GOD IS THE GOD OF MIRACLES

GOD IS THE GOD OF MIRACLES
A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife because she
was reading the Bible and then buried her with their
infant baby and an 8-year old daughter. The girls
were buried alive! He then reported to the police
that an uncle killed the kids. 15 days later, another
family member died.
When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little
girls under the sand -ALIVE!
The country is outraged over the incident, and the
man will be executed.. The older girl was asked
how she had survived and she says: 'A man
wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds
in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke
up my mom so she could nurse my sister,' she
said.
She was interviewed on Egyptian national TV, by
availed Muslim woman news anchor. She said on
public TV, 'This was none other than Jesus,
because nobody else does things like this!' Muslims
believe Isa (Jesus) would do this, but the wounds
mean He really was crucified, and it's clear also
that He is alive! But, it's also clear that the child
could not make up a story like this, and there is no
way these children could have survived without a
true miracle.
Muslim leaders are going to have a hard time to
figure out what to do with this, and the popularity
of the Passion movie doesn't help! With Egypt at
the centre of the media and education in the Middle
East, you can be sure this story will spread.
Christ is still turning the world upside down! Please
let this story be shared.
The Lord says, 'I will bless the person who puts his
trust in me.' Jeremiah 17 Please forward to all on
your list and God will reward you abundantly!!
Mark 8:38 which says, 'Therefore whosoever shall
be ashamed of Me and my Words in this adulterous
and sinful generation, the Son of Man shall also be
ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His
Father with the holy angels'.
Don't worry if those you have forwarded will
respond or do anything with this message, just
fulfill your part and shake off your dust!.......Jesus
loves you!

Jagan continues fast on seventh day

Jagan continues fast on seventh day

YSR Congress party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday continued his indefinite fast even as he was shifted from one hospital to another in view of his deteriorating condition.

Mr. Jagan, as the MP from Kadapa is popularly known, was shifted late Friday night to Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) for better treatment but he refused to end the fast, which entered seventh day on Saturday to protest bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh without justice to all regions.

Mr. Jagan, who is in judicial custody in disproportionate assets case, was shifted from Osmania General Hospital to NIMS amid tight security.

A team of eight doctors is monitoring the condition of the young leader, who has been admitted to emergency block. As the sugar and blood pressure levels have considerably come down and ketone bodies in urine are high, doctors advised him to agree to take intravenous fluids.

The doctors have warned that his condition may further deteriorate, if he continued his fast.

Mr. Jagan’s mother Y.S. Vijayamma, wife Bharati and brother-in-law Anil Kumar were not allowed to meet him. They left the hospital after seeing him from a distance.

The MP has only been drinking water since he began his fast in Chanchalguda Central Jail on Sunday. He was shifted to Osmania Hospital late Thursday night.

Ms. Vijayamma, who is also honorary president of the party, and other party leaders had on Friday appealed to him to call off the hunger strike.

Mr. Jagan’s mother and wife filed a memo in CBI court, seeking permission for one of them to stay with him in the hospital. The plea will be heard on Saturday. The YSRC president is in jail since May last year in a disproportionate assets case.

Lesson We Learned from Relaunching SitePoint, and tutorials galore

> View Online
>
> It's been a big week for SitePoint, to say the least. We learned a few lessons ourselves - and shared them with you - and we basked in your approval of our new design, structure and focus. Except for those who hated it. All we can do is keep evolving (inevitably), improving (hopefully) and learning (unceasingly). Much like you. There's plenty more learning for you below.
>
> Ricky Onsman
> Managing Editor
> 8 Things We Learned from Relaunching SitePoint
>
> "The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley". Last week, we were very proud to relaunch the brand new SitePoint.com. Not everything went right. Developer team Lead Jude Aakjaer explains what went agley.
>
> Read more
> The Hidden Cost of Social Sharing
>
> Adding social buttons to all pages might seem like a good idea, but Craig Buckler questions their real benefit, and wonders whether they're worth the weight gain, for a start.
>
> Read more
> The Dark Shadow of The DOM
>
> Shadow DOM is part of the Web Components spec, and is designed to address the encapsulation problems that plague some kinds of web development. But does it?
>
> Read more
> Sponsored
> Meet Mandrill – Scalable Email Infrastructure from MailChimp
>
> Mandrill is the fastest way to send transactional, triggered and personalized emails.  It's also the world's largest species of monkey.  Send up to 12,000 emails per month for free.
>
> Read more
> Getting Started with Android Library Projects, Part 3
>
> Jeff Friesen's series has focused on storing a reusable About dialog box in an Android library project. In this third part, he shows how to access it from an app project.
>
> Read more
> CSS3 Animation and the JavaScript API
>
> In Craig's current series on CSS3 Animations, this part acknowledges that it's often necessary to add interaction or define a specific sequence of keyframe sets. 
>
> Read more
> HTML5 Application Cache
>
> Application caching enables a web application to store its resources in the browser, providing offline access. Here, Rathnakanya Srinivasan explains how to set it up.
>
> Read more
> Sponsored
> Ridiculously Easy Support Ticketing System
>
> Freshdesk turns inquiries and complaints into support tickets automatically, whether it's via email, phone, web forms, your support portal, or even via Twitter. Your people get a support experience they will love across all channels
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> Read more
> When Toolbars Collide
>
> Chris Pederick's Web Developer extension for Firefox has been popular for 10 years. Now, FF offers its own Web Developer tools. Alex Koyich compares the two.
>
> Read more
> Web Design Workflow: Essential Tools
>
> Your workflow needs a system. Your system needs tools to function. Gone are the days of the printed checklist. John Tabita looks at a couple of productivity apps.
>
> Read more
> Why Consistent Language Matters
>
> There's a lot of talk about using consistent language in help pages, emails, and other web and app materials. But why does consistency matter so much? Georgina looks at what it can add to the user experience.
>
> Read more
> Sponsored
> The Ultimate Website Accelerator Boosts Business
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> MetaCDN is the fastest way to accelerate your entire website, both static and dynamic content. Our CDN ensures your website loads blazingly fast, for every visitor, anywhere in the world. Start your free trial today.
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> Read more
> Talk with the Experts: Social Media
>
> Our online chat session today was on social media, and the expert was Richenda Vermeulen, from Australian digital agency ntegrity. It was a busy hour with a great crowd and covered a range of topics. Transcript online.
>
> Read more
> Special Offer – Responsive Web Design in Action
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> Learn the building blocks of Responsive Web Design from Russ Weakley to create beautiful websites that look fantastic on any device. Normally: $79 For you: $29!
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> Put theory into practice with Learnable
> Learnable
> Head to manage your subscriptions to unsubscribe yourself from this newsletter. You can also unsubscribe from all SitePoint newsletters - no hard feelings!
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Govt moves Land Acquisition Bill in Lok Sabha

