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BJP’s first list for Haryana Assembly polls out NEW DELHI, Jan 4: BJP which is going it alone in the coming Haryana Assembly elections slated for next month today ....more Fog situation improves, but affects flights for sometime NEW DELHI, Jan 4: After dense fog for two days, the situation improved considerably today, though low visibility ....more Kala
Ghoda festival MUMBAI, Dec 4: Heritage walks, poetry readings, cuisine from various regions, theatre, dance and music performance...more From Gomukh to Gangasagar, tracing the divine Ganga NEW DELHI, Jan 4: An old man waiting for his death, a son performing the last rites of his parent and pilgrims...more |
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INLD releases list CHANDIGARH, Jan 4: Ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) today released its first.....more 70
Pak journalists to CHANDIGARH, Jan 4: A group of 70 journalists from Pakistan including seven women ...more IAF’s jaguar plane crashes near Bikaner, pilot safe JAIPUR, Jan 4: An Indian Air Force Jaguar plane today crashed near Bikaner in Rajasthan, a senior police official said here. .....more Cell phone jammers should be installed in all jails: SC NEW DELHI, Jan 4: Taking into account misuse of cell phones by RJD leader Pappu Yadav in Beur jail, the Supreme Court in principle today ......more |
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| Tsunami survivors upset for not
being able to save children ..... Over 1.25 crore voters in Haryana ...... Indonesia earthquake was predicted by Madras university team ..... |
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BJP’s first list for Haryana Assembly polls out NEW DELHI, Jan 4: BJP which is going it alone in the coming Haryana Assembly elections slated for next month today finalised the first list of 39 candidates for the 90-member Assembly. At a meeting of the Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee chaired by party president L K Advani, the party decided to contest the Assembly elections in Bihar and Jharkhand in alliance with JD(U), party general secretary Shivraj Singh Chauhan told reporters here. He said the party is fielding five sitting MLAs, one former member of Parliament Sudha Yadav who had represented Gurgaon in the 13th Lok Sabha and will be contesting the Assembly seat from there. The party is putting up four women candidates, 15 farmers, 11 belonging to the backward classes and one representative of the media, Chauhan said. Refuting the charge by Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala that he had referred to INLD as "untouchable", Chauhan said that what he had meant was that BJP was not having alliance with INLD as the State Government was "steeped in corruption and it had doned nothing for the welfare of farmers, poor people and weaker sections of society." Chauhan said the party was not projecting anyone as its Chief Ministerial candidate in the three states going to polls next month. The meeting was attended among others by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former party president M Venkaiah Naidu, party vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Haryana unit president Ganeshi Lal. BJP which currently has seven MLAs in the Haryana Assembly, including Kartar Bhadena who had joined the BJP prior to the last Lok Sabha elections, is hoping to improve its tally. Another round of meetings of the Central Election Committee is slated for January eight and nine to select candidates for the Jharkhand and Bihar Assembly polls respectively, Chauhan said. The meeting also finalised the candidate for the Rajasthan Assembly by-election for the Loni seat where it is fielding Jagaran Patel. "We are contesting all these Assembly elections in collective leadership and no one is being projected as the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate in any of these states," he said. (PTI) |
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Fog situation improves, but affects flights for sometime NEW DELHI, Jan 4: After dense fog for two days, the situation improved considerably today, though low visibility disrupted flights for about an hour and forced cancellation of three trains, even as the mercury fell in the capital. Flight operations, which had been badly hit because of dense fog which engulfed the city from Sunday night till late morning yesterday, were normal today till about 8.30 am. However, the Runway Visibility Range (RVR) suddenly dropped and was between 175 and 225 metres for about an hour because of which flight operations were affected, an Airport Authority of India spokesman said. By 9.35 am, the RVR improved to 600 metres and normal flight operations resumed, he added. During the hour-long disruption, two international flights had to be diverted