy field

         was filled up was correct. Narayanswamy came under intense political pressure but

        he did what was right - refused permission for filling up the paddy field. That was his

         first confrontation with politicians.

       

        Soon after his marriage his father-in-law closed down a public road to build compound

        wall for his plot of land. People approached Narayanaswamy with complaint.

       

        When talking with his own father-in-law did not help, he removed the obstructing wall

        with police help. The result, his marriage broke up.
     
        As district Collector he raided the house of a liquor baron who had defaulted Rupees 11 crores

         payment to government and carried out revenue recovery. A Minister directly telephoned him

        and ordered to return the forfeited articles to the house of the liquor baron.

        Narayanswamy politely replied that it is difficult. The minister replied that Narayanaswamy will suffer.
         
        In his district it was a practice to collect crores of rupees for earthen bunds meant for poor farmers,

        but which were never constructed. A bill for rupees 8 crores came up before Narayanaswamy.

        He inspected the bund. He found it very weak and said that he will pass the bill after the rainy season

        to ensure that the bund served the purpose. As expected the earthen bund was too weak to stand

        the rain and it disappeared in the rain. But he created a lot of enemies for saving 8 crores public money.

        The net result of all such unholy activities was that he was asked to go on leave by the government.

        Later such an illustrious officer was posted as "State Co-Ordinator, Quality Improvement Programme for Schools".

        This is what the politician will do to a honest officer with backbone - post him in the most

        powerless position to teach him a lesson. Since he found that nothing can be achieved for the people

        if he continued with the State Service he opted for central service. But that too was denied on some technical ground.
             
        What will you do when you have a brilliant computer career anywhere in the world you choose with the backing
        of several advanced technical papers too published in international journals to your credit?
                       When you are powerless to do anything for the people, why should you waste your life as the Co-Ordinator for a Schools Programme?

       
Credits To Source

       

        Mr. Narayanaswamy is on the verge of leaving IAS to go to Paris to take up a well paid United Nations assignment.

        The politicians can laugh thinking another obstacle has been removed. But it is the helpless people of this

        country who will lose - not Narayanaswamy. But you have the power to support capable and honest bureaucrats

         like Narayaswamy, G.R.Khairnar and Alphons Kannamthanam who have suffered a lot under self seeking

        politicians who rule us. You have even the power to replace such politicians with these kind of people dedicated

         to the country. The question is will you do the little you can do NOW? At least a vote or word in support of

        such personalities?

       
Credits to Source
       

India’s unwanted girls: Baby abandoned on train

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Even as the nation remains shocked over the condition of Falak, the battered two-year-old girl battling for life in a Delhi hospital, a six-month-old baby girl was found abandoned on a Kolkata-bound train. 

As per reports Wednesday, the innocent angel was found lying unattended in a coach of the Udyan Abha Toofan Express when the train reached Chittaranjan station in West Bengal. 

She was handed over to the railway police at Asansol, which in turn took the baby to a local NGO. 


The baby would be produced in a local court today.


Source: Znews

Republic Day: Remove bad fruit but do not bring down the tree, says President Pratibha Patil

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President Pratibha Patil Wednesday cautioned against losing sight of the long term goals while dealing with short term pressures and said that a tree should not be brought down while shaking it to remove the bad fruit.

In her address to the nation on the eve of the 63rd Republic Day, the president said the country's institutions may not be flawless but they have coped with many challenges.

In an apparent reference to the contentious debate on the Lokpal bill between the government, Team Anna and the opposition parties, the president said the tree should not be brought down while shaking it to remove the bad fruit.

She hoped solutions will be found between different stakeholders on matters of national importance "in the spirit of national interest."

"While bringing about reforms and improving institutions, we have to be cautious that while shaking the tree to remove the bad fruit, we do not bring down the tree itself. There will be short term pressures but in the process we must not lose sight of the long term goals and must work together on our core national agenda. I do hope in the spirit of national interest, matters of national importance are discussed and solutions are found," the president said.

The Lokpal bill was passed in the Lok Sabha but could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha. Several key legislations of the government are pending in Parliament.

Patil said solutions to matters of national importance in the spirit of national interest will strengthen "roots of democracy and the foundation of our nation".

She said India can set an example before the democratic world of progress and growth.

"We have a shared future and we should not forget that it can be achieved if we demonstrate a sense of responsibility and a show of unity," she said.