The much-touted Land Acquisition Bill was taken
up in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, with UPA ally
Samajwadi Party expressing criticism, along with
opposition parties, over various provisions of the
legislation.
Parties including SP, BJP, BSP, CPI(M) and TMC
voiced concern over aspects like adequate
remuneration to farmers and the right of farmers
to appeal in the bill, which seeks to provide “fair
and just compensation” to land owners.
Why target fertile lands, asks Mulayam
Samajwadi chief Mulayam Singh Yadav
questioned the need for acquiring land of farmers,
contending that the bill would “ruin” and
“devastate” farmers.
Participating in the debate on the ‘Land
Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill,
2012’, he asked, “What is there for farmers except
land?”
Mr. Yadav, whose party supports UPA government
from outside, asked why arable and fertile land is
being “targeted” for acquisition.
“When farmers sell land, they (most of the times)
do not get remunerative price,” he said, adding
that land should not be acquired unless there is
requirement, otherwise it would become
unproductive.
‘Grey areas’
Initiating the debate, BJP President Rajnath Singh
said there are lot of grey areas in the bill.
Despite the proposed bill, there are apprehensions
that forcible land acquisition would continue, he
added.
Mr. Singh said there should be provision for
leasing land in the bill. “Lease can happen only
when there is consent from the land owner,” he
added.
According to him, poor people have been ignored
in the bill.
“This is a comparatively better bill. But after
studying it in full, I feel the bill is far far away
from its objective... This bill is not meeting the
objectives it is meant for,” he said.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh
moved the ‘Right to Fair Compensation and
Transparency’ bill for consideration and passage
in the Lower House.
BSP member Surendra Singh Nagar said the
government is suddenly remembering the bill and
farmers since elections are round the corner.
Mr. Nagar also said fears about farmers opposing
land acquisition are “baseless.” “If they (farmers)
are given adequate compensation, they will never
stand in the way of industrialisation,” he said.
Streamline land records first: Meenakshi
Congress member Meenakshi Natrajan said the
government should streamline information about
land records across the country. Without having
proper land records, justice cannot be done, she
added.
Describing the bill as historic, Ms. Natrajan said
it would correct the historic wrong of land owners
not getting adequate compensation during land
acquisition.
Toothless bill: Lallan
Participating in the debate, Rajeev Ranjan Singh
“Lallan” (JD—U) said it was a “toothless bill” with
many loopholes which have not been plugged.
He demanded that the bill’s proposal fixing the
consent of farmers for acquiring land is 70 per
cent and 80 per cent respectively (in both cases)
of those whose land is sought to be acquired is
against the interest of farmers.
Mr. Lallan said that 100 per cent consent should
be made mandatory for acquiring land.
Accept standing committee’s recommendations:
Trinamool
Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC), while appreciating
Mr. Ramesh for making lot of efforts in bringing
this legislation, said that total recommendations
of the standing committee on Rural Development,
which scrutinized the bill, should be accepted by
the Government. “Multi-crop land should never be
handed over to industry,” he said.
Mr. Bandyopadhyay said his party will support
the legislation if their demands are met.
More amendments needed: Acharia
Basudeb Acharia (CPI(M) also raised concerns
about the land bill, saying it should be referred
back to the standing committee as there is a
need for further amendments in the draft law.
According to Mr. Acharia, the bill does not provide
as to how much compensation the farmers will
get if his land is acquired.
“There is a need for further amendment in the bill
otherwise this will serve the purpose of the
corporates. It is not in the interest of the
farmers,” Acharia said, “I had moved 160
amendments in the bill. But the minister has
accepted only six. This indicates that there is no
consensus on the bill.”
Compensate allied labourers too: BJD
BJD member Tathagata Satpathy sought
compensation and rehabilitation of people living
in areas to be acquired other than land owners
like barbers who are affected due to land
acquisition.
He also pointed out that the compensation under
the land acquisition law is not tax free and this is
an unnecessary burden on the farmers.
Intervening at this point, Ramesh said, “We will
bring an amendment in this regard. All payments
(under this law) will be income tax free.”
He also suggested that the industry or corporates
should use one third of the acquired land for
water harvesting system and this should be made
mandatory under this law.
He also suggested that the agriculture land and
inhibited land should not be acquired under this
law.
Similar concerns were also raised by the Shiv
Sena member P G Jadhav who also demanded
better compensation for farmers.
Lalu Prasad (RJD) said the Bill should be enacted
for the benefit of farmers and the interference of
the government should be limited.
“Private parties are coming to make business and
profit. So the interest of farmers should be
safeguarded,” he said, adding farmers should
directly negotiate with the industry for the price to
be paid for the land.
He also said government interference should come
only when an individual comes in the way of the
contract.
What about Wakf land?
Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) wanted to know how
the bill would be used for acquiring Wakf land. He
alleged that the government in Andhra Pradesh
has illegally acquired several acres of Wakf land in
Hyderabad.
Others who participated in the debate include
Supriya Sule (NCP), M Thambidurai (AIADMK),
Nama Nageswara Rao (TDP), TKS Elangovan
(DMK), Prabodh Panda (CPI), Hukmdev Narayan
Yadav (BJP), Sharifuddin Shariq (NC

SC pulls up CBI for slow inquiry

The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the CBI for its slow inquiry into the coal block allocation scam.

The apex court said the CBI had to pick up speed for concluding the probe against all the 169 companies allegedly involved in the scam. 

In response, the CBI assured the court that it would complete the probe in four to five months.

The Supreme Court also criticized the Centre on missing files pertaining to coal blocks allocation and asked why a FIR has not been lodged for the missing coal documents. 

It's too mild a statement, the apex court said after Centre submitted that there was some controversy about the documents. 

It also said that the Centre cannot sit over the documents which must be provided to CBI.

The court asked the Centre to supply all outstanding documents sought by the CBI within two weeks after a list is given by the agency. 

Further, it also said that a CBI inquiry will be conducted in case the government fails to trace the missing documents, to which the Centre agreed.

Jayalalithaa slams Centre for ‘muted response’ on fishermen issue

Slamming the Centre for remaining a “mute spectator” on the frequent arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday said there was no concerted action on securing their release.

In her letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ms. Jayalalithaa sought his immediate intervention through diplomatic channels to secure the release of all fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are in Sri Lankan custody.

“What we in Tamil Nadu read are just press statements that all efforts would be taken by the Government of India to ensure the early release of our fishermen but we fail to see any concerted action,” she said.

Salman Khan Promotes Big Boss On Jhalak Sets

 

 

Rupee sinks to new low of 67 against dollar

The rupee on Wednesday breached 67 mark against the dollar by falling 118 paise to trade at a lifetime low of 67.42 on strong demand for the US currency amid rising concerns over fiscal burden after the passage of the Food Bill.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the local currency opened lower at 67.06 a dollar from its previous close of 66.24 and breached 67 mark to trade at a fresh low of 67.42, down by 118 paise.

Forex dealers said besides strong month-end demand for the American currency from importers, concerns related to subsidy burden after the passage of Food Security Bill and capital outflows mainly weighed on the domestic currency.

The rupee had recorded a steep fall of 194 paise to close at record low of 66.24 against the dollar in the previous session.

Japan raises alert for Fukushima nuke plant leak

Japanese nuclear regulators raised the severity of the latest leak of radiation-contaminated water at a damaged plant to the level of “serious incident” on Wednesday.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said last week about 300 tons of highly contaminated water had leaked from a storage tank at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority raised the severity of the leak on the International Nuclear Event Scale from level 1 — an “anomaly” — to level 3.

The leak was the worst since the start of the nuclear disaster in 2011, the operator said.

Level 7 — “major accident” — was applied when three of the reactors suffered meltdowns.

No clearance yet for airport, Sonia tells Sugathakumari

No clearance yet for airport, Sonia tells Sugathakumari

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to poet Sugathakumari that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has not yet cleared the proposed airport project at Aranmula. The project has been put on hold by the Minister due to several representations received from NGO activists and eminent citizens, the letter said.

In a telephonic conversation with The Hindu, Ms. Sugathakumari said she had received a letter in this regard from Dhiraj Srivastava, private secretary to Ms. Gandhi, on Tuesday. KGS Group, promoters of the private airport project, had earlier claimed to have procured all requisite clearances.

The letter, dated August 21, says that “the project has been strongly recommended by the Government of Kerala, and the establishment of the greenfield airport at Aranmula was also mentioned in the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament in the beginning of the year.” The Minister had assured the detractors that no action would be taken till all facts were verified, it said. “The MoEF has sought clarifications from the State government vide letter No. 10-51/2010-IA-III, dated July 17 and 18, 2013.”

Welcoming the Congress president’s prompt response to the memorandum filed by the Joint Action Council (JAC), Ms. Sugathakumari called for the former’s immediate intervention to save the remaining paddy land and wetland in Kerala so as to maintain the country’s food security.
Concern

Mr. Sugathakumari, who is also the chairperson of the Joint Action Council campaigning against the private airport, which requires large-scale conversion of paddy land and wetland in Aranmula expressed deep concern over the firm stand adopted by the State government in support of the “anti-people and anti-nature” project.

She said the government as well as the MoEF should clarify why the Legislative Committee on Environment chaired by Congress MLA C.P. Mohammed had opposed the airport project.

She alleged that the so-called expert committee report submitted to the State government as well as the MoEF was a “manipulated desk-top report” managed by certain vested interests. The report not even mentioned the vast expanse of paddy land and wetland in Aranmula, she alleged.

