5 jawans killed in J&K One Hizbul Mujahideen Milit

M Saleem Pandit TNN 

Srinagar: Five soldiers and a Hizbul Mujahideen militant were killed in an encounter at Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Friday.
    A police spokesperson said that the encounter started after security forces raided a militant hideout on a tip-off.
    “As soon as soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles and the policemen launched a search operation, militants present in the area resorted to indiscriminate firing, killing three soldiers on the spot,” the spokesman said.
    Hizbul Mujahideen militant Saifullah and another solider were killed in the exchange of fire that followed.
    The fifth soldier succumbed to his injuries later on Friday. A defence spokesman identified four of the deceased soldiers as Ashwani Kumar, Ajit kumar, Balbir Singh and Kawaljeet. Sources said at least four militants, also hiding in the area, escaped.

An eco disaster called Amma Hastam

Hyderabad: Chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s pet scheme ‘Amma Hastam’ for the poor in the state has turned out to be a major environmental hazard. The scheme may aim at providing essential food items to the poor in the state at affordable rates, but at the same time, is also choking the environment with non-biodegradable plastic bags. And environmentalist say it is indeed a big irony when the state government, instead of checking environmental pollution by other agencies, is itself fanning it in a big way.
    Under the scheme, the state government is supplying 9 essential commodities in equal number of polythene bags to 2.15 crore people. And the items, wheat, whole meal atta, red gram, palmolein oil, sugar, salt, chilli powder, tamarind and turmeric powder, are packaged in individual plastic bags.TTD told to switch over to cloth bags 
Hyderabad: Thus at the rate of 9 plastic bags supplied to 2.15 crore people, nearly 20 crore plastic bags are being dumped into the environment every month.
    “Unlike other plastic items which can be recycled, polythene bags cannot be recycled easily as they contain additive chemicals and release poisonous gases if burned and do not decompose when left in garbage form,” said Dr Kalpala Babu Rao, environmental activist and former scientist at Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT).
    According to environmental experts, one possible safe method of disposing of the plastic bags is by burning them in incinerators at temperatures ranging from 1,200 to 1,300 degrees Celsius. “But these incinerators cost about Rs 7 crore each and there are hardly any in the city. So what one sees is the city garbage disposal workers burning the plastic bags and causing major environmental hazard,” said S Surya, an environmental activist. But even if there is a safe method of disposing the plastic bags, there is no proper system of segregation of solid waste, said Dr K Palanivelu, professor at the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Chennai. “Plastic bags constitute only 2% of the total plastic usage but due to lack of proper segregation of the solid waste, end up as the most destructive environmental hazard,” he said.
    Officials said the plastic bags used in scheme are of 70 microns, much higher than the prescribed 40 microns of thickness. But that in no way minimizes the environmental hazard, say the experts. In fact, the AP Pollution Control Board has expressed concern over the distribution of plastic bags in such large numbers.
    “Plastic bags used in Amma Hastam may be above the prescribed 40 microns but their distribution in crores every month is definitely a matter of concern,” said I Raghunatha Swami, senior environmental engineer, state pollution board. The PCB is currently trying to convince the Tirumala Tirupati Devesthanams (TTD) to switch over to cloth bags in supplying laddus at Tirumala. Presently, the laddus are supplied in plastic bags. But the question is whether the PCB will take on chief minister’s pet scheme and take steps to check environmental pollution