The president said the parliament had enacted path-breaking laws and the government had put together schemes for the progress and welfare of the people. "Our judiciary has a reputable standing. Our media too has played an important role. With all institutions working together for the same national purpose it will create a stream of positive energy. Our effort to improve is an on-going process," she said.

Source:TOI

Adelaide Test, Day 1: Day In Words

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Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke shared honours on day one of the fourth Test to put Australia on top.

Here is how the day panned out.

90th over: Australia ends Day 1 on a high with 335/3.

Michael Clarke pushed the last delivery of the day towards mid-off and thus concluded another fruitful day for the Australian team. Clarke (140*) and Ponting (137*) forged an unbeaten partnership of 251 runs.


76th over: Australia race past 300 runs

Ponting drives Sehwag towards long on for a single, Australia reach 300 runs as they look set for a massive first innings total.

71st over: 200-run partnership

Clarke cuts one towards backward point for a boundary; the partnership is now worth 200 runs.

68th over: Captain Clarke slams 19th Test ton

Michael Clarke reached his 19th Test ton with back to back boundaries off Umesh Yadav to pile the misery on Indian bowlers on the first day of Adelaide Test.

64th over: Ponting strikes his second century of the series

Ricky Ponting struck his second century of the series to take his personal tally to 41 Test hundreds. He looked in fine touch and his choice of strokes and execution wore a marked improved look than Sydney innings.

Post Tea




62nd over: 150 runs partnership between Ponting and Clarke

59th over: Michael Clarke dispatches Virender Sehwag towards long on for the first six of the match.

Second Session

The second session belonged to Australian batsmen as the duo of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke exploited the batting friendly conditions at Adelaide Oval to neutralise the impact Indian bowlers made in the first session of the day.

A splendid straight drive, a typical Punter shot off pacer Umesh Yadav was potent enough to send a strong message to the Indian bowlers that he was in fine touch. Out of his five tons at Adelaide, four have come against India. Sharma was the only bowler who troubled Ponting.

58th over: Signs of desperation

As the runs started leaking easily, the signs of desperation from the Indian team were clear as Virat Kohli appealed for a run out against Clarke.

52nd over: Ponting completes 13000 Test runs

Ponting sweeps Ashwin to deep square leg to reach the milestone of 13000 test runs.

Post Lunch

45th over: Halfway down the first day’s play, Michael Clarke changes his bat.

Ishant has bowled differently from the earlier Test matches in this series. He has been more focussed, accurate and sticked to his line.

A missed chance

Clarke’s edge off Ishant Sharma’s bowling flows past between Keeper Saha and second slip.

32nd over: Ponting completes a brisk half-century after

A fluent Punter on a placid Adelaide strip completed half-century in quick time to keep the Australian scoreboard ticking. Ponting took only 69 deliveries to raise his bat for 61st fifty Test fifty.

30th over: 100 up for Australia

Australia are 100 up. Michael Clarke plays one towards midwicket off Umesh Yadav to bring in 100 runs for the hosts.

First session (before lunch) (29 overs, 98 runs and 3 wickets)
There hasn’t been much movement for the bowlers in the morning. Indian bowlers barring Umesh Yadav have bowled superbly on a placid wicket to keep the Australians from scoring freely.

R Ashwin took two early wickets to keep the Australian batsmen in check as India restricted them to 98/3 at lunch. Ricky Ponting(43*) and captain Michael Clarke(9*) were on the crease as a clever captaincy from Virender Sehwag saw India dominating the first session of Adelaide Test on day 1.

26th Over: Ashwin strikes again

Intelligent bowling from R Ashwin saw grafter Ed Cowan playing one towards cover where VVS Laxman took a good catch to send the lefty back to the pavilion.

Ashwin tossed one to lure Cowan for a drive towards cover where Laxman took a brilliant low catch. He scored 30 runs before getting out.

10th over: 2nd wicket falls, R Ashwin castles Marsh

R Ashwin runs through the defence of out of form Shaun Marsh to bowl him out as Australia lost their second wicket at the score of 31. Marsh’s wretched series continues as he misjudged and thus played the wrong line. The southpaw was late to realise he was bowled.

7th over: 1st wicket falls, Zaheer strikes early

Left arm pacer Zaheer Khan provided the early breakthrough for India as he trapped Perth Test’s hero David Warner in front of the wickets to pick his and India’s first wicket.