Ms. Sugathakumari said the ongoing agitation to save Aranmula was a struggle to protect the remaining paddy land and wetland in the State. She said scientists had already cautioned against alarming groundwater depletion due to wanton land conversion across the State.

The poet said eminent persons such as V.R. Krishna Iyer, K.P.S. Menon, religious leaders, scientists, social activists, and 73 of the 140 MLAs in the Assembly had signed the JAC memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister against the Aranmula airport project.

Message from Ajith

Ajith:
Ramesh Khanna talks about #Veeram

♣ I play Ajith's childhood friend in the movie and I will be a part of many comedic and romantic episodes in the film along with Ajith, Santhanam, Tamannah and the actors who play Ajith's brothers in the film.

♣ The movie is already 60% complete. Ajith is looking very happy and remains as smart as ever despite his salt 'n' pepper style. Veeram is set for release in January 2014.

♣ He has participated in some risky stunt scenes in the rain and recently on top of a train. His chemistry with Tamannah will be talked about as both of them are such proven artistes.

- Published in Behindwoods

(Sent via Seesmic http://www.hootsuite.com)

Women’s team wins WC recurve gold; Deepika qualifies for final

Women’s team wins WC recurve gold; Deepika qualifies for final


Deepika Kumari

The Indian women’s recurve team on Sunday upset the mighty South Koreans to win gold in the World Cup Archery (Stage IV) at Wroclaw, Poland for their second successive gold after Medellin meet.

According to information received in Kolkata, Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Rimil Buriuly stunned world champions Koreans 219-215 in a thrilling final as the Indian archery team returned with the solitary gold from the last leg of the World Cup.

Korea had finished third in Shanghai, first in Antalya, and did not compete in Medellin Stage as the team of Yun Ok-Hee, Ki Bo Bae, and Joo Hyun Jung never scored below 222 points in their three elimination matches, against the United States, Italy and Russia.

Winners in Stage III at Medellin, the Indian team started as a dark horse as they had a poor 5-2 win-loss record against the Koreans.

Under windy conditions, both teams started out with unusual 7s as they were locked (163-each) after the third end.

With six arrows to go, a poor 6 by Ki Bo Bae let down the Olympic champions as the Indian trio shot three perfect 10s to wrap the issue 219-215.

Deepika concluded the four World Stages with two golds (Medellin, Wroclaw) and two silvers (both Shanghai) and one bronze (Medellin). Deepika had returned empty-handed from Stage 2 in Antalya.

Based on her performances in the four World Stages, Deepika finished inside top seven to qualify for the World Cup Finals to be held on September 21 and 22 in Paris.

Deepika thus qualified for the Finals for second year in a row. In her maiden appearance in Tokyo last year, Deepika had returned with a silver.

Based on their rankings after four stages of the World Cup, top seven archers in men’s and women’s sections make the cut for the Finals, while the hosts country (France) get a quota berth.

Dola Banerjee is the only Indian to have won a gold in the World Finals (in 2007)

Police arrest all 5 accused in Mumbai gang rape

Police arrest all 5 accused in Mumbai gang rape

All five accused in the gang rape of a young photojournalist in Mumbai have been arrested, three days after the incident triggered outrage across the country.

While the fourth accused Kasim Bangali was nabbed from Mumbai on Saturday night, the fifth accused in the case Salim Ansari was arrested from Delhi on Sunday.

Ansari was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch from the national capital and is being brought to the metropolis, a senior police official told PTI.

Before that, police had on Saturday arrested two of the accused — Vijay Jadhav and Siraj Rehman — while another accused Chand Babu Sattar Shaikh alias Mohammed Abdul had been arrested on Friday.

Vijay Jadhav and Abdul were remanded in police custody till August 30.

Togadia, Singhal arrested as VHP inaugurates yatra

Top VHP leaders Pravin Togadia and Ashok Singhal were on Sunday arrested in a massive crackdown by the UP administration to enforce its ban on the controversial yatra, which was inaugurated by the saffron outfit in Ayodhya.

While Mr. Togadia was arrested from Ayodhya, Mr. Singhal was taken into custody at Lucknow airport.

Mr. Singhal, who was not allowed to come out from the airport, asked, “Why am I being arrested, what crime have I done...They should tell me. There is Mughal rule in Uttar Pradesh, where saints and seers are being stopped from worship.”

Mr. Togadia said demonstrations would be staged all over the country on Monday against the ban by the UP government on the ’Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama Yatra.’

“This is not a political yatra but a religious one and ban or oppression resorted to by the government would not be tolerated at any cost,” he told reporters.

“This movement would reach each and every village of the country and tomorrow protest dharnas would be staged at district headquarters all over the country,” Mr. Togadia said.

Condemning the arrest, BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the arrests were unfortunate as yatra was a religious affair and nothing to do with politics.

Earlier, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas Committee Chairman Nritya Gopaldas of Ram Janmabhoomi inaugurated the yatra by walking ten steps outside his temple before he was detained.

“We have inaugurated the yatra. But this yatra should not be politicised. It is carried out all 12 months (not time-bound),” Mr. Gopaldas said.

Ahead of the start of the yatra, former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti and sitting MLA Ram Chandra Yadav were arrested from Ayodhya.

“Over 500 persons going to participate in the yatra have been arrested from across the State, where tight security arrangements are in place to prevent the yatra,” ADG, Law and Order, Arun Kumar said.

A curfew-like situation is prevailing in the town as shops have been shut and Naya Ghat area has been cordoned off.

Temporary jails have been set up by the government in Faizabad, Barabanki, Bahraich, Basti, Gonda and Ambedkarnagar, which lie in the yatra route.

பள்ளி விழாவில் அமெரிக்க அதிபர் ஒபாமாவை கேலி செய்த பெண் school function america president obama insult woman

அமெரிக்க ராணுவ ரகசிய ஆவணங்களை விக்கிலீக்ஸ் இணைய தளத்துக்கு வழங்கியதாக முன்னாள் ராணுவ வீரர் பிரட்லி மேன்னிங் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். இந்த வழக்கில் அவருக்கு 35 ஆண்டு ஜெயில் தண்டனை விதிக்கப்பட்டது. இந்த நிலையில் நியூயார்க் நகரில் கியாராகாசில் உள்ள ஒரு உயர் நிலை பள்ளியில் விழா நடந்தது. அதில், அதிபர் ஒபாமா கலந்து கொண்டு பேசினார்.
அப்போது, ஜெயில் தண்டனை விதிக்கப்பட்ட பிரட்லி மேன்னிங்கின் ஆதரவாளரான ஒரு பெண் ஒபாமாவின் பேச்சை இடை மறித்து கேலி, கிண்டல் செய்தார்.
மேலும் பிரட்லி மேன்னிங்கின் 35 ஆண்டு ஜெயில் தண்டனையை ரத்து செய்து விட்டு அவரை விடுதலை செய்ய வேண்டும் என வலியுறுத்தினார். அவரது கேலி, கிண்டலை ஒபாமா சீரிஸ்சாக எடுத்து கொள்ள வில்லை.
உங்கள் கோரிக்கையை கவனிக்கிறேன் என்று மட்டும் சொன்னார். இதனால் ஒபாமாவின் பேச்சு ஒரு நிமிடம் தடைப்பட்டது. இச்சம் பவத்தால் அங்கு பதட்டமும், பரபரப்பும் ஏற்பட்டது.
அதை தொடர்ந்து அப்பெண் விழா நடைபெற்ற ஆடிட்டோரியத்தில் இருந்து பாதுகாவலர்களால் வெளியேற்றப்பட்டார். அதை தொடர்ந்து பேசிய ஒபாமா, அப்பெண்ணின் கோரிக்கை முக்கியமானது என்றார்.

Thalaiva Report after ten days in other states

Even as Thalaivaa is releasing in Tamil Nadu, amidst big fanfare, it has completed a 10 days’ run across the country and in overseas markets. We bring you the facts and figures of Thalaivaa’s run in the other Southern states so far.