to Jaipur, though domestic flights were not affected, the spokesman said. Train services continued to be hit due to foggy conditions over other parts of the country. The Kalindi Express between Farukabad and Delhi, Ambala-Allahabad Unchahar Express and Delhi-Sealdah Lal Quila Express were cancelled both ways, a Northern Railway statement said. The minimum temperature in Delhi fell by two degrees since yesterday and stood at 7.3 degree celsius, which was normal, a met department official said. Day temperature, however, was about four degrees below normal and stood at 18.1 degree celsius. Over 21 trains were running hours behind schedule with the new Jalpaiguri-Delhi Mahananda Express which was 27 hours late topping the list, Northern Railway said. Among other late-running trains were the Malda-Delhi Farakka Express (eight hours), Darbhanga-Delhi Shaheed Express, Dibrugarh-Delhi Brahmaputra Mail (six hours) and Howrah-Delhi Poorva Express (four hours), the statement said. The Mahananda Express from Delhi has been rescheduled by 15 hours due to the late-running of its corresponding train. The met official said fog was expected to return to the capital in the next few days. (PTI) |
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Kala Ghoda festival from Jan 15 MUMBAI, Dec 4: Heritage walks, poetry readings, cuisine from various regions, theatre, dance and music performance and special children’s workshops would mark the 7th Kala Ghoda festival beginning here from January 15. The nine-day festival, which would be held in various parts of south Mumbai, would witness a pot pourri of cultural and craft exhibitions, dance parades, performances by various folk and contemporary artists and seminars by creative personnel drawn from various walks of life, according to an organiser of the festival. The highlight of the festival this year would include a nine-day DJ festival, nine performances at the Horniman Gardens, a music cafe at the David Sasoon library, Rock concerts at Rampart Row, puppets making to story sessions for children. A special tent at the rampart row would house all children’s activities, she said. Poetry readings and talks by well known poets and writers, including Arundhanti Subramaniam, Jerry Pinto, Kalpana Swaminathan, would be held on the occasion. A special SMS poetry competition would also be held during the period. This year a special heritage walk would be organised for those interested in taking a closer look at the CST station. The naval dockyards and informative tours of the heritage buildings like the Mumbai University would also figure in the walk. The dining section would include, dinners and brunches organised by some of Mumbai’s best loved restaurants and establishments. The film section would explore the theme of music in cinema by screening films like the sound of music, Dalpathi, singing in the rain, guide, Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam And Albela. Under the theatre section, the much publicised play ‘vaginal monologues’ would be performed. However, the play has been indianised to reflect the women of the country. The other plays to be staged during the occasion, include ‘Baby’, ‘Music System’, Kucch Bbhi Ho Sakta Hi, by Anupam Khjer, Jungle Me Mangal by Chetan Datar and the longest running Indian play in English, ‘Dance Like A Man’. Under the visual arts section, over 40 giant photos, some almost nine metres tall would be displayed within the historic setting of the horniman circle. The exhibition aims at uniting the writing of great Indian thinkers with photographs of India captured by Olivier Follmi. The exhibition would also see an innovative use of used material. A group of fine arts students would use garbage cans to create artifical walls of a room. A photograph exhibition at the festival would showcase snapshots sent by Mumbaikars of various facets of the city. The montage would be displayed at the pavement gallery. ‘Wings Of Love’ an exhibtion incorporating an array of work by artists from Japan and India. The work investigates the influence of birds in art. Included in the show, will be paper-craft and designer ‘Kimonos’ from Japan. The festival would also see children preparing images of the horse keeping in mind the ‘Kala Ghoda’ festival. The replicas would be made out of organic garbage. (PTI) From Gomukh to Gangasagar, tracing the divine Ganga NEW DELHI, Jan 4: An old man waiting for his death, a son performing the last rites of his parent and pilgrims resting on the freezing mountains of Himalayas—the divine Ganga has seen it all. The river flowing through more than half the country has inspired many a generation of poets, painters and religious leaders in India. But for French photographer and travel writer Merille Josephine Guezennec, it is the sheer presence of the river across the length and breadth