It seems that Sehwag’s strategy of introducing Ashwin early into the attack has worked for India as his tight bowling from one end led Zaheer from the other to trouble the openers and the result was what India would have liked.


4th over: Sehwag brings Ashwin into the attack early in the innings.

A good start from R Ashwin as his first over is a maiden. It seems introduction of Ashwin has somewhat shifted the momentum in favour of India. Clever captaincy from Sehwag!

Source:Zee News

Strongest solar storm since 2005 hitting Earth

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The sun is bombarding Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than six years with more to come from the fast-moving eruption.

The solar flare occurred at about 11pm EST (0400 GMT) on Sunday and will hit Earth with three different effects at three different times. The biggest issue is radiation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado.

The radiation is mostly a concern for satellite disruptions and astronauts in space. It can cause communication problems for polar-traveling airplanes, said space weather center physicist Doug Biesecker.

Radiation from Sunday's flare arrived at Earth an hour later and will likely continue through Wednesday. Levels are considered strong but other storms have been more severe. There are two higher levels of radiation on NOAA's storm scale -- severe and extreme -- Biesecker said. Still, this storm is the strongest for radiation since May 2005.

The radiation -- in the form of protons -- came flying out of the sun at 93 million miles per hour (150 million kph).

"The whole volume of space between here and Jupiter is just filled with protons and you just don't get rid of them like that" Biesecker said. That's why the effects will stick around for a couple days.

NASA's flight surgeons and solar experts examined the solar flare's expected effects and decided that the six astronauts on the International Space Station do not have to do anything to protect themselves from the radiation, spokesman Rob Navias said.

A solar eruption is followed by a one-two-three punch, said Antti Pulkkinen, a physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and Catholic University.

First comes electromagnetic radiation, followed by radiation in the form of protons.

Then, finally the coronal mass ejection -- that's the plasma from the sun itself -- hits. Usually that travels at about 1 or 2 million miles per hour, (1.6 or 3.2 million kph) but this storm is particularly speedy and is shooting out at 4 million miles per hour, Biesecker said.

It's the plasma that causes much of the noticeable problems on Earth, such as electrical grid outages. In 1989, a solar storm caused a massive blackout in Quebec. It can also pull the northern lights farther south.

But this coronal mass ejection seems likely to be only moderate, with a chance for becoming strong, Biesecker said. The worst of the storm is likely to go north of Earth.

And unlike last October, when a freak solar storm caused auroras to be seen as far south as could see an aurora but not until Tuesday evening, he said.

For the past several years the sun had been quiet, almost too quiet. Part of that was the normal calm part of the sun's 11-year cycle of activity. Last year, scientists started to speculate that the sun was going into an unusually quiet cycle that seems to happen maybe once a century or so.

Now that super-quiet cycle does not seem as likely, Biesecker said.

Scientists watching the sun with a new NASA satellite launched in 2010 -- during the sun's quiet period -- are excited.

"We haven't had anything like this for a number of years," Pulkkinen said. "It's kind of special."

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
source:TOI

Team Anna puts prickly questions to Rahul

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Team Anna on Sunday questioned Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on his ‘dual stand' on the Lokpal. While favouring to give Constitutional status to Lokpal, Mr. Gandhi did not favour giving it any freedom or power, it said in a letter.

Apart from wanting to know if he was merely misleading the electorate on the issue, the letter asked Mr. Gandhi if the Congress would establish a Lokpal in Uttar Pradesh as the one set up in Uttarakhand.

Recalling the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's commitment to strengthen the gram sabhas, Team Anna said the government would amend the law if Mr. Rahul Gandhi put in a word.

While sparing the Prime Minister, Team Anna targeted Mr. Gandhi in asking him the prickly question of giving ticket to those mired in corruption and criminal cases.

The BSP's silence at the Parliamentary Standing Committee and walkout in the Lok Sabha were construed as supportive of the government. The letter to Ms. Mayawati wondered whether her party's changed stand in the Rajya Sabha was indicative of her opposition to the current Bill.

Team Anna was surprised by the SP's changed attitude. First opposing the Bill and then staging a walkout in the Lok Sabha benefiting the government. Why did you do so, asked the letter.

In the letter to Mr. Mulayam Singh, it asked him about his political options of going with the Congress and the BJP post-elections and whether that would be appropriate for a socialist to do so. And whether he expected the cases instituted by the CBI against him would be withdrawn in the event of joining hands with the Congress and sharing power at the Centre.

