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Friday, August 29, 2008

Waves of calamity

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday described the floods in Bihar as a "national calamity" and announced an immediate financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for rescue and relief operations.

The Prime Minister did an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, some Union ministers and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

"If there is a need for more, we will give more," he told reporters. "We would like to assure the people of Bihar that all of India will support them through this difficulty".

"I thank him for the help provided by the Centre," Nitish Kumar said, appealing for 'generous help' from all quarters.

River Kosi breached its banks 10 days back on the border with Nepal, flowing through a channel it had previously abandoned.

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

Schoolgirl commits suicide in hostel

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Peer Pressure and academic stress reportedly drove a 15-year-old hosteller at a leading South Delhi school to suicide.

On Wednesday evening, Pushpanjali Raj, a standard XI student of Science, broke open the wired mesh of a bathroom window on the fifth floor of her hostel building and jumped out. (HT is withholding the school’s name) .

Hearing a loud thud, a canteen boy working nearby rushed to the spot and found Pushpanjali lying in a pool of blood. He informed the school authorities at about 4 p.m. and she was rushed to Vasant Vihar’s Holy Angels Hospital. “The student locked herself in the bathroom, cut open the window grille and jumped,” confirmed the school’s principal.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

World’s best B-school graduates opt for sarkari internships

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It’s not quite the place where you would expect job hunting students to seek an internship. But oddly enough, the government is where many bright sparks from the London School of Economics (LSE) to Kellogg’s are heading for their final rite of passage to the professional world.

The country’s apex planning body, the Planning Commission, for instance, is proving to be a very popular destination since it started an internship programme two years back. The only quibble: selection is strict, hence only the best pass muster. Just 40 of the over 300 who apply every year are inducted.

A hands on insight on how things work in the world’s largest democracy as a student says is a great “pull factor”.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Churches attacked, woman burnt alive

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A 45 year old woman, employed as a cook in a missionary school in Orissa's Bargarh district, was burnt to death on Monday when the school was set on fire allegedly by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protesters. The pastor running the school was also injured.

The VHP-sponsored bandh, to protest the killing of their leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four disciples, witnessed attacks on churches and missionary schools across the state, reminiscent of the Graham Staines case in January 1999.

"We are afraid to move out. Some Christians staying in institutions or bungalows are hiding in jungles or villages," said Sambalpur Bishop Lucas Kerketta, whose jurisdiction includes Bargarh. "We have two to three policemen, and they can't control a big crowd... we have asked for more security".

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Monday, August 25, 2008

Mosques lead attack on terror

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From Friday, the old, rusty loudspeakers atop the numerous mosques in Mumbai's far-flung northern suburb Mira Road started beaming a distinctly new message.

Before and after each azaan or prayer, imams of at least 24 of the 30-odd local mosques are asking residents to report suspicious terror-linked activity to either the mosque authorities or the police.

With the tremors of 31 bombings in Gujarat and Karnataka in the last two months still being felt across the nation, Mira Road, usually in the news for drinking water crises, has had a bigger reason to worry.

While all l6 suspects in these bombings are Muslims, Mira Road has housed the A-League of suspects like prime accused in the 11/7 Mumbai train blasts Asif Khan and Ehtesham Siddique and Ahmedabad serial blasts key suspect techie Abdul Subhan.

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Friday, August 22, 2008

Now, surf Television channels on Internet

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Your Television viewing options just got wider and cheaper.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday allowed for internet protocol television (IPTV) to get broadcast content at a price equivalent to DTH and cable television.

With more competition, consumers can hope for cheaper subscription rates for their cable TV and DTH.

IPTV simpy put, is television content delivered through broadband internet rather than the traditional wiring or satellite dishes. Often, IPTV is bundled with internet access services.

The big stumbling block so far had been IPTV service providers alleging that broadcasters were charging them more than they were from DTH or cable providers, therefore making their services too costly.

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Lords Of The Ring

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Two Indians, one destiny Their fate intertwined in one moment of glory -a medal moment - sparked wild jubilation in a billion hearts. Finally we did it. After 56 years we have more than two medals next to India's name. Who knows, by the end of the Games we might have more than just two bronze and a gold! The Beijing Games will forever be remembered for India's greatest display in the world's greatest event.

It was maddening here. The moment boxer Vijender Kumar added another medal to India's two, after Sushil Kumar won the bronze in the 66-kg freestyle wrestling here on Wednesday evening, the Workers' Stadium erupted in joy The Tricolour was fluttering all around and for a moment, the handful came to watch Jitender and Vijender fight, couldn't conceal their joy "Proud of being an Indian," yelled one from the crowd.

In Najafgarh on the outskirts of Delhi, the fireworks were reminiscent of the time another local hero, Virender Sehwag, scored a triple ton.