of the country which gnerates reverence in her. From the glaciers of Gangotri, where the river originates, to the swampy marshlands of Gangasagar where it meets the sea, the holiest water body of Hindus is witness to a wide range of human activities and emotions, the noted photographer says. Whether it is Nirvana-seeking pilgrims at high altitudes or people strugglig for existence performing their daily ablutions on the banks of the river in cities teeming with life, the river has seen it all. "For many years this theme had been in my mind," says Guezenne, who captures life on the banks of the river through a series of photographs put up at a recent exhibition in the capital. Known as the "Hima Bandhu" (friend of Himalayas) Guezennec, who has travelled extensively in the mountains, says most of her photographs have been shot in Uttaranchal, where the river completes more than half of its journey. "The holy state has been my home for the last two years and I have traced the river travelling from bank to bank capturing what it means to different people," she says adding "it is really the land of God. The exhibition has photographs ranging from tired Kanwariyas resting on the banks of the Ganga in Gomukh, the natural ice-lingam there to the festivities at the annual Gangasagar mela." A special section shows Kumbh and Ardhakumbh at the confluence of the Ganga with the Saraswati and Yamuna in Allahabad. Naga sadhus sounding the bugle signalling the start of bathing to ordinary housewives looking for salvation taking a dip, the Kumbh is a repository of varied emotions, she says. For Guezennec, though, the river also shows human beings’ struggle for existence. The pathetic lives led by children of cremation workers on the banks of the river in Varanasi are a reminder of another grim reality of human life in this country. According to her, a huge number of people in the country derive their sustenance from the river. The river is maintaining a big industry, part of which is the pilgrim industry, which feeds a million mouths in the country, she says. It is people like Guezennec who through their work have brought to notice the immense importance of the ganga in the Indian psyche and emotion, says K K Chakrabarty, member secretary Ignca where the photographs are being exhibited. (PTI) |
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Cell phone jammers should be installed in all jails: SC NEW DELHI, Jan 4: Taking into account misuse of cell phones by RJD leader Pappu Yadav in Beur jail, the Supreme Court in principle today decided that mobile phone jammers should be installed in all jails across the country. The court asked Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Reliance to inform it by next Tuesday as to how this facility could be installed in central jails, to start with, for preventing "highly influential persons and powerful personalities from misusing mobile phones while being lodged in jail". The Apex Court said it will hear on January 11 the appeal filed by CBI challenging the Patna High Court order granting bail to Yadav in the Ajit Sarkar murder case. The Supreme Court had stayed the High Court order and sent back Yadav to jail earlier. CBI, which investigated Ajit Sarkar murder case, today argued for shifting Pappu Yadav out from Beur jail to another state, saying six cases pending against him could be tried in one court using video-conferening. The agency said the video-conference facility was available in jails at Sabarmati, Vellore, Mysore, Coimbatore, Palayamcottai (Tamil Nadu) and Poonmallee (Tamil Nadu). Appearing for Yadav, senior advocate R K Jain contended that after the December seven incident at Beur jail, when mobile phones were seized from Yadav and his supporters, there had been no violation of the jail manual by the accused. He claimed Yadav is in jail without any evidence against him and that he should be granted bail. (PTI) |
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Tsunami survivors upset for not being able to save children PORT BLAIR, Jan 4: They were almost swallowed by the killer Tsunami waves on December 26 and thanked God for being alive the next morning. Yet, they are filled with a sense of remorse for not being able to save the lives of children who were devoured by the waves. Life will not be the same for two residents of Car Nicobar and Malacca in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, ravaged by the unprecedented devastation on the fateful morning of December 26. For the Indian Air Force employee of Car Nicobar, the image of the three-and-a half-year-old child being drawn by the waves into the sea after the kid slipped from his hands, keeps haunting him. The child of a colleague in the Air Force who was away on duty, was handed over to the employee by his wife when she saw the gigantic column of water surging towards them. Both the adults, the IAF man and his friend’s wife, ran for their lives and clambered on a tree with the wife holding an eight-month-old baby. However, as the two tried to reach the top of the tree, both children fell in the water and were lost forever, the disconsolate IAF employee, not wishing to be named, told PTI. In a similar tale, the wife of a contract labourer in Malacca island narrated how despite her best attempts, a child slipped from her hands as she was climbing a tree to escape from nature’s fury. "There were 25 of us trying to climb the tree. A number of kids gathered underneath pleading `aunty please save us.’ I also tried to hold on to a child but could not for long and he vanished under the water", she said. "I will never forget the cry and wail for help," the woman said. (PTI) Over 1.25 crore voters in Haryana CHANDIGARH, Jan 4: There are a total of 1,26,42,525 electors in Haryana, according to the draft rolls published yesterday for the forth coming Assembly elections in the state. These included 68,47,257 males and 57,95,295 females, according to the data provided by the State Election Commission. Mewla Mharajpur constituency has the maximum number of 3,35,872 electors and this constituency also has the largest number of electors that is 1,48,708. It also has 1,87,164 males, the largest number of male electors in any constituency in the state. On the other hand, Ambala cantt constituency with 83,984 electors is at the bottom with the lowest number of electors in any constituency in the state. It also has the lowest number of female electors that is 39,868 and lowest numbers of 44,116 male electors. In terms of maximum number of electors in a constituency, gurgaon with 2,90,702 electors ranks at number two after Mewla Maharajpur and it is followed by 2,59,592 in Faridabad, 2,44,021 in Kalka and 2,06038 in Ballabhgarh. Out of a total of 90 Assembly constituencies in the state, 17 are reserve constituencies. These include Bawal, Pataudi, Ellenabad, Guhla, Hassanpur, Sadhaura, Mulana, Dabwali, Bawani Khera, Assandh, Jhajjar, Ratia, Jundla, Radaur, Kalayat, Kalayat, Baroda and Kalanaur. Among the reserve constituencies, Kalanaur has the minimum number of electors that is 99,372 which included 54,133 males and 45,239 females. Bawal with a maximum number of 1,45796 electors ranks at the top of reserve constituencies. It includes 75,809 male electors and 69,987 female electors. The state would go to the polls on Feburary 3. (PTI) Indonesia earthquake was predicted by Madras university team CHENNAI, Jan 4: The Department of Applied Geology, Madras University, has claimed that it had predicted the earthquake in the Sumatra region, four days before it occurred, triggering the devastating Tsunami on December 26. Using the planetary configuration as methodology for studying the implications for earthquake predictions, the department had analysed earthquakes that occurred over the last 100 years, before it came out with the latest report. After inferring that planetary configurations triggered earthquakes, the department had checked and rechecked its predicted results in the last eight months and had achieved a success rate of 70 to 75 per cent. Giving details of the mind-boggling studies conducted by the department, Dr N Rajeswara Rao, Geologist in the Madras University, told UNI that "the Indonesia earthquake, which measured 9.0 on the richter scale, was actually predicted by the Madras University team with permissible error." The team, comprising Dr P Periakali, head of the department, Dr K K Sharma and research scholar N Venkatanathan, besides himself, however, could not expect the extent of damage it would cause to the Tamil Nadu coast, he said. "Since we expected that the magnitude to be around 7.0, we never anticipated the Tsunami and the damage it would cause in the coastal areas," Dr Rao admitted. He said the department had predicted that the earthquake would occur on December 26, 2004 at 0030 hrs (gmt) with 3.54 n latitude and 97.17 e longitude, with epicentre at coast Banyak island, Sumatra, Indonesia and with a magnitude of around 6.0 to 7.0 on the richter scale. And the actual earthquake took place on December 26 at 0058 hrs (gmt), with 3.298 n latitude and 95.779 e longitudes, having its epicentre in the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, he said. Dr Rao said the distance difference between the predicted epicentre and the actual epicentre was 157.118 km and the time difference was 28 minutes, which were negligible. "With earth having a circumference of 40,000 odd kms, the variation of 157 km is nothing...The United States Geological Survey (USGS) itself allows 500 km variation, plus or minus five degrees," Dr Rao said. Describing the prediction as a "moderate success," Dr Rao said the university had e-mailed