The poser to Mr. Gadkari was on the Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj's failure to move an amendment seeking autonomy for the CBI in consonance with her speech. It asked the BJP to clarify whether it would actually establish a Lokpal in Uttar Pradesh with the same powers as vested in Uttarakhand by its own party Chief Minister.

Source:The hindu

Chiranjeevi Not happy on cabinet expansion?

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Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi is not entirely happy though two of his associates got inducted into the Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Thursday.

"My happiness would have been doubled had one of our MLAs from Telangana region too been inducted," Chiranjeevi told reporters at his 'camp office' an hour after two legislators from his party now merged with the ruling Congress were sworn-in.


Chiranjeevi, however, hastened to add that there was no question of he being not satisfied. "We wanted a legislator from each region (Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana) accommodated in the ministry. It would have been just... but Congress seems to have its own problems," the Tirupati MLA remarked.

He hoped that justice would be done in near future as re-organisation of cabinet was expected after the by-elections in the state.

Asked if he felt let down for not having been given any significant post, Chiranjeevi said: "As a leader, I don't think about such things. I am immensely happy that my men got the posts they deserved. Personally I am not longing for any post."

He maintained that the merger with Congress was unconditional. "Our endeavour would be to strengthen the Congress from the lower level."

State Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Ganta Srinivasa Rao, a member of the Legislative Assembly, and C Ramachandraiah, a member of the Legislative Council, at a brief function in the Raj Bhavan this morning.

When asked if the beleaguered Congress would be able to turn the tide in Andhra Pradesh, Chiranjeevi said two-and-a-half years down the line, the party would strengthen. "The situation is not as alarming as being projected. The Chief Minister should be given time to settle down. He has introduced a slew of schemes that will take time to reach the people, though they are well-received," he said.

On the threat posed by YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy, Chiranjeevi noted that it would be enough if the welfare schemes introduced by the government were publicized well. "Counter-attack against Jagan can happen at appropriate time, but, more than that, we need to publicize the government schemes vigorously."

The PRP chief recalled his promise that he would save the state government if it faced destabilisation. "We could keep our promise and save the government," he said.

PRP office at Jubilee Hills, virtually abandoned since the merger with the Congress, came to life today after the party became part of the new coalition government in the state.

Hundreds of party workers and Chiranjeevi's admirers thronged the office to greet the newly sworn-in ministers as well as the party supremo.

"Future CM Chiranjeevi," they shouted. To which, the actor-turned-politician quipped: "For the past 30 years, I have been hearing this. But I don't have any such fancy."

source:Znews

CM Kiran sacks controversial minister

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Hours after inducting two Praja Rajyam Party MLAs into his Council of Ministers, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday sacked controversial Textiles Minister P Shanker Rao from the Cabinet.

Governor ESL Narasimhan approved the recommendation of the Chief Minister and issued a notification removing Rao from the Cabinet, Raj Bhavan sources said. With this, the strength of the state Cabinet dropped to 38.


Shanker Rao had become an embarrassment to the Congress government as he constantly went public with his allegations of corruption against his fellow ministers as well as the Chief Minister.

Kiran, after a lot of persuasion, secured the Congress high command's permission for sacking Rao and went ahead with the sacking of the minister after the swearing-in of new ministers.

Govt plans to develop an app store for public services

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The government proposes to create its own application store to assist delivery of various public services through mobile phones, it said in the framework for mobile governance issued Thursday.

The framework proposes to have an integrated payment gateway which will enable users to pay for the public services through mobile phones.

"A mobile applications ( m-apps) store will be created to facilitate the process of development and deployment of suitable applications for delivery of public services through mobile devices," the framework issued by the Department of Information Technology (DIT) said.

The store will be integrated into the Mobile Services Delivery Gateway (MSDG) - the core infrastructure for delivery of public services and will be created by an agency within the DIT. It will have provision to connect with private value added services providers for creation of various mobile applications.

As per framework, MSDG will use unique identity number Aadhaar-based authentication system for transactions.

At present, various private companies like Apple, Nokia, BlackBerry maker Research-in-Motion, Google have application stores which allows use of various services and content that is generally not available in their handset.

The framework also proposes to create Mobile Governance Innovation Fund to accelerate the development and deployment of the mobile applications across the entire spectrum of public services.