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

15km/hr - Delhi's traffic is India's second slowest: Study

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Here is another dubious distinction for Delhi: its peak-hour traffic crawl has been found the second worst in a countrywide survey at 15 kmph. But for Bangalore, it could have been the worst.

A large number of Delhiites got a taste of this crawl on Tuesday as they rolled off the Gurgaon Express way and drove straight into a jam tailing off for miles from the Dhaula Kuan clover leaf.

“It was maddening,” fumed an office-goer who had spent a better part of the day negotiating the crawl. And he was worried about the journey back, through the returning peak-hour crawl.

Let’s just call it The Great Delhi Crawl.

It has now been endorsed by a countrywide survey conducted on behalf of the urban development ministry by Wilbur Smith Associates. Bangalore came out worst at 10 kmph peak hour traffic speed.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Member of Parliaments want to jam your mobile calls. Here’s why

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A 10-member parliamentary committee will spend considerable time studying public opinion on a matter they think is of great importance — restricting the use of mobile phones.

The Rajya Sabha committee on petitions, with a mandate to consider any representation seeking enactment of a new law, has started proceedings on a plea filed by Gurjit Singh, a lawyer-cum-journalist from Patiala. Singh wants “reasonable restrictions” on the use of mobiles in educational institutions, places of worship and public places.

The committee, headed by former BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, has now invited public opinion through advertisements. The Committee will also hear out telecom companies, schools and colleges and submit a report to Rajya Sabha, which will send it to the ministries concerned for action.

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Travellers shift to trains as airfares soar

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With low cost carriers becoming increasingly expensive, frequent fliers, particularly between Delhi and Mumbai, have switched to train travel.

In July, there was a 47 per cent jump in earnings from reserved tickets in trains originating across North India.

"In May and June, the number of passengers who went from Delhi to Mumbai was 33.7 per cent more than usual," said a senior railway official on condition of anonymity "We had to augment capacity in every train to carry that additional load."

Fourteen extra coaches have been attached to 12 Rajdhanis. Twelve Shatabdis have got 19 extra coaches, while around 50 mail/express trains have got 80 additional compartments.

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Chhetri ends India's 24-year wait

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On the eve of the AFC Challenge Cup final against holders Tajikistan, India coach Bob Houghton had stressed on the importance of a vociferous crowd support in big games. Understandable because with a place in the Asian Cup finals in Qatar on line, India were undoubtedly playing their biggest game in over two decades.

The Nehru Cup champions were given a standing ovation by an over 20,000 crowd at the Ambedkar stadium before kick-off and the inspired men in blue scored thrice before the clock touched the 30-minute mark to lead India to a comprehensive 4-1 win.

The second title in under a year in the capital also catapulted India into the continent's highest championship after 24 years.

Sunil Chhetri scored a hattrick (9th, 23, 75) - the first by an Indian ever in a final - and Bhaichung Bhutia added another in the 19th minute to end the contest even before their opponents warmed up.

Fatkhullo Falkuloev found the consolation goal in the 44th minute with a superb 25-yard pile driver but the early deficit proved too much for the defending champions.

Supporters had started throng- ing the stadium since noon for a match that was to start at 7pm since the organisers could only get tickets printed late on Tuesday night.The long queue outside would have pleased Houghton and his wards no end when they reached the ground a couple of hours later.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Split Wide Open

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Fifteen people were killed and over 100 injured as the police and army fired on angry, curfew-defying crowds in 20 locations across the state on Tuesday. In Delhi, the union government called a second all party meeting in five days in another bid to control the explosive situation.

Thirteen of the deaths occurred in the Kashmir valley where thousands poured into the streets, ignoring the curfew imposed, to mourn the death of Shaikh Abdul Aziz, the separatist leader who was killed in firing by security forces on Monday Two other people were killed in Jammu, where the situation turned rapidly communal, with Hindus and Muslims clashing in several towns, burning each other's shops and houses.

Over 50,000 people, some from faraway towns, converged in Srinagar to offer burial prayers for Shaikh Aziz. Large crowds surrounded the policemen deployed outside the houses of separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, both of whom were under house arrest, rendering the police helpless. Both leaders, at the urging of the crowd, walked out free and led processions to Aziz's grave.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Kashmir burns as Hye die in police fire

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Five People, including a prominent leader of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, Shaikh Abdul Aziz - chief of the Peoples' League - were killed in police firing on Monday as thousands of Kashmiris poured into the streets, responding to a call to march across the line of control (LoC) towards Muzzafarabad in Pakistan. Curfew was clamped in all towns of the Valley and hundreds of arrests were made.