Andhra Pradesh – Compared to the first weekend when it was screened in around 275 screens, the Telugu dubbed version titled Anna is being screened in around 55 screens in its second weekend. The total share in Andhra at the end of 10 days is expected to be around 3.5 crores.

Karnataka – At the end of the first week, the combined gross for the Tamil and Telugu versions is 5.7 crores with the distributor’s share being 2.7 crores. In Bangalore City, the occupancies in the second weekend were hovering around the 40% mark in single screens while some of the multiplexes such as Cinemax and Gopalan were sold out.

Kerala – The initial response in Kerala was great but there has been a drop after that and the collections haven’t been able to sustain the lofty levels that were seen in the first weekend. The first 10 days’ gross is expected to be somewhere close to 4 crores with the first weekend contributing a sizable 2.5 crores to the total gross till date.

We will be back with the Tamil Nadu opening figures of Thalaivaa in a few days’ time. Stay tuned for more updates.

Chennai Theaters Analysis for Thalaivaa

Thalaivaa is releasing tomorrow (20th August 2013) all across Tamil Nadu in more than 400 screens and the opening in Chennai City is bound to be really grand as most of the big screens are showing Thalaivaa.

 

The biggest screens in the city such as Devi, Sathyam, Abirami 7 Star, Sangam, Kamala Screen 1, Woodlands, Albert, Udhayam and Kasi would be screening Thalaivaa, 4 shows a day. The other multiplexes such as Fame (8 shows), Inox (8 shows), AGS (10 shows each in Navalur and Villivakkam), Mayajaal (50 shows inclusive of the Atmos version) will also be giving Thalaivaa pride of place in their properties.

 

The Dolby Atmos version of the movie is being screened in Sathyam's Serene, Escape's Streak and Mayajaal.

 

With a wide release such as this, despite the delay, Thalaivaa looks set for a big fat gross at the box-office.

Coalgate gets murkier as more files go missing

There could be huge embarrassment in store for the UPA II government as sensational disclosures in Coalgate have surfaced. It has now come to light that not only files and records of applications for 45 coal blocks allocated from 1993 to 2005 are untraceable but also recommendations made by Congress MP Vijay Darda and forwarded by the Prime Minister’s Office for the Bander block have gone missing.

In addition, records of 157 private companies which applied for but were not allocated blocks are missing. A number of records and documents pertaining to meetings of the Screening Committee are also missing, it was revealed at a meeting of the Search Committee constituted by the Centre following a Supreme Court directive to furnish all missing records and files to the CBI.

According to the minutes of the Search Committee meeting held on July 16 and issued on July 29, which are accessed by The Hindu, officials could not find the records of the recommendation made by Mr. Darda and forwarded by the PMO for the Bander block allocated to AMR Iron and Steel Ltd.

In connection with Coalgate, the CBI raided Mr. Darda and registered a case against him last year.

“The CBI may be informed of the missing records and the PMO requested to provide a copy of the PMO reference to the Ministry of Coal,” the meeting chaired by the Joint Secretary (Coal) decided.

During the meeting, it was revealed that copies of all applications and related papers received for the 45 blocks allocated from 1993 to 2005 were untraceable. This period pertains to the pre-advertisement era when there was no cut-off date for making applications.

The Director (Administration), Ministry of Coal, who has been entrusted with tracing these records, has been unable to do so. In the case of 157 missing applications of the private companies, it was decided that all Ministries/departments, Coal India Limited and Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited be asked to trace these records.

Access to records of the Screening Committee and the applications of the private companies is important in the chain of events as it will give an insight into the reasons for allotment or non-allotment of the blocks. The Coalgate probe is being monitored by the Supreme Court and inability to provide the missing records or files to the CBI could impact the process of investigations. It has been revealed that the final minutes of the 26th Screening Committee meeting held on May 1, 2005 were also missing. Both CIL and CMPDI were asked to locate the records. While CMPDI has said that it does not have the copy of the minutes, CIL is yet to reply.

US scraps military drills with Egypt, but not aid

President Barack Obama scrapped plans for joint American-Egyptian military exercises, announcing the first concrete U.S. reaction to the spiralling violence in and around Cairo but stopping well short of withholding $1.3 billion in annual American military aid.

The measured response on Thursday underscored the Obama administration’s concern that revoking financial support could further destabilize Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country and an important U.S. ally in a combustible region. And it was unclear whether the cancellation of the military exercises, known as Bright Star, would have any impact in stemming the violence that threatens the interim Egyptian government’s promises of a political transition following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsy.

Jammu Kashmir Governor for spreading awareness on water bodies

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Sunday emphasised the need for closely involving various elements of the civil society, particularly students, for spreading awareness about conservation of the lakes and water bodies in the State.

"The governor emphasised the need for closely involving various elements of the civil society, particularly senior school and college and university students for spreading awareness about the urgent need for conservation of Dal, Nageen, Manasbal, Wullar and other lakes and water bodies in all regions of the state," an official spokesman said here.

Mr Vohra was reviewing the implementation of various components of the Dal-Nageen Lake Conservation and Management Project at a detailed presentation made by Irfan Yasin, Vice-Chairman, Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), at Raj Bhavan, the spokesman said.

The governor said that every present stakeholder must understand and accept that their interests shall extinguish altogether if there is no Dal lake left.

"It is, therefore, their duty to fight for and protect this fascinating heritage which attracts lakhs of tourists, from within the country and abroad," Mr Vohra said.

He stressed the vital importance of each component of the project being simultaneously implemented within the envisaged time frames if the Dal lake was to be saved.

The spokesman said Vice Chairman LAWDA in his power point presentation, briefed the governor about the to-date status of each of the components of the project and the time schedule for their completion.

Yasin stated that out of 27.90 km main trunk sewers, 26.05 km have been completed while the remaining 1.85 km will be completed by September this year.

Similarly, five intermittent pumping stations have been commissioned while the remaining five will be completed by September this year, he said.

Five Sewage Treatment Plants also stand commissioned, the spokesman added.

Jammu Border Pakistan army attak

Pakistan Army in Jammu region
Fired the gun again in the Indian
Injured player.
The 6 - Pakistan Army on
In the district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir border
5 in defiance of the department of Indian attack
Players said. This
Following India - Pakistan
There has been tension between the back.
Strong central government to Pakistan
Warned. And after
Border attacks continued. 5
Day of the dead soldiers on the border re-
A firefight ensued.
In Jammu region yesterday night
In the Poonch district
In the area of ​​border control line
Pakistan Army
He entered the department violated the Indian
The attack targeted the camps
Conducted.
Small class cannons and guns
Shot. Followed by 7 hours
Held until the early hours of yesterday.
A total of 7,000 rounds
Held until firing. Indian
4.595 rounds players
Responded to shot back.
No one injured in this attack.
24 hours after the attack on the
Saturday morning in Jammu region
Pakistan army gun again
Shot attack.
The attack on the Indian
Border Security Force soldier injured person
Reached. Pavankumar his name.
At the hospital, he immediately
Admitted. The 5 -
Samba district on the
In shootout
Border Security Force chief constable
Ram Niwas Meena injured.
Bullet through the dangerous condition of the
He AIIMS in Delhi hospital
Treatment is obtained.
In the past one week 4
Subsequently, on the border of Pakistan
Someone else involved in the infringement. The
India - Pakistan relationship breakdown
Level erpattullata

Ban ki moon to visit Pakistan on Aug 13

General Secretary of the United Nations
Ban Ki - Moon 2-day visit
The day after tomorrow (Tuesday)
Pakistan goes.
Pakistan will be held on August 14
He is participating in the Independence Day ceremony,
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari,
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Parliamentary
Speaker Sardar Sadiq ayas
Are met with.
In Pakistan
Polio eradication of the disease completely,
Development of education, especially for girls
Like the development of education
With the country's leaders
Seem.
Polio disease worldwide
Many years olikkappattu
Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan
Only on this day in many countries
Polio is succumbing to the disease.
Therefore, appropriate
Drops conducting camps in Pakistan
Polio deaths soon
To put an end to Ban Ki -
Moon insists that the
Expected.