All the government websites will now have to be compliant with mobile devices to enable users access same information and services (to the extent possible) as are available over the Internet through computers on mobiles.
Souec:PTI

Suresh Kalmadi walks out of Tihar, IOA says he can be boss again

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Suresh Kalmadi, accused of corruption in the Commonwealth Games, walked out of Tihar jail on Thursday evening after the Delhi high court accepted his bail plea.

"Kalmadi was released from jail at 7.20pm," said Tihar Jail authorities.

Kalmadi welcome to resume as IOA president

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) vice-president Tarlochan Singh said on Thursday that Suresh Kalmadi was welcome to re-join the sports organisation as its president again.

"People have faith in Kalmadi. It is up to him if he wants to return as president. No one has complained against Kalmadi in the General Body Meeting," Tarlochan told reporters here after Kalmadi was granted bail by the Delhi high court.

Kalmadi was the IOA president when he was arrested last year on charges of corruption in the Commonwealth Games. Senior vice-president Vijay Kumar Malhotra took over as the interim president after Kalmadi was arrested.

According to the IOA constitution, Kalmadi can resume the charge of the organisation as he never resigned nor was he removed by the general body meeting.

"He (Kalmadi) has already spent nine months in jail. This is also a good lesson for the CBI ( Central Bureau of Investigation) and it has proved that there is no strong case against him. The bail also proves that CBI has found nothing against him," said Tarlochan.

Tarlochan hailed Kalmadi's contribution as the chairman of the Commonwealth Games organising committee.

"The Commonwealth Games was a huge success and Kalmadi has done a lot of good work as IOA president and was responsible for bringing the CWG to India. I don't think there will be any objection if he wants to take over as the IOA president again," he said.
Kalmadi, former Commonwealth Games organising committee chief, and former director general V K Verma were granted bail by the Delhi high court after they cooled their heels in the Tihar Jail for nine months. Kalmadi and Verma along with nine other officials have been accused of corruption in a case related with the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Kalmadi and Verma were arrested for their alleged role in awarding a contract for installing the Timing-Scoring-Result system to Swiss Times Omega at an exorbitant cost of Rs 141 crore, that caused the public exchequer a loss of over Rs 95 crore
Source:toi

Wi-Fi networks under virus risk: IT analysts

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Indian computer security analysts have detected and alerted Wi-Fi users in the country against a possible virus attack that could lead to crashing and hacking of secure networks.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), country’s national agency to respond to computer security incidents, has found that the “Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) contains a design error that could allow a weaker-than-expected defence against brute-force attacks, which could allow an attacker to gain unauthorised access to the affected system.”

A brute-force attack, in computer terminology, is a programme that is used to crack and stealthily enter into an encrypted and password protected system while WPS is a popular method for setting up a new wireless router for a home network.

“The virus is streaming in the Indian Internet networks with a high severity. The combat mechanisms are being deployed,” a computer security analyst with a government agency said.

“An un-authenticated, remote attacker within range of the wireless access point could use the PIN (password) to gain unauthorised access to the device to retrieve the password for the wireless network or change the configuration of the device.

“Failed attempts to exploit the vulnerability could lead to a denial of service condition,” the CERT-In said in its alert to Wi-Fi users.

The agency also said that reports (with the agency) indicate that some WPS devices “do not implement any kind of lockout policy for brute-force attempts, which greatly reduces the time to perform a successful attack.”

AP in grip of most severe cold wave in history

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Andhra Pradesh is in the grip of the most severe cold wave in its recorded history which during the last two days has claimed 15 lives.

Five people died in Karimnagar district, and four each in Visakhapatnam and Guntur districts. The districts of Nalgonda and Warangal accounted for a death each.

According to locals, elderly people and beggars became victims of the severe cold wave.

The temperature in most of the 23 districts in the state is three to nine degrees below normal, the weather officials said. At least 13 districts are reeling under severe cold as the mercury fell to below 10 degrees Celsius.



The intensity of the cold has surprised all. The southern state, known for its tropical weather, never heard of deaths due to cold wave.

The night temperature at Lambasinghi, a tribal hamlet in Visakhapatnam district, fell below zero degree Celsius Monday but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) did not confirm this as it has no recording station there.

Some forest habitations in the district have virtually turned into Kashmir.

The mercury in Chintapalli tribal belt of Visakhapatnam is hovering between one and 1.5 degree Celsius for the last four days.

People in Adilabad district of Telangana shivered as the night temperature fell to below five degrees. The district bordering Maharashtra recorded a temperature of 4.2 degrees, the lowest in over 100 years.