The call was given by Kashmiri fruit growers to protest the alleged economic blockade of the Valley by agitators in Jammu, which was preventing them from transporting their perishable produce to markets across the country The march was intended to emphasise that if their produce could not reach Indian markets, they would send it to Pakistan instead. It had the support of Kashmir's chamber of commerce, traders' federation, as well as all factions of the separatists and the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The largest of the marching processions began in Sopore, led by Shaikh Aziz and another separatist leader Shabir Shah, swelling to nearly a lakh as it moved along the Srinagar-Muzzafarabad highway Around 300 trucks and buses were part of the caravan.

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Information Technology firms slow campus hires

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From Matrimonials to swank offices, software engineers have been much sought after since the information technology boom brought thousands of lucrative jobs into India. Times are changing, though.

As the US economy goes from bad to worse, India's biggest outsourcing customer is getting stingy about placing new orders.

The result: IT firms are hiring less and offering less as they pick talent from campuses. In some cases, they are even refusing to go through with offers they've already made.

This is the first time since the outsourcing boom began a decade ago that IT companies are dragging their feet on campus hiring, placement officers at colleges across India told Hindustan Times.

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Friday, August 8, 2008

Delhi boy is surprise face in squad

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Leading India to victory in the under 19 World Cup has worked well for Delhi's 19-year-old all rounder Virat Kohli.

Not many expected the middle order batsman to make the senior grade so soon.

But that is the talent he has and the confidence the selectors have in him. Earlier the National Cricket Academy selected him to train in Brisbane for six weeks for the Gavaskar-Border Scholarship.

Kohli was expected to play a vital role in the Bangalore team's IPL campaign. In his teens, he was pitchforked to limited overs for his stroke play. But he could not translate the expectations into on-field performances. "I was over-ambitious and that was why I did not succeed," Kohli admitted to Hindustan Times on Thursday IPL skipper Rahul Dravid had already anointed him as a bright prospect. "You have got to be patient with Virat. He has got lots of talent and hits the ball cleanly," Dravid had said then.

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Thursday, August 7, 2008

3 ways to stay united

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WITH NO end in sight to the Amarnath agitation that has claimed 15 lives in 37 days, leaders of India's diverse political parties agreed on peace and dialogue at a meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The government - which made it clear there was no question of removing J&K Governor N.N. Vohra as demanded by the BJP - agreed to suggestions that Amarnath pilgrims get the facilities they need.
Leaders of 38 political parties from across the political spectrum and all regions, including the PDP, the National Conference and the AIADMK were present.
"The meeting suggested immediate initiation of a dialogue that would facilitate the suspension of the agitation and its peacefu1resolution," announced Pranab Mukherjee, external affairs minister and the government's political strategist.
Lila Karan Sharma, convenor of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti that is leading the agitation, said he was ready to talk to an all-party panel. "We are not shying away from talks... but these should be meaningful and result-oriented," he said.
"Whether Vohra is recalled or not is of no concern to me," Sharma added over the telephone from Jammu, scaling down from the group's earlier position.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the dialogue process would start immediately at the level of the governor or a central minister.
Violence flared in Jammu after the state government reversed its decision to give the Amarnath Shrine Board possession of a 100-acre plot of forest land to construct pre-fabricated huts for better facilities to the pilgrims for two months every year The PM spoke last, and came up with the idea of a joint appeal to douse the passions. Arun Jaitley of the BJP, which has been sympathetic to the cause of the agitators, said it was a "good beginning".
The only confrontation was outside 7, Race Course Road when Uma Bharti and her supporters, miffed at being not invited, tried to gatecrash.
With Shekhar lyer and Aurangzeb Naqshbandi


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Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Ban on Islamic student body lifted

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A TRIBUNAL on Tuesday lifted the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), accused of involvement in terrorist activities across the country The order comes at a time when the organisation's role in the Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts is being probed by security agencies.

Founded in Aligarh in April 1977 by a Journalism professol: SIMI was declared unlawful in 2001 by the Union Home Ministry, for "indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the country". The ban was extended every year Since 2006, 53 fresh criminal cases have been lodged by the police against members of the organisation for "disruptiveactivities".

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal headed by Justice Gita Mittal of the Delhi High Court quashed the February 2008 notification of the Ministry on the ground that the government failed to produce sufficient evidence to justify the extension of the ban.

The government could only produce evidence from the Malegaon blast in Maharashtra (it killed 37 people in 2006).

The Ministry of Home Affairs will consider its options.

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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

INDIA UNDER SIEGE PART 3

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IN THE cobweb of lanes and ghettos called Malegaon, don't mention the Bword. The beat constable - the strongest defender against terrorism-is a relic.

"This is the worst possible place that a policeman can be transferred to," a senior police official said in the Maharashtra town, refusing to be named. "It is as if you've stepped into a different country altogether." In this 'country', three bombs planted on bicycles exploded during Shab-eBaraat, an auspicious day of prayers for the departed, on Sept 8, 2006 at the Hamidiya Masjid. Thirty seven died; more than 100 were wounded.