Guru Arrested, Srinivasan May Lose Crown

Mumbai & Madurai: Two days after The Times of Indiareported his links with the betting syndicate and barely three hours after he reached the Mumbai city police crime branch, Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested. The dramatic development threatened the status of Chennai Super Kings as an IPL franchise as well as his father-inlaw N Srinivasan’s continuation as BCCI president.
    As Meiyappan is known to be the CSK principal (even though in a last-minute desperate bid it claimed that he was just an honorary member of the management team), there is high risk of the franchise attracting a termination clause which can be invoked against a team that brings disrepute to the IPL.
    Equally, the rising clamour for Srinivasan’s resignation as BCCI chief is now expected to reach a crescendo. Already, powerful groups were closing in to scalp Srinivasan, who has been running Indian cricket as a personal fiefdom, often bending rules to suit his interests while disregarding all dissent.
    Soon after Meiyappan’s arrest, JCP (crime) Himanshu Roy told reporters, “We interrogated him for three hours and have come to the conclusion that there is evidence of his involvement in the offence we are investigating. We will produce him in court tomorrow (Saturday).”
    According to police sources, during the questioning Meiyappan acknowledged knowing Vindu Dara Singh. He allegedly told police that he had known Vindu — arrested for his alleged role as a middleman between teams, bookies and celebrities — for 10 years. Police sources claimed that Meiyappan said Vindu had insisted that he bet on matches, and he finally did so on a game held in Kolkata. The Chennai players apparently used to entertain Vindu as he was known to be Meiyappan’s friend.
    After three days of lying low, a grim-faced Meiyappan finally showed up before the Mumbai police crime branch on Friday evening, after his request to be allowed to appear on Monday was turned down. He was questioned lateinto the night by a team headed by JCP Roy on whether he was linked to IPL betting and spot-fixing.
    Meiyappan was summoned for questioning after Vindu told the cops about his association with him. Vindu claimed he had placed bets on IPL-6 matches on behalf of Meiyappan, who apparently lost Rs 1 crore in the process. Meiyappan had proved elusive for the police and media alike for the last few days. It turned up that he had been staying at the holiday home of his father-in-law, N Srinivasan, in the picturesque Coaker’s Walk area of Kodaikanal

Probe at doorstep of BCCI chief’s family

Probe at doorstep of BCCI chief’s family

Police Summon Srinivasan’s Son-In-Law, He Seeks Time

TIMESNEWSNETWORK 

Chennai/Mumbai: The IPL fixing scandal has reached the doorstep of Indian cricket’s powerful boss and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owner N Srinivasan's family -- quite literally.
    Aday after The Times of India broke the story about the police investigating Srinivasan's son-in-law and CSK CEO Gurunath Meiyappan's phone conversations with Dara Singh's son Vindu for possible links with a betting syndicate, a five-member crime branch team from Mumbai arrived in Chennai Thursday morning to serve summons on Meiyappan.
    They first went to the headquarters of Srinivasan-controlled India Cements, and on finding no one there, stuck a copy of the summons on the door before going to Meiyappan's home around 2pm to instruct him to present himself before the CB between 11am and 5pm within 24 hours.
    But with no member of the family available to meet the team, they were initially not let in by the guard; after several phone calls, they were allowed into the compound. Rama Subbu, the chief security officer of 
India Cements, arrived soon thereafter and was seen signing a paper which the officers handed him. Strangely though, on his way out, he denied having received any summons on behalf of Meiyappan.
    Later in the evening, the crime branch is reported to have received a one-page fax from Meiyappan saying he out of town and seeking time till Monday, with the assurance that he would appear in person. A top police officer told TOI onThursday night that no decision had been taken on whether to allow him the extra time. If the police were to reject such a request, which seems unlikely, Meiyappan could be arrested. To avoid such a situation, he could move the courts on Friday seeking anticipatory bail. “This may give him a few days, but eventually he will have to 
appear,” an officer said.
    The whereabouts of the 35-year-old continued to be shrouded in mystery with speculation placing him variously in Kodaikanal (where he has a holiday home), Kolkata (where CSK plays the IPL finals on Sunday against the winners of the Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals match) and Delhi (to prepare his legal defence with top-flight lawyers).