the study and prediction to the USGS, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), International Association of Seismic Processes in the Earth’s Interior (IASPET) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the department was using their data and services for conducting the study on December 22 itself. "We did not alert the Indian Government about the possible devastation, because we were testing our methodology and if something went awry, it would have beeen a terrible embarassment for the Government," Dr Rao said. "It was a kind of mixed response among ourselves, when our prediction almost came true on the fateful day of December 26. We felt happy that the predictions had come true, but were saddened after seeing the disaster," he said. "Impressed by the study, Dr Sipkin from USGS has responded, evincing interest in our methodology and we are awaiting response from others, especially from NASA," Dr Rao said. The department had also come out with a first phase of prediction for a period between December nine and 15, 2004, and the same was presented at an international conference ‘hazards 2004’ held at NGRI, Hyderabad from December two to four. Claiming 70 to 75 per cent success rate, Dr Rao said the earthquake that had occurred in Assam, measuring 5.4 on the richter scale on December 9, 2004, had also been predicted by the department. But the epicentre of that earthquake was located at 288 km away from the predicted epicentre, he said. With these findings, the department has already submitted a proposal to establish a Centre for Earthquake and Natural Hazards Studies (CENHAS) to the Tamil Nadu Government. "We have also submitted proposals for collaborative programmes with Bulgaria and Uzbekistan to the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, Dr Rao added. (UNI) Alappad yet to recover from Tsunami shock KOLLAM (KERALA), Jan 4: Nine days after the Tsunami waves swallowed Alappad village near here, killing over 100 people, the area left with a few structures in ruins and shattered lives is yet to recover from the shock of the December 26 tragedy. Women and children who survived the assault of the waves, living in relief camps in Karunagappally, are yet to muster the courage to look at their destroyed homes. A visiting PTI reporter could see only a few men and voluntary relief workers in Alappad, a narrow strip of land between the backwaters and the sea. The area still looks as battered as it was left by the killer waves since authorities had not yet begun the work of clearing up the debris. Big stones, piled up in some places to protect the area from sea-erosion, lie scattered metres away from the coast, indicating the force with which the waves struck. The blind forces unleashed by the sea did not spare even places of worship as idols of deities and two flag posts are all that remains of Pastchimeswaran temple in Srayikkad village. But for the remnants of some houses, the waves have destroyed almost the entire village. Susheelan, a fisherman who managed to save his wife and children from the deadly waves, said many of them saw the strange spectacle of the sea water receding far away from the shoreline and fish on the beach writhing. "We thought it was only a variation in tides. But to our shock, the water this time rose to about ten feet and rushed towards us. We ran helter-skelter trying to save our relatives and kids," he said. Living in a narrow strip hemmed in by the sea and backwaters, only those who were able to climb atop strong houses could manage to survive the Tsunami strike. Showing a spot where a house once stood, Susheelan said only an old man of a family of five survived the mortal blow of the sea. The man is now in a relief camp near the place where his kith and kin are buried. With rehabiliation work progressing at a slow pace, relief workers are yet to reach villages for cleaning up operations and communication and power supply has not been restored yet. However, water supply in the area is not as badly hit as was initially thought since underground water is available through pipes. Some women have come back to their houses on getting information that revenue officials would come to assess the damage as a prelude to giving compensation. Babu, a local activist, wanted the Government to provide a job to at least one member of each affected family. Sand mining should also be strictly banned as it is one of the main reasons for natural disasters, he said. He said officials should prepare a list of the affected people and the losses suffered by them. Many believe the immediate priority of the Government should be to provide the fishermen with fishing materials, they said. The women were more concerned about the future of their children whose education was now uncertain. (PTI) |
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