Courts will decide on the nine accused. But Malegaon represents a larger ailment: the growing alienation of the Muslim community from the country's police.

In New Delhi, a top anti-terror official says the unspeakable. "In many states, there seems to be an unwritten law not to keep Muslims in the intelligence. It hampers investigations," he said. "We have also not been able to reach out to the community which could help us prevent and probe attacks." Of Malegaon's 12 lakh residents, some 75 per cent are Muslims. But the police employ less than 10 per cent Muslims - and there was little information on radicals in the local population.

"Officers can't understand the nuances of the spoken (Urdu) word or reading the hundreds of pamphlets published here," admits a senior officer "The concern is a drying up of human intelligence at the police station level," said an intelligence official in Delhi.

On the day of the blasts, plainclothes inspector Nasir Sheikh stood near the entrance to the mosque, lost in a crowd of thousands he was trying to control - with only three other policemen. It is unclear if that was an oversight or due to the excessive workload. No one was frisked as the crowd - which included thousands of beggars seeking alms on the auspicious day - just streamed in.

At ten to two, a deafening explosion jolted the area. Two more followed.

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Monday, August 4, 2008

Aboard the Beijing Bullet, lessons for Delhi

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IN LESS than two minutes, the Harmony silently glided past the top speed of India's fastest trains, the Rajdhani and the Shatabdi.

A week before the most definitive moment in China's modern history as a rising superpower - the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing at 8.08 pm on 08.08.08 - I bought a second-class ticket out of the capital. HTs daily dispatch for the Beijing Olympics began aboard China's latest and the world's fastest intercity bullet train that will shuttle football fans between inland Beijing and coastal Tianjin at a record 350 kmph in 30 minutes. By 2013, a high-speed railway wn cut train travel between BeijingShanghai from 10 hours to five. I skipped the media test ride to line up as a common commuter between inland Beijing and China's third-largest city and its busiest northern seaport about 135 km away The Made-in China bullet trains cut the com- mute from a previous 70 minutes at 200-250 kmph to 30 minutes. The new commute combines Beijing and Tianjin into one city Chinese researcher Zhou Gansi told China Central Television. "It can dramatically change people's way of life." The local train from Mumbai's southern financial hub to its northern suburbs takes twice as long. Imagine the potential of a Delhi-Chandigarh or Mumbai-Ptme train giving professionals the choice of a comfortable daily intercity commute instead of migration. The fastest Mumbai-Pune train takes three hours to cover 192 km. The seven-year infrastructure revolution inside India's largest and most powerful neighbour goes beyond its 37 Olympic stadiums.

My journey began at Asia's largest railway station (by one estimate, the size of 20 football fields) that opened in south Beijing last week with none of the fanfare that would accompany such an event if it happened in India.

After all, Beijing opened the world's biggest international airport terminal this year, to welcome over 10,000 athletes and modern China's biggest-ever influx of foreigners (about half a million) from August 8-24.

The solar panel-roofed station looks like an international airport, and is bigger than the 91,000-seat Bird's Nest stadium that will host the opening ceremony. As commuters bought instant noodles they prepared with hot water from the station taps, I was the only Indian in the crowd, struggling to decipher Chinese signs.

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Saturday, August 2, 2008

5020 Delhi Development Authority flats going, will you get lucky?

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Your Dream of buying an affordable flat in Delhi might come true very soon.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Friday announced a new housing scheme offering 5,020 flats across the city The one, two and three-bedroom flats will come for prices much less than what private builders ask for Starting from Rs 7.95 lakh, the price varies depending on the location. The maximum is Rs 77.80 lakh for a three-bedroom flat in Motia Khan.

Forms will be available from August 6 and the last date for applying is September 16.

The ready-to-move flats are located in Dwarka, Paschim Vihar, Rohni and Pitampura in West and northwest Delhi, Vasant Kunj in the south and Dilshad Garden in the east among other areas.

Among those on offer are 280 expandable flats - independent units on which you can build an extra floor.

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Friday, August 1, 2008

Good News

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After 34 years of nuclear isolation, India on Friday will be within striking distance of dissolving the sanctions the world imposed on New Delhi against buying nuclear reactors and fuel from abroad.

A first transformational step will be taken at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The atomic watchdog will debate and clear an inspection arrangement for the nuclear plants that India says are for civilian purposes and important to Indian efforts of bridging the annual electricity shortfall of 14,000 mega watts, enough to power three cities the size of Delhi.

A diplomatic effort similar in scale to the one launched during the 1999 Kargil war has been mounted by India, as envoys criss Cross the world in support of the civil nuclear deal.

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