Soldier beheaded in middle of London road

Soldier beheaded in middle of London road Kounteya Sinha TNN  London: In a suspected terror attack, a soldier aged around 20 years was beheaded in the middle of a road in Woolwich, south London, on Wednesday.     Reports said the victim was hacked to death with knives and meat cleavers by two men shouting Islamic slogans after they first hit him with their car. The soldier was wearing a T-shirt that read ‘Help for Heroes’.     Later, the police confronted the two attackers and shot them. An air ambulance arrived on the scene and took the two injured attackers to hospital.     British Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the attack “shocking”, asked home secretary Theresa May to convene a meeting of the government’s emergency cabinet committee, Cobra. Cameron, who had left for France to meet French President Francois Hollande, decided to return to London.     The government was reported to be treating the attack as a suspected terror incident.     “They were hacking at him, chopping him, cutting him,” a witness said. “These two guys were crazy. They were just animals. They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there. They were oblivious to anything, they were more worried about having their photo taken, running up and down the road.”     Commander Simon Letchford from the Metropolitan police said: “At approx 2.20 pm, we were called to reports of an assault in John Wilson Street, Woolwich where one man was being assaulted by two other men. A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack, and this included reports of a firearm.”     Letchford said firearms officers reached the scene soon. “On their arrival they found a man, who was later pronounced dead,” he said. “Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police. They were taken to separate London hospitals and are receiving treatment for their injuries.”     May confirmed she had been briefed by the Director General of MI5 on the “sickening and barbaric” attack.

Modernising cops: 14 states yet to spend a penny

Modernising cops: 14 states yet to spend a penny Vishwa Mohan TNN  New Delhi: States perennially cry for fund to modernise their police forces, but most of them fail to utilize it when they get Central assistance. Government figures show that 14 of the 28 states did not spend a single penny of what they got from the home ministry during 2011-12.     Though none of the states had spent entire money during the period, half of them including Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Jammu &Kashmir, Sikkim, Goa, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, had preferred to keep the fund fully unspent.     Utilization certificates — shared by the states for the period in April — show that all of them had collectively spent Rs 215.81 crore (nearly 27%) of the total Rs 800 crore that was released to them by the home ministry under the Modernisation of Police Fund (MPF) scheme.      The fund is released every year to states under the scheme which is earmarked for procurement of vehicles, communication equipment, surveillance equipment, sophisticated weaponry, creating training infrastructure and construction of police stations, outposts and barracks.     Records of insurgency-hit northeastern states and terror-infested J&K in not utilising any Central fund under the MPF scheme may certainly put a question mark over the sincerity of these states in strengthening their police force.     Although spending records of all states were relatively better in 2010-11 when they had spent Rs 930.98 crore out of Rs 1,224.63 crore under the scheme, the home ministry had in 2012-13 preferred to release only Rs 300 crore as officials believed that there was no point releasing more money when it consistently remained unutilised.     States are supposed to send their utilization certificates for the fund released to them during last fiscal by next April. The Centre insists on the utilisation certificate as it wants states not to divert the MPF scheme fund for some other purpose.     Poor spending is, however, not the only problem. Unfortunately, most of the states had also not initiated police reforms despite Supreme Court’s directive in 2006.     The apex court had in its judgment come out with seven key suggestions, including prescribing minimum tenure of two years for state police chief and officers on operational duties, separating investigation and law & order functions of police and many other steps to insulate cops from political interference in their day-to-day duties.     Retired IPS officer and former BSF chief Prakash Singh said, “Reforms are not happening due to states’ cussedness and politicians’ unwillingness at every level. Chief ministers treat police department as their z a m i n d a r i (fiefdom). They are against reforms because they don’t want to give police autonomy”.     The home ministry too has not been successful in implementing even those recommendations which come under the Centre’s domain, specifically in Union Territories (UTs), including the national Capital. Even the Model Police Act, which provides for well-defined duties and responsibilities of the police and their sensitivity and responsiveness towards general public, could not be translated into an actual piece of legislation, leaving the UTs’ police continue to function under an archaic law made by the British over 150 years ago.     Singh, whose petition the SC had pushed the government to initiate much needed police reforms, said, “Sensing the lukewarm response of the Centre on police reform issues, the states seem to have preferred to adopt a lacklustre approach with most of them failing to implement various measures”.

