Situation peacefull in farmers’ unrest hit Greater Noida, other areas

The day passed off peacefully in Greater Noida and other areas of farmers' unrest today but hectic political activities are on.A section of farmers also held demonstration in Karchana area near Allahabad. The famers have been protesting their land acquisition in lower rates for last several months. After assurance from the State government an agreement was signed for higher compensation. But the farmers alleged that the promise has not been fulfilled .The Karchana site chosen for a power plant will be developed by a private group. The BJP leader and former Chief Minister Rajnath Singh who arrested briefly said the Mayawati-led Uttar Pradesh government is anti-farmer. He told reporters in Greater Noida that the state government should not forcefully acquire farmers' land. Leader of opposition in state assembly and Samajwadi part leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said that Mayawati is behaving undemocratically. Criticising the land acquisitions policy he said both centre and state are working against the interest of farmers.

HPV vaccine: A.P. issues orders to educational institutions

The Andhra Pradesh government had issued an order for the smooth implementation of the ‘cancer cervix vaccination programme' in Khammam district. It had ordered all educational institutions to support the efforts of the Health Department in implementing the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine programme.

Final HPV enquiry report finds evidence of ethical violations

The final report of the committee appointed by the Centre to enquire into alleged irregularities in the conduct of studies using Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine has found enough evidence to suggest that there were large-scale ethical violations during the conduct of “post-licensure observational study,” be it in obtaining the consent of the young girls on whom the trial was conducted, or on issues related to safety, follow up, and reporting of adverse events.

EC provides unprecedented security cover for final phase of Bengal poll

With the last and sixth phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, covering 14 constituencies, all set to begin at 7 a.m. on Tuesday (May 10), the Election Commission has made “unprecedented security arrangements” considering all the constituencies come under the hotbed of naxal activities.

Panel to suggest pesticide alternatives

The State government has set up a committee to suggest alternatives to the pesticides banned by it on Saturday and draw up revised crop-management packages.The committee consists of the Director of Agriculture; the heads of the Department of Extension and the Department of Research of Kerala Agricultural University; the Additional Director (Co-production) of Agriculture Department; and the Chairman of the State Biodiversity Board. It has been asked to submit the recommendations in 10 days.

Manmohan speaks to Obama

A week after the killing of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday night spoke to U.S. President Barack Obama over phone and discussed the situation in the region.Sources, however, did not say whether the two leaders discussed the bin Laden issue.A PMO spokesman said Dr. Singh and Mr. Obama discussed further growth and development of India-U.S. relations and the situation in the region.

Faces behind Facebook

‘Done is better than perfect,' sounds good? How about unleashing the painter in you on a clean bare wall? And then indulging in some more fun in ‘after-hour' activity? Sounds too good to be true? This is only a glimpse of how life is at the Facebook office.You log in everyday and stay connected for hours here. You update and comment, post albums, events, videos and also become a farmer. All this and more on the social networking site — Facebook. How often have you traced old friends and got traced through this networking site. Then there are those who met on this virtual space and also tied the knot. Ever wondered how all this is possible?

Mary Kom clinches gold in Asian Cup Women's Boxing

Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom has clinched her first gold medal of the year by finishing on top in the Asian Cup Women's Boxing tournament in Haikou, China.The Indian Boxing Federation said in a statement that the mother-of-two from Manipur claimed the gold after beating Asian champion Kim Myong Sim of North Korea 4-3 in the 48 kg category final.Playing her first tournament since her bronze medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, Mary Kom had made a place in the last two of her weight division after drubbing Kate Appari of Philippines. However, the other Indian in fray, Pavitra (57kg) had to face defeat in the finals as she lost 6-11 to Tossamalee Thonalan of Thailand.

Common Entrance Test for Three Sanskrit Universities

A common entrance test (CET) was held for taking admission to the professional courses in Teacher’s training as well as for Registration for Vidyavaridhi (Ph.D.) degree in three Sanskrit Universities of the country, namely the Rashtriya Sanskrti Sansthan(RSKS), New Delhi, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeeth(SLBSRSV),New Delhi and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (RSV), Tirupati. Prior to this step taken by the HRD Ministry to hold a common test for 6000 students who sat every year for separate Entrance Tests in each of the three Universities, for admission to the Shikshashastri (B.Ed.) course. Each students having registered for the CET was provided sufficient literature and guidance to appear for the common Entrance Test. Steps have also been taken to convert ICR forms into OMR and question papers were designed to test the language skills, general awareness, comprehension and aptitude for teaching of the examinees. For candidates willing to take admission for Vidyavaridhi research programme, the CET was designed to test aptitude for research and application of interpretative and analytical methods.