train derailed near the Chennai Basin Bridge railway station

Chennai Basin Bridge railway station,
Yesterday evening, at 6.25 pm
In kummitippunti
Murmarkket train from Chennai
Rain came on toward the power station.
Basin Rail Bridge in the Rain
From the station, about 200 meters
At a distance of rail
High level connections
Was slow in coming.
Then suddenly the train engine
From 2 - to the rear wheel of the box
Both rail
Of railroad track
Have purantu. Readily
Rainer Driving safely
Stopped.
The train came slowly
The accident occurred on a large scale damage
Did not occur. On train travel
For those who do not have any effect.
The other passengers on the train
Were dispatched.
Where rail accident
About 2 meters long rail
Was utaipattu rail. This
Broken
Railroad turuppitittu more
When was thin,
The pressure rail train tankamal
This caused a rift
The accident occurred
Said that.
Ituparriya information as soon
Chennai Central railway station manager
Govindasamy,
Railway Protection Force Management
Security Commissioner S.. R.. Gandhi,
Chennai Central Railway Police
Inspector Shekhar, murmarkket
Railway Protection Force Inspector
Including the police ajitkumar
Railway safety officials Incident
Thronged the place.
About 1 1/2 hours over
Fight night at 8.05 pm
Away from rail to rail
Rail wheels
Rainer went back up.
This
Railway authorities about the accident
When asked about the cause of rail accident
Did not immediately know what it is,
Broken rail by rail
Having an accident? Or rail wheel
Utaintata the rail derailment?
The complete study is undertaken
Would come after that.
Due to this accident
Chennai murmarkket -
Kummitippunti line about 1 1/2
Electric train was delayed by an hour
Went. Express that goes through
And super-fast express train
Departure without delay, in the area
Were only slowly.
Nil is also in line
Electric train 10 minutes to 15
Minutes were late.

India U 23 team training at NCA

The India under-23 team, which is scheduled to compete in the Asian Cricket Council's Emerging Teams Cup at Singapore, is busy training at the National Cricket Academy here.

The ACC tournament will be held at Singapore from August 17 to 25 and besides India and host Singapore, the other teams are Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE, Afghanistan and Nepal.

The Indian team's coach Mukund Parmar expressed confidence in the squad and said: "We are confident of doing well in the series as several of our players have played for India 'A' sides.

"I want to prepare the team in such a way that they would be raring to go when they reach Singapore. We have a balanced side and batting is our strength with skipper Surya Kumar Yadav, K.L. Rahul, under-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand and Ashok Menaria, besides two all-rounders in Akshar Patel and Baba Aparajith who can deliver when it matters."

The team: Surya Kumar Yadav (captain), K.L. Rahul (vice-captain), Kaustubh Pawar, Ankit Bawane, Unmukt Chand, Ashok Menaria, Manpreet Juneja, B. Aparajith, Smit Patel, Prashant Chopra, Jasprit Bumrah, Sandeep Warrier, Harshal Patel, Akshar Patel and Sandeep Sharma.

NLFT (NB) militant surrenders

The dreaded extremist who led an armed insurgency against Indian sovereignty to achieve a separate tribal homeland had to face hunger and left without treatment for days. He even could not pay his stannous train journey for five days to give him up to the police at Teliamura, 30 km east of Agartala, on Friday night.

Nayanabasi Jamatia was self style chief of a faction of the National Liberation Front of Tripura, popularly known as NLFT (NB) after it parted ways from the main group in 2001. The former trooper of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) was 'most wanted' in records of the police and intelligence agencies for his involvement in plentiful incidents of killing, kidnapping, extortion and bloody ambush on security forces.

"He is sick; he has serious hand injuries and looks completely exhausted. It is hard to recognise him from a look", an officer of the special branch (SB) of police said on Saturday. Jamatia is currently lodged in a SB cell in Agartala where he is questioned by senior security officers, but also provided medical attention.

Nayanbasi Jamatia and his henchmen were lodged in a peace dialogue with the state government and the union home ministry in 2004 after a 'cease fire arrangement' was struck. However he got annoyed with arrest of TSR havildar Rohid Mia, accused of conniving with the NLFT to kill eight security personnel and loot a huge cache of weapons, from the vicinity where the extremist leaders were given accommodation in Agartala during peace process.

The beleaguered extremist leader suddenly disappeared, but his fellow leaders and extremists, surrendered on December 22, 2004 at strength of a peace agreement. The returnees were given rehabilitation and monetary support to start afresh in mainstream of life.

Jamatia reportedly returned to his hideout in Bangladesh, but was caught in connection with a criminal incident and spent some years in jail. "He was recently freed from jail and managed to cross over to Malda in West Bengal on August 5 from where he started journey in trains to reach his home at Trishabari in Teliamura", the officer informed on basis of inputs they got from Jamatia.

Police informed his father and son escorted him to Teliamura sub-division police officer Chandan Saha late Friday night. The extremist leader surrendered ending his association with underground movement.

Sources said Jamatia was suffering from hunger and could not get treatment for want of money and even managed his train journeys without tickets. One of his family members said they didn't recognise him immediately when he entered the house.

Nayanbasi Jamatia's longtime associate and former vice president of BM faction of the NLFT, Buchung Borok, welcomed his decision to surrender. "We fail to understand why he left the peace process in 2004", Mr Borok told The Hindu adding that it was good that he (Jamatia) too understood there is no alternative to peace.

He would be produced in a court on Sunday.

Belfast anarchy : 56 Police officers hurt in Ireland

Northern Ireland's police chief vowed on Saturday to hunt down and imprison scores of Protestant militants after they attacked and wounded 56 officers protecting a parade by Irish Republican Army supporters.

Friday night's outbreak of violence in downtown Belfast could be just the first in a tense weekend involving disputed parades by both the Irish Catholic and British Protestant extremes of society.

Senior police said Protestant extremists encouraged by social-media messages rallied to block the parade on Royal Avenue, Belfast's major shopping boulevard. Some wore British flags as capes or masks, and tore up scaffolding and pavement stones, to attack police girded in full riot gear.

Police responded by striking rioters with water cannons and 26 plastic bullets, which are blunt-nosed cylinders designed to deal punishing blows without penetrating the flesh. Several protesters could be seen walking away from the clash with bloodied faces.

Protestant politicians said security officials should never have authorized what they called a deliberately provocative march by Irish republican hard-liners opposed to Northern Ireland's peace process.

After rival crowds of march supporters and opponents briefly traded salvos of rocks and bottles, march organizers abandoned their plan to parade past Belfast City Hall and instead diverted it back into Catholic west Belfast.

Britain's government minister for Northern Ireland condemned the Protestant mobs for "utterly disgraceful" behaviour.

"Whatever people think about the merits of the parade or the views of the people taking part in the parade, the rule of law has to be respected," said Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers.

Chief Constable Matt Baggott told a Belfast news conference on Saturday that Northern Ireland's prison population soon "will be bulging" as detectives used video footage to identify rioters.

Mr. Baggott said seven rioters were arrested on Friday night for attacks on police and the hijacking of cars, one of which was set on fire in the middle of the planned parade route. "You can be assured that many more (arrests) will follow," he said.

Child torture victim shifted to Vellore hospital

Shafeeq, the five year-old torture victim, was on Saturday shifted from the St. John s Hospital here to the Vellore Medical College for further treatment as per a decision taken by the government.

The boy, who had crossed the critical stage, was taken in an ambulance around 5 am, hospital authorities said. He will be given physiotherapy and brain analysis at the rehabilitation unit of the hospital there. An official of the hospital here who accompanied him to Vellore said that he was admitted in the casualty unit and will soon be soon shifted to the rehabilitation unit. He was taken in an ordinary ambulance and his physical condition was sound now, he said.

Shafeeq was admitted to the hospital here in a serious condition on July 16 with a damaged brain and wounds all over the body allegedly inflicted by his father Shereef and step mother Aneesha, who were arrested later.

After public outcry, the government decided to bear all the expenses of his treatment. It was a decision taken at the cabinet meeting to shift the boy to the Vellore hospital for improved treatment in the third stage of it.

The boy was given treatment here as per the direction of an expert medical team from Kottayam Medical College.