Now, talaq takes the Skype route

Now, talaq takes the Skype route Mahesh Buddi TNN  Hyderabad: If online nikah gained popularity in the Muslim community, could e-talaq be far behind? The new generation is now using modern communication tools like Skype and short message service (SMS) to sever marital ties in a jiffy.     For instance, Mehrunnisa  (name changed), a 23-year-old housewife from Hussainialam, was shocked to receive talaq in the form of an SMS on her mobile from her United Arab Emirates-based husband. A perplexed Mehrunnisa approached the police. “The woman’s husband, a private employee who had gone to the UAE a year ago, had sent an SMS saying talaq. The woman believed that she was divorced and approached us for justice,” Women Police Station (WPS), South Zone, inspector N Sreya said.     Narrating another such incident, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), South Zone, Tarun Joshi said that when he was posted in the Central Zone a few months ago, a housewife from Himayatnagar approached him with a complaint against her techie husband who had given her talaq through Skype video chat.     “The victim’s husband is in the US and he pronounced talaq while video chatting with her on Skype. As the woman complained that she was harassed by her husband, we have registered a domestic violence case under section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the DCP said.     Every year, lakhs of skilled and semi-skilled Hyderabadi Muslim workers migrate to the oil-rich Gulf countries, North America and European nations in search of livelihood. Earlier, when migrants wanted to get divorced, they used to post talaq documents to their wives back home with details of settlement of the Mehr amount. However, with the advent of digital technology, Muslim men have begun to utilise the internet and mobile phones to give talaq. The Hyderabad police claimed that in the past few months, several cases of men giving talaq to their wives through SMSs and video chats have come to their notice. WAKF BOARD TO BE CONSULTED Cops cracking down on NRIs  Hyderabad: Asked about the validity of such talaq, advocate Mohammed Muneeruddin told TOI, “Pronouncing talaq through digital means, including SMS or video chat or e-mail, in the presence of witnesses is perfectly acceptable as per the Sharia.”     “Talaq has to be pronounced thrice, on three occasions in three consecutive months as per the Sharia. However, the prevalent practice is to pronounce it thrice at a go in the presence of a qazi and other witnesses and get it registered. It is illegal as per the Sharia,” Muneeruddin added.     Though legal experts claim e-talaq is acceptable as per the Sharia if done in the presence of witnesses by showing that the dower (mehr) amount has been given to the wife, women can still hope for justice if they prove they were subjected to torture.     “We are accepting talaq documents sent by post but not intimations through SMSs and emails as in a majority of such cases, men act on the spur of the moment. In such cases, if a woman approaches us saying she was duped, we will register cases under section 498-A (Punishment for subjecting a married woman to cruelty) of the IPC or the Dowry Prohibition Act,” Central Crime Station (CCS), WPS inspector P Janakamma said.     Police are also cracking down on Non-resident Indians (NRIs) who desert their wives in this manner. In the past four months, the South Zone police issued 20 look out circulars (LOCs) against men who were accused in domestic violence cases. “We have managed to arrest six people in the past few months based on the LOCs,” Tarun Joshi said. According to the police, a majority of such domestic violence cases end up in an amicable settlement at Lok Adalats where men pay dower (mehr) amount to their former wives.     Police are now planning to write to the AP Wakf Board requesting them to provide guidelines on dealing with the new age talaq cases.

Guj doc gets letter posted 31 yrs ago

Guj doc gets letter posted 31 yrs ago Melvyn Reggie Thomas  Surat: Can something be both touching and hilarious at the same time? Well this one is. A letter sent from Anand was delivered in Navsari town after 31 years. The postal department may not be very proud of this feat but the recipient says he is grateful to it for delivering the letter, though tattered from the sides.     Dr Ashok Shroff, 63, an eye specialist in Navsari, on Thursday morning received an inland letter delivered by a postman of Navsari head post office. The letter was posted by his doctor-friend based in Anand on January 1, 1982. This left Shroff shocked. He shared this news ‘over telephone’ with Dr Shyam Kumar, an eye surgeon in Anand, who too was left dazed. “I was thrilled to read the letter posted by my doctorfriend 31 years ago. Kumar had wished me happy New Year and also informed me that he had referred an eye patient from Anand to me. I appreciate the postal department for preserving the letter and delivering it to me,” Shroff, who runs Shroff Eye Hospital in the town, said.     Kumar (61) could not recollect anything about the letter because it was written 31 years ago. Interestingly, the postal department collected a charge of Rs 10 from Shroff as the letter was without a stamp. “I would not have minded even giving Rs 1,000 for the letter. It is invaluable,” Shroff said.     Navneet Sharma, deputy post master of Navsari head post office, told TOI, “Yes, we delivered a letter posted 31 years ago to a doctor in Navsari town. We too are surprised as to where the letter had been lying all these years.”