The coastal district of Srikakulam recorded nine degrees, the lowest in decades. The coastal city of Visakhapatnam also registered 11.2 degrees, the lowest in 50 years.

Hyderabad has also been recording temperatures between 10 and 11 degrees for the last couple of days.

According to the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, upper air circulation over Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and cold winds blowing from the Himalayas have brought down the temperature drastically.

The met office has forecast that the cold wave would continue till Thursday morning and the mercury may start returning to normal from Wednesday.
sOURCE:zNEWS

AP in grip of most severe cold wave in history

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Andhra Pradesh is in the grip of the most severe cold wave in its recorded history which during the last two days has claimed 15 lives.

Five people died in Karimnagar district, and four each in Visakhapatnam and Guntur districts. The districts of Nalgonda and Warangal accounted for a death each.

According to locals, elderly people and beggars became victims of the severe cold wave.

The temperature in most of the 23 districts in the state is three to nine degrees below normal, the weather officials said. At least 13 districts are reeling under severe cold as the mercury fell to below 10 degrees Celsius.



The intensity of the cold has surprised all. The southern state, known for its tropical weather, never heard of deaths due to cold wave.

The night temperature at Lambasinghi, a tribal hamlet in Visakhapatnam district, fell below zero degree Celsius Monday but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) did not confirm this as it has no recording station there.

Some forest habitations in the district have virtually turned into Kashmir.

The mercury in Chintapalli tribal belt of Visakhapatnam is hovering between one and 1.5 degree Celsius for the last four days.

People in Adilabad district of Telangana shivered as the night temperature fell to below five degrees. The district bordering Maharashtra recorded a temperature of 4.2 degrees, the lowest in over 100 years.

The coastal district of Srikakulam recorded nine degrees, the lowest in decades. The coastal city of Visakhapatnam also registered 11.2 degrees, the lowest in 50 years.

Hyderabad has also been recording temperatures between 10 and 11 degrees for the last couple of days.

According to the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, upper air circulation over Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and cold winds blowing from the Himalayas have brought down the temperature drastically.

The met office has forecast that the cold wave would continue till Thursday morning and the mercury may start returning to normal from Wednesday.
sOURCE:zNEWS

MGR’s birth anniversary celebrated

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AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa led her partymen in celebrating the 95th birth anniversary of party founder and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran even as she had asked party workers to take a vow to determine the future of Indian politics.

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who rode to power on the massive anti-incumbency wave in the April 13 elections last year, had on the eve of her mentor’s birthday exhorted her partymen to gear up to take the victory “beyond the borders of Tamil Nadu and reach the top spot in Indian politics,” and determine its future.

She garlanded the statue of MGR, as Ramachandran is fondly addressed, at the party headquarters here and released a special souvenir on the occasion on Tuesday.

While unveiling the statues of Dravidian veteran C N Annadurai and MGR, installed at Kallakurichi through video conferencing, she also disbursed educational assistance of Rs 45.57 lakh to 115 students.

Making perfect use of his charismatic on-screen presence, MGR later on went to take the political stage by storm when he founded the AIADMK in 1972 upon expulsion from DMK following differences with its chief M Karunanidhi.

Known for his swashbuckling roles in many a Tamil film, MGR managed to endear him as a darling of masses, in the process carving a niche space for himself in Tamil Nadu politics.

A three-time Chief Minister who remained in office till his death in 1987, MGR is also a recipient of India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, and was instrumental in launching Ms. Jayalalithaa into active politics.

MGR’s birth anniversary celebrated

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AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa led her partymen in celebrating the 95th birth anniversary of party founder and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran even as she had asked party workers to take a vow to determine the future of Indian politics.

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who rode to power on the massive anti-incumbency wave in the April 13 elections last year, had on the eve of her mentor’s birthday exhorted her partymen to gear up to take the victory “beyond the borders of Tamil Nadu and reach the top spot in Indian politics,” and determine its future.

She garlanded the statue of MGR, as Ramachandran is fondly addressed, at the party headquarters here and released a special souvenir on the occasion on Tuesday.

While unveiling the statues of Dravidian veteran C N Annadurai and MGR, installed at Kallakurichi through video conferencing, she also disbursed educational assistance of Rs 45.57 lakh to 115 students.