Illegal sand mining rampant in Gautam Budh Nagar: Panel

Close on the heels of the crackdown on sand mining mafia by IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, a Central panel has found "rampant, unscientific and illegal" mining going on at various locations in the Gautam Budh Nagar District along the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh.

The 2010-batch IAS officer was suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government in the wake of the crackdown, sparking nation-wide outrage.

A three-member panel set up by Union Environment Ministry said it has found evidence of illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar district.

The panel in its report submitted to Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan on Saturday said, "In view of the observations of the Committee, existing legal frame work and the directions given by the various courts for mining of minor minerals it is evident that rampant, unscientific and illegal mining has been going on at various locations in the Gautam Budh Nagar District along the Yamuna River."

"This is in violation of the environmental regulations, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and the directions given by the Supreme Court, High Court of Allahabad and NGT New Delhi," it says.

The report brings to light incidents of ecological violations in the area and has also given photographic evidence of the havoc caused by the illegal mining.

The committee headed by Saroj, a director in the Environment Ministry, was asked to enquire into adverse environmental impact of alleged illegal sand mining in the UP district.

The panel, in which deputy collector of mines of IBM Dehradun office G C Meena and director in the regional office of Environment Ministry in Lucknow K K Garg as members, was asked to submit its report this week.

The team was constituted following various reports highlighting the menace of alleged illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar. The Ministry says that "illegal mining has serious environmental and ecological repercussions."

Ms. Nagpal, the 28-year-old SDM (Sadar)of G B Nagar, who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district, was suspended on July 27 ostensibly for ordering demolition of an under-construction mosque's wall allegedly without following the due process. She was later charge-sheeted and shifted to the Revenue Board.

SL water protest: US demands transparent inquiry on military attacks

The United States has expressed concern over the Sri Lankan military's fatal shooting of three civilians and attack on people seeking protection in a church during a recent protest demanding clean drinking water.

In a statement issued on Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said "there was no excuse for violence, especially in a house of worship."

Residents of the town of Weliweriya, northeast of Colombo, and surrounding villages protested on Aug. 1 against a factory that allegedly discharged toxic waste, polluting drinking water.

Church authorities and witnesses said the military shot at unarmed protesters, killing two teenagers and a 29-year-old man. The Roman Catholic Church condemned the military for attacking civilians who sought refuge inside St. Anthony's Church during the crackdown.

"We call for a thorough and transparent inquiry into all aspects of the Weliweriya violence, for those conclusions to be made public, and for there to be a credible mechanism to prosecute any wrongdoing," Ms. Psaki's statement said.

Government ministers blamed a third party for instigating the protesters to provoke soldiers, and said the troops acted in self-defence after being hit by rocks and gasoline bombs.

The government often blames unnamed third parties or foreign governments wanting a change in government of being behind public protests.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the government's "knee-jerk reaction" is to deny responsibility.

"Instead of promoting the military's version of events, the government should order an independent investigation and prosecute anyone who violated the law," the rights group's South Asia director, Meenakshi Ganguly, was quoted as saying.

Chennai Express sets thundering pace

After shattering the paid preview collection record held by 3 Idiots since 2009, the Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer Chennai Express might well be on the way to equal Salman Khan's Ek Tha Tiger opening collection of Rs 31 crore.

The Disney UTV and Red Chillies Entertainment co-production raked in Rs 6.75 crore in paid preview collections ( made Rs 2.75 crore) and saw heavy footfalls on Friday. The collections are expected to sustain over the weekend and pundits peg the festive weekend collections to amount to Rs 85-90 crore.

Ganga flowing close to danger mark

Most places in Uttarakhand on Saturday received light rains though the river Ganga was flowing close to the danger mark, flooding some villages.

Most of the places across the state, including Dehradun, received light showers, the MeT department said on Saturday.

While Nainital received 17.6 mm of rains, Dehradun received just 4 mm of rains in the last 24 hours, it said.

The sky is clear in the state capital since morning, it added.

However, Haldwani in Nainital district received heavy showers with the maximum 112 mm rainfall recorded there in the past 24 hours, the weather man said.

Incessant rains over the past few days has swollen the Ganga at Haridwar, which was flowing close to the danger mark on Friday, inundating some villages in Luxor area, state Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC) here said on Saturday.

About 600-700 affected people have been evacuated to safety by the administration, it said.

The Ganga in Haridwar is flowing at 293.70 metres, whereas the danger mark is 294 metres, the DMMC said.

Pauri district was also lashed by moderate rains over the past few days with most of the rivers and canals in Lansdown area in spate.

The administration has asked people living close to the banks of rivers like Nayal and Mander in the area to move to safer places.

Power supply has been affected for the past 15 hours in Kedar valley, authorities here said.

Sindhu settles for bronze medal in World Championship

India’s rising shuttler P V Sindhu on
Saturday settled for a bronze medal at the
World Championships after suffering a
straight-game defeat against world number
three Ratchanok Inthanon in the semifinals
of the prestigious event.
World number 12 Sindhu, playing in her
maiden World Championships, had notched
up stunning victories against two Chinese
players in the run-up to the semifinals but
she failed to out it cross Ratchanok, going
down 10-21 13-21 in a 36-minute women’s
singles match.
Ratchanok mixed her strokes well and
moved smoothly across the court. Sindhu,
on the other hand, committed too many
unforced errors allowing her opponent to
move into the interval at 11-4 in the
opening game.
Ratchanok used her deceptive shots to
flummox Sindhu, who struggled in
anticipation. The Indian failed to gauge the
Thai girl’s game and also ended up hitting
the shuttle wide and out to allow Ratchanok
to move to 19-10.
Ratchanok then moved to a 10-point lead
with a straight baseline smash and with
Sindhu hitting out again, the Thai had the
upper-hand after the opening game.
Sindhu struggled with her strokes in the
second game too as her returns were buried
into the net and she also made some
judgemental errors as Ratchanok opened up
a 8-1 lead early on.
A few points at the net saw Sindhu make it
5-10 but another unforced error by the
Indian took Ratchanok to 11-5 at the break.
Ratchanok was accurate and played some
sensational strokes to leave Sindhu without
any answer. Sindhu tried to match
Ratchanok in the rallies but the Thai girl
was always a step ahead with her wide
array of strokes.
Leading 19-12, Ratchanok earned eight
match points when Sindhu’s shuttle went
out again. Sindhu saved one match point
with a smash but Ratchanok soon grabbed
the last point with a jump smash which
caught Sindhu off-guard.
Ratchanok, 18, is the first shuttler from her
country to be assured of a silver at the
World Championship.
The Thailand girl won the India Open in
New Delhi and also the Thailand Open
Grand Prix Gold this year. She is also a
three-time world junior championship gold-
medallist. She is also a silver-medallist
from the 2010 Asian Games here.

One killed, five injured in coal mishap

One person was killed and five others injured when coal dump caved in near an open cast mine area of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) in Sundargarh district of Odisha on Saturday.

The incident took place when some people from nearby villages were collecting coal from the overburden dump at Kulda opencast mine in Basundhara-Garjanbahal area, an MCL spokesman said.

Some of them came under a heap as a portion of the coal dump suddenly collapsed, he said adding a rescue operation was immediately launched at the site.

Six persons were rescued and rushed to a nearby MCL hospital where one of them was declared dead, he said adding the five others were undergoing treatment.

Some more people are suspected to be still trapped inside and a clear picture would emerge after the rescue operation is complete, sources said.

Rescue operation was in progress by a team of MCL along with government agencies and personnel from the district administration and police, MCL sources said adding senior officials are monitoring the operation.

Eaton gets fast start into decathlon at worlds

Olympic champion Ashton Eaton started his quest for the decathlon world title with a season-best 100 metres run as the athletics world championships kicked off on Saturday.

The American ran 10.35 seconds for 1,011 points to lead Canadian Damian Warner (10.43, 992 points) and holder Trey Hardee of the U.S. (10.52, 970).

Also scheduled for the morning session at a sparsely filled but sun-flooded Luzhniki stadium were women’s discus and men’s pole vault qualifying, men’s 100m preliminaries and men’s 800m heats.