Nato convoy hit in Af, 15 killed Nato convoy hit in Af, 15 killed

Nato convoy hit in Af, 15 killed Kabul: Asuicide bomber in a car attacked a convoy of foreign troops in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 15 people including six Americans, Afghan and foreign officials said, in one of the worst attacks in the Afghan capital in months. Forty people were wounded in the blast in the morning rush-hour. It caused heavy damage to mud-built houses in the vicinity.     The Hezb-e-Islami insurgent group, which is allied with the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack on the two-vehicle convoy.     Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the bomber killed two of its members and four civilian contractors. It declined to give nationalities.     But two senior officials, one Afghan and the other from ISAF, said the two ISAF soldiers and four contractors were all American. REUTERS

A Billion Betrayed For A Few Lakhs

A Billion Betrayed For A Few Lakhs 3 Players, 11 Bookies Held; Police Won’t Say If Other Teams, Matches Are Clean Neeraj Chauhan TNN  New Delhi: Indian cricket’s worst-kept secret was well and truly out on Thursday when Delhi Police presented audio and video evidence of spot fixing in three IPL matches, including one on Wednesday night. Three Rajasthan Royal players, including India international S Sreesanth, have been caught striking deals – ranging from Rs 40 to Rs 60 lakh – with bookies for conceding a pre-determined number of runs in an over.     Armed with what appears to be incontrovertible evidence, Delhi Police sleuths moved in to arrest the three crickets – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – in Mumbai in the early hours of the morning when they were still in bed. As many as 11 bookies have been nabbed, including those with fanciful code names like Jupiter and Manoj Metro. One bookie arrested in Ahmedabad, Amit Singh, played for Rajasthan Royals last season and was part of the extended team this year.     The mastermind of the spot-fixing racket, Sunil Ramchandani, is in Dubai, raising suspicion of it being linked to a bookie cartel controlled from Dubai by Tiger Memon, the most trusted aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar said more arrests were expected, and there were reports late at night of two more arrests in Mumbai.But overshadowing the story of the crooked bookmakers was the shame that had engulfed Indian cricket. Sreesanth, the talented but temperamental seamer was seen by millions of cricket lovers as Team India’s lucky mascot, having helped the team claim two World Cup titles — T20 in 2007 and ODI in 2011. But on Thursday, India discovered his seamier side.     Sreesanth and his two teammates, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, were among 14 people arrested from Mumbai and Delhi, after special cell cops got confirmation of the racket when they found Chavan had bowled an over exactly as discussed with bookies earlier in the day. Police said spot-fixing had taken place during three Rajasthan Royals matches this season — on May 5, 9 and 15 — against Pune Warriors, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians. The disclosure sent shockwaves across the cricketing world, drawing a torrent of quips and comments on social media. Rajasthan Royals’ owners, BCCI and ICC pledged full cooperation with the investigations.     Sources told TOI that Friday’s match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and RR was also under the scanner. ‘Other players also took money’  New Delhi: While Neeraj Kumar, in a press conference, ruled out the involvement of any other cricketer, team management person or owner in the racket, sources told this paper that several groups of bookies were operating in all cities and as per their information, other players too had taken money from bookies but did not exactly carry out their bidding.     Delhi Police traced a call in mid-March this year made from a Dubai number, while tracking a gangster, where they heard people talk about signs to be used in the cricket ground. Neeraj Kumar called this a “chance intercept”. The information was developed and it was learnt that the underworld was using bookies in IPL to make crores of rupees and some players were conniving with them.     “We had information about bookies from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and other states involved in this spot fixing, who were working on directions of the underworld,” said S N Srivastava, special commissioner (special cell).     After the intercept, a team of Inspector Badrish Dutt, who was later found dead along with his live-in partner Geeta Sharma in Gurgaon last week, and Inspector Kailash Bisht started intercepting calls of some bookies. In all, sources say some 40 phones including that of these three cricketers and others, were put under surveillance from the beginning of this IPL, that is, April 3. Senior police brass, including Special CP S N Srivastava and Joint CP M M Oberoi, monitored the highly secret investigations on a daily basis. TNN