Govt to assess whether economic growth is hurting environment

NCT:Amid a debate over economic growth verses environment, the government has decided to conduct an assessment of the impact of GDP growth on ecology using Green Accounting System and the process will be completed by 2015.The government will soon set up of an expert group headed by environmental economist Partha Dasgupta to provide a road map for Green National Accounting (GNA) system to evaluate impact of economic growth on environment by 2015, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told reporters here on Monday.

Turkey hosts UN forum on world's poorest nations

A United Nations conference aimed at helping the world’s poorest people opened on Monday with dire warnings about the threat of rising food and fuel prices to the vulnerable.There were also calls to seize investment opportunities in developing countries.U.N. Secretary—General Ban Ki—moon was among up to 8,000 delegates who converged on Istanbul for the conference on “least—developed countries,” which lists 48 members in its ranks. Thirty—three are in Africa, 14 are in Asia and one - Haiti - is in the Americas.

Award death penalty for honour killings, says Supreme Court

Holding honour killings as a slur on the nation and a barbaric, feudal practice that ought to be stamped out, the Supreme Court on Monday directed courts to view such cases as “rarest of rare” category for awarding death penalty to the convicts.“In our opinion honour killings, for whatever reason, come within the category of rarest of rare cases deserving death punishment. It is time to stamp out these barbaric, feudal practices which are a slur on our nation.

ISRO, arms deals to be covered under Jan Lokpal: Hegde

Organisations like Indian Space Research Organisation and arms deals would also be brought under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal bill, Karnataka Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde said on Monday.“We propose to cover organisations like ISRO and arms deals under the purview of Jan Lokpal as they are important from internal security angle, besides the Prime Minister above all who will come under its jurisdiction”, Mr. Hegde, part of the 10-member Joint Drafting Committee on Lokpal Bill, told reporters in Bangalore.

Civil engineers have bright avenues: education consultant

TN:Decide a course, not based on the past performance of a particular sector, but on the future prospects of that sector. Because what did well in the past need not do well in the future, Jayaprakash Gandhi, educational consultant, said here on Sunday.

UN summit on Least Developed Countries begins

A five-day UN summit with 48 leaders of the world's Least Developed Countries (LDCs) began in Istanbul today. The summit will focus on the actions to be taken in the next 10 years to help the least developed countries. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in his opening remarks said investing in the LDCs can provide the stimulus that will help to propel and sustain global economic recovery and stability. He said, instead of seeing LDC's as the poor and weak, it is time these 48 countries are recognised as best reservoir of untouched potential. Ban stressed the need to support agriculture in LDCs, in which 70 percent of the population is employed.

Prasad, Jilani welcome Supreme Court ruling on Ayodhya

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad and Sunni Waqf Board counsel Zafaryab Jilani on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict staying the Allahabad High Court verdict dividing the site of the razed Babri Masjid in Ayodhya into three parts and terming it “strange”. 

 

German Chancellor Angela Markel selected for 2009 Jawahar Lal Nehru Award

German Chancellor Angela Markel has been selected for the prestigious Jawahar Lal Nehru award- 2009 for promoting international understanding. The jury headed by the Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari has taken a decision to this effect. A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs says India recognizes her personal devotion and efforts for sustainable and equitable development besides handling the emerging challenges of the 21st century. The award carries one crore rupees in cash, a trophy and a citation. 

Courtesy : AIR

Arts village to vie for tourist patronage

TVM:The Arts and Crafts Village of Kerala Tourism at Vellar, near here, will become fully functional before the next peak tourist season.Announcing this here on Sunday, M. Sivasankar, Director of Tourism, said the Kudumbasree units would have a permanent facility to market their products at the stalls in the village.Mr. Sivasankar was speaking at the valedictory function of a three-day workshop, “Weekend in Vellar,” for members of the Balasabha, a collective of the children of Kudumbasree workers.

Domestic car sales up 13 per cent, bikes 23 per cent in April

Car sales in India posted the slowest growth rate in 22 months in April this year at 13.18 per cent as rising interest rates and declining consumer confidence impacted automobile sales across the country.According to figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) today, domestic passenger car sales stood at 1,62,825 units in April, as against 1,43,862 units in the same month last year.