The day’s finals are the women’s marathon (1000 GMT) and men’s 10,000m (1455 GMT), before Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt is to appear in the 100m heats from 1615 GMT onwards.

A record 1,974 athletes from 206 countries have entered the biggest single sports event of the year, which runs until August 18.

The Russian hosts suffered a late triple blow, with women’s 3,000m steeplechase world and Olympic champion Yulia Zaripova pulling out injured. Olympic 50km walk champion Sergey Kirdyapkin and three-times 20km walk world champion Olga Kaniskina also withdrew, reportedly for health reasons.

NEERI accused of unsafe dumping of toxic chemical, hazardous waste

A scientist fellow in the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) at Nagpur on Friday alleged that the NEERI was indulging in “unsafe dumping of toxic chemical and hazardous waste inside its premises”.
According to Manish Rahate, a Scientist Fellow at NEERI since 2010, the NEERI s mandate and the sole purpose of existence is to safeguard environment and provide solution to control environmental pollution.
“But the NEERI is doing exactly opposite to its mandate by giving feasible reports for pollution spreading industrial establishments. I have recently exposed the unsafe dumping of toxic chemical and hazardous waste inside the NEERI’s premises and release of untreated toxic chemicals in normal drainage system meeting Nag River and ultimately polluting Gosikhurd Dam” Mr. Rahate told The Hindu.

Mr. Rahate also pointed out that the elite institution whose mandate also includes rendering assistance to the industries of the region, local bodies in solving the problems of environmental pollution, is releasing toxic waste without any pre-treatment inside the institute premises like heavy metals, chemicals, acids and other environmental hazardous materials in natural water streams.
According to an ISO Periodic report for the period of August 2012 to July 2013, there is no proper monitoring mechanism at present to verify whether effluent and waste disposal is as per norms. The NEERI has hardly taken any substantial initiative so far which can highlight its concern for environmental initiatives through its operators within its premises.
Mr. Rahate also claimed that the institute “banned” him from entering into its premises.
But the NEERI has refuted all the allegations levelled by Mr. Rahate.
In a press release, the institution said the hazardous waste (Handling, Management & Transboundary) rules are meant for production or industrial use of chemicals. NEERI uses chemicals not for production or industrial use, but only for analytical and R&D purpose. NEERI does not produce any hazardous waste. If someone claims about the existence of toxic material, the related analytical data need to be produced in support of the claim specifically with reference to that particular toxic material, as there are various processes and stipulated limits of chemicals defined in the rule, beyond which specific chemical becomes toxic.
Calling the allegations levelled by Mr. Rahate as “extremely false and unsubstantiated” the press release said the ISO objection in question had not referred about any toxic waste lying in NEERI. The NEERI is following national environmental norms, but there is always scope of improvement and accordingly NEERI management has already taken initiatives in this direction as per the ISO recommendations.
Dr. Prakash Kumbahre, the PRO of NEERI denied that Mr. Rahate has been banned from entering the institute’s premises.

Ranveer Singh Madly In Love With Deepika Padukone

Ranveer Singh is totally smitten by the leggy lass Deepika Padukone .The two have refrained from admitting to being in a relation but as they say action speaks louder than words. Ranveer has been besides Deepika in most of the promotional events for Chennai Express.

As per sources“Deepika has been busy travelling for her film with Shah Rukh Khan. Ranveer has been spotted accompanying them a couple of times. A few days back, when SRK and Deepika went to meet swimming champ Moin Junedi who is physically challenged and is going to participate in the World Junior Games at Puerto Rico, USA Ranveer was in tow.”

The two are so close that Dippy even visits or hangs out with him in the places of his choice.

Giant stride for country - PM on nuclear reactor INS Arihant

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday congratulated scientists and defence personnel on the reactor on India’s first nuclear submarine INS Arihant going critical, calling it a “giant stride” in the progress of the country’s indigenous technological capabilities.
“I am delighted to learn that the nuclear propulsion reactor on board INS Arihant, India’s first indigenous nuclear powered submarine, has now achieved criticality,” the Prime Minister said in a statement.

“Today’s development represents a giant stride in the progress of our indigenous technological capabilities. It is testimony to the ability of our scientists, technologists and defence personnel to work together for mastering complex technologies in the service of our nation’s security,” he said.
Extending congratulations to all those associated with the important milestone, particularly the Department of Atomic Energy, the Indian Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organization, Dr. Singh said he looked forward to the early commissioning of INS Arihant.
In a major step towards completing its nuclear triad, India activated the atomic reactor on-board the indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant paving the way for its operational deployment by the Navy.

After the nuclear reactor is activated, the agencies concerned can work towards readying the warship for operational deployments soon.
INS Arihant has been undergoing trials at Navy’s key submarine base in Vishakhapatnam and would be launched for sea trials soon since the nuclear reactor has gone critical.

Djokovic to face Nadal in Rogers Cup semifinals

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal swept into the semfinals of the Rogers Cup with rapid victories on Friday, though their upcoming semifinal will for once take second billing to an all-Canadian affair in the other half of the draw.

Djokovic beat seventh-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 6-1, 6-2; and the fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic 6-2, 6-4. Djokovic extended his Rogers Cup winning streak to 13 matches.

A Djokovic-Nadal semifinal would normally be the feature act, but for success-starved home fans, it will be the clash of Canadian compatriots Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil that will take most attention.

The tournament once called the Canadian Open was guaranteed to have its first home finalist since Robert Bedard in 1958.

"It means a lot, not just to us, but to Canadian tennis," Raonic said. "It's an opportunity, a great, great moment. At the same time, it's another tennis match. That doesn't change."

Pospisil became the first Canadian since Mike Belkin in 1969 to reach the final four of the event when Russia's Nikolay Davydenko retired due to illness. Pospisil led 3-0 in the first set when Davydenko stopped playing.

Raonic, the 11th seed, rode the spirited support of the center court crowd for a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-4 victory over Ernests Gulbis, the Latvian who knocked out second-seeded Andy Murray on Thursday.

"I was expecting it to be very difficult," Raonic said. "He had a great win yesterday. He's especially dangerous when he gets matches under him and he's feeling well. He wasn't really making many errors."

It will be the first meeting between Raonic and Pospisil in an ATP Tour tournament. Pospisil holds a 3-1 edge in their four meetings in lower level events, but Raonic took the most recent match in 2010.

"Exciting match," said Pospisil. "Two Canadians in the semifinal, one guaranteed to be in the final. It's a historic moment for tennis in Canada.

"We know each other very well. Since we were little kids. You've got to give the edge to Milos, for sure. I have the edge in terms of head-to-head (matchups), but things have changed in the last two years. My run here doesn't change anything here in terms of that. But we'll see how it goes."

Hema , uncle sam is waitting for hema

BANGALORE: She is an Indian-American IT
professional working for the US government.
She has money troubles and her car was
repossessed recently. She speaks openly of
unhappiness with American foreign policy and
she visits her family in India twice a year.
Uncle Sam is watching her.
Or at least, Uncle Sam is asking her co-
workers to keep a watch on her. Because
Uncle Sam thinks she could be what he calls an
"insider threat".
A security training test created by a US
defence department agency warns federal
workers that they should consider the
hypothetical Indian-American woman "Hema" a
"high threat" if she meets three or more "high
risk" indicators.
"Hema" is just one of the stock characters in a
slide prepared by the Defense Information
Systems Agency (DISA) that also features
"Todd", "Jack", "Maria" and "Samuel."
The "Insider Threat" programme developed by
the Obama administration is ostensibly aimed
at stopping the next Bradley Manning or
Edward Snowden from spilling classified or
sensitive information. But what is startling is
that Hema's political dissatisfaction and her
travels to her home country are treated, with
scant reason, as "threat indicators" even while
the slide says she demonstrates "adequate
work quality". DISA's test, dubbed the
"CyberAwareness Challenge", was produced in
October 2012, a month before the Obama
administration finalized its Insider Threat
policy. Reported first by the McClatchy News
Service, the slide about "Hema" is included in
a section of the training about "insider
threats" which are defined by an accompanying
guide as "threats from people who have access
to the organization's information systems and
may cause loss of physical inventory, data, and
other security risks."
In a statement to The Huffington Post, a
Pentagon spokesman said DISA was sensitive to
any civil liberty concerns that might arise from
any portion of the curriculum, which is why it
coordinated with 26 federal agencies "to
ensure the maximum amount of input was
received before going live".
"When considering personnel for a position of
trust that requires a security clearance, there
are many potential indicators that must be
considered when evaluating for insider threat
concerns," the spokesman explained. "The
department takes these variables into
consideration based on past examples of
personnel who engaged in spying or treasonous
acts."
So "Hema", the next time you are ticked off
with US foreign policy, it may be wise not to
speak about it, and not go to your home
country even if you are a loyal citizen of the
United States. Especially if you have money
problems to boot. Evidently, just the act of
dissenting on US foreign policy is sufficient to
raise a red flag.