Warming eats up Everest ice by 13% in 50 yrs

Warming eats up Everest ice by 13% in 50 yrs Washington:Mount Everest is shedding its frozen cloak as its glaciers have shrunk at an alarming rate of 13% over the last 50 years due to global warming, a new study has warned. Glaciers smaller than one square kilometre are disappearing the fastest and have experienced a 43% decrease in surface area since the 1960s, researchers said.     The snow line has shifted upward by 180 meters, according to lead researcher Sudeep Thakuri, from the University of Milan in Italy. Because the glaciers are melting faster than they are replenished by ice and snow, they are revealing rocks and debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice.      These debris-covered sections of the glaciers have increased by 17% since the 1960s, according to Thakuri. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated by an average of 400 meters since 1962.     The researchers have also been studying temperature and precipitation trends in the area. They found that the region has undergone a 0.6 degree Celsius increase in temperature and 100 mm decrease in precipitation since 1992.     They found that the Everest region has been warming while snowfall has been declining since the early 1990s. Researchers suspect that the decline of snow and ice in the Everest region is from humangenerated greenhouse gases altering global climate. However, they have not yet established a firm connection between the mountains’ changes and climate change, Thakuri said.     Thakuri and his colleagues determined the extent of glacial change in the Everest region by compiling satellite imagery and topographic maps and reconstructing the area’s glacial history. PTI

Auto driver returns 1.90 crore cheque

Auto driver returns 1.90 crore cheque Bharat Yagnik TNN  Ahmedabad: An Ahmedabad auto rickshaw driver has returned Rs 1.90 crore cheque issued in his name in lieu of three bigha land acquired for Tata’s Nano plant in Sanand.     Raju Bharwad could have pocketed the sum, but gave an undertaking that he was no longer the land owner. He ensured that the names of the new owners are entered in the official records.     Raju’s family owned 10 bigha land in Sanand. Thirty years ago, his grandfather sold three bigha for around Rs 5 lakh on which 40-odd families built small tenements.     Later, Nano happened and land prices skyrocketed. Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) acquired land around the Nano plant at Rs 28 lakh a bigha and started paying farmers in whose names the land was registered.     Since the new owners had failed to register their names, records still listed Raju and his mother, Baluben, as owners.     “Honesty is one thing my parents taught me. I could not have used money acquired through dishonesty for my family,” says Raju, who lives in a small tworoom house with his wife, three kids and mother.     His family urged him to take the right step. In fact, his mother blessed him for his righteousness. “I may earn Rs 6,000 per month but live a life of dignity. I also have four bighas of land in my name which is good enough for the future of my family,” he adds.     GIDC official Naveen Patel said, “We have witnessed many land disputes but a person returning a cheque worth Rs 1.90 crore is a first.”

Calves offered to Simhachalam temple found dead

Calves offered to Simhachalam temple found dead TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Visakhapatnam: The mounting toll of hapless calves offered to Lord Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy by devotees is raising a stink in the backyard of the famed Simhachalam temple. On Tuesday, a day after the Chandanotsavam, devotees were in for a rude shock when 20 calves were found dead in the temple goshala.     On May 9, eight calves were allegedly trampled to death in the same goshala, where over 1,200 animals are allegedly packed together in cramped conditions. According to sources, nearly 50 calves had died in the goshala in the last three days even as the temple management was busy sprucing up the temple for Chandanotsavam.     Shockingly, while the rotting carcasses of the dead calves were shifted to Ramanna Cheruvu, a pond near Adavivaram on the Simhachalam-Anandapuram route via Sontyam village for burial on Tuesday, the temple authorities were allegedly busy getting more burial pits dug at the same spot in anticipation of more deaths.      “The goshala was smelling foul because of the rotting carcasses, which were only removed on Tuesday afternoon. We buried almost 13 carcasses, with the remaining taken by the corporation staff,” said a worker who was burying the carcasses at Ramanna Cheruvu. He said they had dug up extra pits as they were expecting more dead animals.     When contacted, Simhachalam temple executive officer Ramachandra Mohan said, “We will take permanent measures for their protection by constructing sheds in two acres land. We will also appoint a veterinarian to provide medical aid to animals.”