India-New Zealand to fast track FTA, enhance economic engagement

NZ:India will fast track the Free Trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with New Zealand to enhance economic engagement between the two nations and work towards taking the total bilateral trade to $3 billion by 2014 from the present $1 billion.Speaking at the Indian New Zealand Joint Business Council meeting held here, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma said he was hopeful that the FTA would be concluded by early next year, paving way for greater economic and investment ties between India and New Zealand. The joint meeting has been organised by Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce Industry (FICCI) and the India New Zealand Joint Business Council.

Supreme Court stays verdict on Ayodhya title suit

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Allahabad High Court’s verdict of dividing the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya in three parts, terming the judgement as “something strange”.The court, while staying the September 30, 2010 judgement of the Lucknow bench of the High Court, ordered status quo at the site.A bench of justices Aftab Alam and R.M. Lodha, while terming the high court’s judgement “as something strange,” said the partition of the land was ordered despite none of the parties to the dispute seeking it.

Thousands gather in Mexico to protests drug war

More than twenty thousand people have gathered in the centre of Mexico City to protest at the large number of deaths caused by drug related violence and the government's response to it. The rally in the capital's main square completes a four day protest march led by a poet whose son was killed earlier this year. Many of those gathered were wearing T-shirts bearing the message 'Enough Bloodshed' 

Courtesy : AIR

Facebook sharing sending readers to big news sites

Facebook is influencing what news gets read online as people use the Internet’s most popular hangout to share and recommend content.That’s one of the key findings from a study on the flow of traffic to the Web’s 25 largest news destinations. The study was released Monday by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.

'Thor' hammers competition with $66M opening

'Thor' kicked off the summer movie season by smashing the competition at the box office with a $66 million opening weekend.The 3—D action picture from Paramount, based on the Marvel comic, was by far the No. 1 movie, according to Sunday studio estimates.

Situation in violence-hit areas tense, Rajnath Singh detained

Tension prevailed on Monday in parts of western Uttar Prasdesh hit by farmers’ unrest over land acquisition even as a heavy police deployment was made in the affected areas and political leaders were detained preventing them from reaching the troubled spots.Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh and Samajwadi Party leaders Shivpal Singh Yadav and Mohan Singh were detained by police along with their supporters when they tried to proceed towards Greater Noida where prohibitory orders have been clamped following Saturday’s violence.

Overwhelming response to rehabilitation policy: Omar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the government has received nearly 700 applications from local militants in Pakistan occupied Kashmir who want to renounce violence and join the mainstream.“The response to the rehabilitation policy (for militants in PoK) has been better than expected. We have received 600 to 700 applications,” Mr. Abdullah told reporters here.Out of the total applications received, 125 have been cleared by authorities for the militants to return to the state, he said.

In post-Osama Afghan visit, Manmohan looks to untangle wires

With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expected to go to Kabul soon, India hopes the removal of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will accelerate the international community's efforts to untangle some of the “crossed wires” that are hampering a solution in Afghanistan.Government sources did not expect an immediate scaling down of the West-dominated security deployment in Afghanistan and hoped for increasing involvement of neighbours, including Iran, Russia, Central Asia, China and India.

RTI Federation demands publication of assets of Information Commissioners

The State Committee of Kerala RTI Federation has demanded that the five Information Commissioners of the State Information Commission of Kerala, including the Chief Information Commissioner, should declare their assets and liabilities through the official website of the Commission.All the Information Commissioners of the Centre, including Chief Information Commissioner, have already published their Declarations of Assets and Liabilities in accordance with the Right to Information

Delhi metro to observe Smart Card Week from Monday

The Delhi Metro will be observing the Smart Card Week from tomorrow to 15th of this month. This will promote and popularize extensive use of Contact less Smart Card, CSC, for its frequent travellers and tourists alike. During this week, Special CSC Counters will be made operational at 20 Metro stations having highest number of footfall. They include Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Laxmi Nagar, Anand Vihar ISBT and Chandni Chowk. At present, over 60 per cent of Metro passengers are using Smart Cards on a regular basis. Delhi Metro spokesman Anuj Dayal said that DMRC intends to increase this figure substantially to a level similar to that of the other Metro systems like Singapore and Hong Kong where almost 100 per cent of Metro users are relying on Smart Cards for their smooth and comfortable daily journey. Presently, the Delhi Metro is used by over 15 lakh passengers on any working day on its six operational lines where more than 2500 train trips are made each day traversing over 69,000 kilometres in a day. 