PMO seeks views on private firm’s move on gas grid connectivity with Bangladesh

The Prime Minister's Office has sought the views of the External Affairs and Petroleum Ministries on a private sector player's proposal for putting in place strategic gas grid connectivity between India and Bangladesh and also for building a floating LNG terminal near Chittagong.

In a note to both Ministries, the PMO has forwarded the proposal by H-Energy East Coast Pvt Ltd (HEECPL) to transport gas from its proposed LNG import terminal facility in Digha in West Bengal to Jessore in energy-deficient Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, which is experiencing a shortfall of 500 million cubic feet of gas a day, has already proposed to set up a floating import terminal close to Chittagong to handle around 5 million tonne per annum of LNG.

In his presentation to the PMO and the National Security Advisor, Proshanto Banerjee, a former GAIL Chairman and Managing Director and now advisor (Business Development), HEECPL, has said the four-million tonne per annum floating LNG terminal, being promoted by the Hiranandani Group company in the offshore Digha region, is expected to be operational by 2015.

This facility, it is intended, will supply gas to West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar and some northern States through the proposed Haldia-Jagdishpur pipeline of GAIL India and also connect Kolkata.

"Since Kolkata is about 80 km from the Indo-Bangladesh border at Petropol, it should be readily feasible to extend the Haldia-Jagdishpur pipeline to Petropol from Kolkata and further down Petrapol is about 46 km from the gas grid of Bangladesh passing through Jessore," says Mr. Banerjee's letter.

'Cost-effective option'

It argues that the proposal will enable PetroBangla to import LNG from a source of its choice at a competitive price and have it re-gasified in the facility planned by HEECPL in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh could take delivery of gas at the Petropol border, a cost-effective option.

"The Bangladesh government is very keen on this proposal," Mr. Banerjee said. A copy of his letter has been forwarded to NSA Shivshankar Menon.

Protests after odisha teenager set on fire by stalker dies

State Cuttack, near Odessa, to love
Refusing 7 - Class of studying
Student Sujata 2 people
Erittullanar attack alive. The Heavy
The injured student, the
For two weeks in Cuttack
She continued to receive treatment in hospital.
With 70 percent of the burn,
His health deteriorated.
He fought for life in Delhi
Safdarjung
Go to the hospital
Decided.
The last night in ampulanc
Loader Flight
Took me to the station. But the
He died on the way. But the
The student's death
Parents and doctors
Did not report.
On the way to the student பொருத்தப்பட்டிருந்த
Doctors artificial breathing apparatus
Removing. Still
Not the reason. 6 hours
Bhubaneswar later
Vantapirake student's death in hospital
Said.
On hearing the news, parents and
Musharraf has relatives.
Principal responsibility for student death
Naveen Patnaik should resign
That they
Government urged hospital sudden ago
Engaged in the struggle.
Violence erupted in the strike.
Protesters
Smashed into the hospital.
Set fire to buses.
He said there
Build-position control
Brought. The incident
There was great excitement.
If the government was negligent
Student dead and
The chief responsibility and
Both health minister to resign
And state Congress chief
Stressed.

48 more bodies extricated from Kedarnath area

Forty-eight more bodies were extricated from the heaps of rubble in Uttarakhand's worst flood-hit Kedarnath area by police and NDRF personnel, even as four persons were feared dead when their jeep fell into the swollen Mandakini river.

The bodies, extricated since Thursday, were consigned to flames after necessary rituals, officials said on Friday. With this, the total number of bodies disposed of at the Himalayan shrine area has reached 188 since the start of operations over a month ago.

The police and NDRF personnel had a tough time in pulling out the bodies from the debris, as they had to cut through iron rods of the collapsed structures. While 25 bodies were extricated on Thursday, 23 were pulled out on Friday.

Rs 5 lakh in cash, along with items like voter ID cards, mark-sheets and debit cards have been recovered from the Kedarnath area during the clearing-up operations, the officials said.

In Ranikhet, four persons were feared dead after their jeep fell into the swollen Mandakini river on Thursday. The vehicle, on its way to Chabndrapuri in Rudraprayag district from Agastyamuni, was swept away by the river's swirling waters.

Heavy rains continued to lash Uttarkashi and Ranikhet districts of the state on Friday, affecting relief operations.

Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway was blocked at a number of places beyond Netala in Uttarkashi district due to debris rolling down from the hills, even as an electric pole fell due to heavy rains at Gufiyara, leading to power breakdown at many places in Rudraprayag district, officials said.

India celebrates Eid with fervour, prayers

A festive spirit gripped India on Eid on Friday with millions of Muslims offering special prayers at mosques and idgahs, exchanging greetings and gifts along with warm embraces and taking part in feasts with friends and family.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur drove to the residence of Vice President Hamid Ansari to greet him on the festival, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramzan.

Despite overcast conditions and scattered rains in some areas, hundreds of faithful dressed in their festive best turned up at historic Jama Masjid, Fathepuri Masjid, Hazrat Nizamuddin and other mosques in the city to offer prayers.

Aussies rely on DRS for breakthrough in 4th test

Australia relied on the much-criticized Hot Spot technology to make an early breakthrough in the fourth Ashes test as England labored to 57-1 by lunch on the opening day.

Joe Root (16) was initially given not out by the on-field umpire when he edged Shane Watson behind to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, but Australia asked for a review and Hot Spot showed the faintest of nicks.

Captain Alastair Cook was 21 not out and Jonathan Trott unbeaten on 13 as England made slow progress on Friday at the start of a match which it needed to draw or win to clinch a third straight Ashes series.

The English are 2-0 up in the five-match series and have already retained the Ashes.

The buildup to Chester-le-Street's first Ashes test had been dominated by the controversy surrounding the Decision Review System, with Australian broadcaster Channel Nine claiming this week that silicon tape might have been attached to the edges of bats to "fool" the technology in light of a string of contentious calls in the opening three matches.

Those claims were angrily denied by both teams, who went on to reiterate their support for DRS, but the flap meant excitement spread through the ground when Australia appealed the Root decision after England had crawled to 34 off 17.3 overs.

Third umpire Marais Erasmus wasted no time in overturning the call of on-field umpire Tony Hill when the smallest of white marks was shown on Root's bat on the replays. Snickometer confirmed the edge, too.

Root had been the busier of the two openers, with Cook very watchful as he saw off the new ball after winning the toss under brightening skies in the north-east. It made for a dull opening session as England struggled to get the accurate Watson (1-8 off seven overs) or debutant Jackson Bird (0-15 off eight overs) away.

When drinks were taken after the first hour, England was 31-0 after 14 overs.

Trott came in for Root and only got off the mark when he edged Peter Siddle through the slip cordon for four, one of only three boundaries before lunch.

England was unchanged from the drawn third test at Old Trafford while Australia dropped Mitchell Starc for Bird.

Sindhu into semis, assures India of bronze

P.V. Sindhu assured India of at least a bronze medal in the World Badminton Championships on Friday by defeating former World No.1 Shixian Wang in the women’s singles quarterfinals event in Guangzhou.

The World No.12 beat the seventh-seeded Chinese 21-18, 21-17 in 55 minutes at the Tianhe Indoor Stadium.

This will be only the third instance that an Indian will bring home a medal at the Worlds.

Prakash Padukone won the men’s singles bronze in 1983 at Copenhagen while Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won another bronze in the women’s doubles event in the last edition at London in 2011.