Making perfect use of his charismatic on-screen presence, MGR later on went to take the political stage by storm when he founded the AIADMK in 1972 upon expulsion from DMK following differences with its chief M Karunanidhi.

Known for his swashbuckling roles in many a Tamil film, MGR managed to endear him as a darling of masses, in the process carving a niche space for himself in Tamil Nadu politics.

A three-time Chief Minister who remained in office till his death in 1987, MGR is also a recipient of India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, and was instrumental in launching Ms. Jayalalithaa into active politics.

Anna condemns blackening of Sonia's poster

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Anna Hazare condemned the blackening of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's poster in Delhi, saying it was not good for democracy.

“Sonia Gandhi's poster has been blackened. This is not good for democracy. We condemn this incident,” he said.

Angry over the attack on Baba Ramdev, his followers gathered outside Congress headquarters and threw black ink on Sonia Gandhi's poster, triggering a clash between Congressmen and supporters of the yoga guru.

The Gandhian had also denounced the incident in which a man threw black ink at Ramdev last week as an attempt to “blacken democracy” and said such attacks will not deter “people's movements”.

“This is not an attempt to blacken the face of Ramdev. This is an attempt to blacken democracy,” Hazare had said in a statement from his village where he is convalescing after a bout of bronchitis.

Kamran Siddiqui, an NGO worker, had thrown black ink at the yoga guru at a press conference in New Delhi, apparently in retaliation to Ramdev's response to a question on the Batla House encounter.

Anna condemns blackening of Sonia's poster

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Anna Hazare condemned the blackening of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's poster in Delhi, saying it was not good for democracy.

“Sonia Gandhi's poster has been blackened. This is not good for democracy. We condemn this incident,” he said.

Angry over the attack on Baba Ramdev, his followers gathered outside Congress headquarters and threw black ink on Sonia Gandhi's poster, triggering a clash between Congressmen and supporters of the yoga guru.

The Gandhian had also denounced the incident in which a man threw black ink at Ramdev last week as an attempt to “blacken democracy” and said such attacks will not deter “people's movements”.

“This is not an attempt to blacken the face of Ramdev. This is an attempt to blacken democracy,” Hazare had said in a statement from his village where he is convalescing after a bout of bronchitis.

Kamran Siddiqui, an NGO worker, had thrown black ink at the yoga guru at a press conference in New Delhi, apparently in retaliation to Ramdev's response to a question on the Batla House encounter.

Disappointment looms as Rushdie's visit under cloud

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As uncertainties cloud over author Salman Rushdie's visit to Jaipur Literature Festival after reports of Rajasthan government asking the organizers of the festival to ask Rushdie to call off his visit, there is outrage and disappointment among book lovers.
Reports say that the


government believed Rushdie's presence would create a security risk in light of calls for protests.
Rushdie's events are no longer mentioned on the festival's website. Rushdie was scheduled to speak on January 20 and 21.

According to TV reports, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said he has no reports of Rushdie's visit.

"We do not have any reports of him coming here. We received all information through media reports (on Salman Rushdie visit). Some people met us in Jaipur. We don't know what he is upto. It's is a matter of concern," he said.

Reacting to the reports of Rushdie not attending the festival, people have expressed their disappointed and anger over social networking sites. For many he was the main reason of attending the festival.

Rushdie had a fatwa against him since 1989 after the publication of 'The Satanic Verses'. He is scheduled to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival from January 20 to 24.

Disappointment looms as Rushdie's visit under cloud

|| || , || Leave a comments


As uncertainties cloud over author Salman Rushdie's visit to Jaipur Literature Festival after reports of Rajasthan government asking the organizers of the festival to ask Rushdie to call off his visit, there is outrage and disappointment among book lovers.
Reports say that the


government believed Rushdie's presence would create a security risk in light of calls for protests.
Rushdie's events are no longer mentioned on the festival's website. Rushdie was scheduled to speak on January 20 and 21.

According to TV reports, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said he has no reports of Rushdie's visit.

"We do not have any reports of him coming here. We received all information through media reports (on Salman Rushdie visit). Some people met us in Jaipur. We don't know what he is upto. It's is a matter of concern," he said.

Reacting to the reports of Rushdie not attending the festival, people have expressed their disappointed and anger over social networking sites. For many he was the main reason of attending the festival.

Rushdie had a fatwa against him since 1989 after the publication of 'The Satanic Verses'. He is scheduled to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival from January 20 to 24.