 

Courtesy : AIR

Story-telling takes on graphic form

There are many ways to tell a story – visually, orally or through text. But even those who have just a casual engagement with literature would know that the publishing industry has a sacred dependence on the written word.The emergence of brightly coloured graphic novels offers a parallel narrative. India's first widely marketed graphic novel was published only in 2004. While the readership remains niche, the variety and diversity of themes and forms being explored by graphic novels have rapidly increased. Pure text will soon start facing stiff competition from graphic novels, say publishers.

B.R. Hills, Kudremukh forests set to become tiger reserves

Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here on Sunday that the Union government had approved two more tiger reserves in Karnataka and the formalities would be completed in a few days.Mr. Ramesh told reporters that B.R. Hills in Chamarajanagar district and Kudremukh in Chikmagalur district would become the 40th and 41st tiger reserves in the country. The total number of tiger reserves in Karnataka would go up to six, he noted.

Saina loses to Wang in Malaysian Open final

India's Saina Nehwal has lost to Xin Wang of China in the final of the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament. At Alor Setar in Kuala Lumpur today, top-seeded Saina lost to the second seeded Chinese player 21-13, 8-21, 14-21.

Courtesy : AIR

UP farmers unrest spreads to Agra

In Uttar Pradesh, the farmers unrest over land acquisition today spread to Agra, where protesters clashed with police and torched vehicles. The toll in Greater Noida violence have climbed to four. The UP police announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for arrest of Manvir Singh Tevatia, who has been leading the farmers' agitation at Bhatta Parsaul since January 17.

Jaitapur plant, a 'dangerous version of Dhabol'

The All India Power Engineers' Federation (AIPEF) and the National Confederation of Officers' Associations of Central Public Sector Undertakings (NCOA) have come out strongly against the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant.Terming it a “dangerous nuclear version of the Enron's Dhabol fiasco,” they said the Centre agreed to the French reactor even without design and safety features being presented to and approved by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

SC to hear Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute today

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear arguments in the Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit in which a bunch of petitions have been filed by various Muslim and Hindu groups challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict.Expressing dissatisfaction over the High Court's verdict of dividing the 2.77 acre disputed site into three parts among Muslims, Hindus and Nirmohi Akhara, different religious groups have approached the apex court.

Reappraising Tagore: the debate continues

As more programmes on Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore commemorate his 150th birth anniversary in the Capital, a marked division of opinion on a reappraisal of his works is also gathering momentum.If some intellectuals don't mind deifying him as usual, a few have openly suggested that it is high time scholars and readers see him as a man in flesh and blood and accordingly reappraise his works. Interestingly, those who are touchy about Tagore's creations and those who are emphasising reassessment belong to the same age group.

Bridge the growing gap between healthcare demand, supply: N. Ram

Medical institutions have to strive towards bridging the growing gap between healthcare demand and supply, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu said on Sunday.Inaugurating the vitreo retinal symposium “Reticon” hosted by Dr. Agarwal's Retina Foundation, Mr. Ram said institutions should also focus on the needs of the people, especially the deprived sections of society.He urged institutions not to lose sight of the fact that science and technology were for the people. 

Regressive impact of world inflation - Opinion

The calibrated monetary policy aimed at taming inflation and at the same time sustaining the growth process has been given up. The Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao is anxious that persisting high inflationary levels should be effectively tackled, even with the growth process getting slowed down, for avoiding the emergence of new pressures.Towards this end, the repo and reverse repo rates have been raised by 50 basis points for the first time in recent months. Different procedures are, of course, being adopted for reckoning variations in key interest rates though the actual cost of credit will be one percentage point higher than the repo rate.

Corruption can entail India's global image - Opinion

The temptations of corruption are universal. My own country, Canada, experienced a serious political corruption scandal some years ago that contributed to a change of government in Ottawa in 2006.Corruption in business, while deplored everywhere, has long been seen as a fact of life in large swathes of the world. Indeed, economists sometimes argue over whether some forms of the phenomenon are “enabling” in contrast to others deemed purely negative.