KU study on herbs’ curative properties wows scientists

KU study on herbs’ curative properties wows scientists Herb Extracts Have Anti-Diabetic, Anti-HIV Compounds Jinka Nagaraju TNN  Hyderabad: In a rare feat for a rural Indian university, little known Infectious Diseases and Metabolic Disorders Lab (IDMDL) of Kakatiya University, Warangal, has attracted the attention of the global scientific community by discovering antidiabetic and anti-HIV compounds in the extracts of herbs which are used by local tribes as a cure for various disorders. The lab, headed by a young scientist Estari Mamidala, extracted anti-diabetic chemical from a plant called Physalis Minima (budamma in Telugu; ban tipariya in Bengali; parpoti in Gujarati and tulati pati in Hindi ) and found anti-HIV properties in Tinospora Cordifolia (tippa teega in Telugu and giloe in Hindi) and Cassia Occidentalis (penta chennagi in Telugu and bendra lathi in Hindi).      After conducting an ethnobotanic survey for about a year, from July 2011 to August 2012, based on the local medical knowledge practices among the tribes in Mulugu Venkatapur, Regonda, Parkal, Shayampet, Hasanparthy areas of Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh, the team led by Estari identified about 65 plants believed to have great curative value. His team studied extracts from various parts, leaves, stem, roots and flowers, for the medicinal properties and found amazing qualities. Estari says these experiments are expected to pave a new path for alternative medicines from plants extracts which are cheaper and safe to use.     The Estari team also found four more medicinal plants (Phyllanthus emblica, Eclipta alba, Tinospora cordifolia and Casia occidentalis) which have the ability to inhibit replication of HIV-1. The extracts of these plants have the potential to be used as natural products in HIV chemotherapy, said Estari.     In the studies conducted on rats, it was found that the leaf and flower extract of Physalis Minima significantly lowered the fasting blood sugar. However, the stems have not shown such a property. Repeated experiments with flowers and leaves clearly exhibited more potent anti-diabetic activity by reducing the blood glucose level significantly compared with the root and stem extracts of P. Minima.      Similarly, Tinospora Cordifolia was found to have anti-HIV property comparable to the drugs available in the market. Another plant, Cassia Occidentalis has also exhibited HIV inhibiting properties in a significant way. Speaking to TOI from Warangal, Estari said Cassia Occidentalis extracts had exerted their anti-HIV property by inhibiting the HIV Reverse Transcriptase activity. The study seems to justify the traditional use of plant for the treatment of infectious disease of viral origin, he said. The plant has great potential to develop drugs, he added.     The results of IDMDL studies have been published in the International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research (Volume 3, Issue dated 7 June, 2012), Biology and Medicine (2013) and BMC Infectious Diseases (December, 2012)

Twin blasts’ victims yet to get central aid

Twin blasts’ victims yet to get central aid 2L Announced By PM For The Next Of Kin Of Those Killed Has Not Reached Them TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Hyderabad: It has been almost three months since the twin bomb blasts rocked the bustling Dilsukhnagar leaving 17 dead and around 120 injured, some of whom have been left incapacitated.     Much like the police investigation that has reached nowhere, the Rs 2 lakh ex gratia announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the next of kin of each of those killed and Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured is yet to reach them till date.     Many have lost their legs, hands, eyes and even hearing capacity, undergone multiple surgeries and a few injured, who had undergone treatment earlier, got readmitted for skin grafting and other required procedures.     Swapna Reddy, 30, an MBA student and eldest of four siblings of a family from Santoshnagar, whojust started working to support her family after her father’s demise, was among those who died. Her brother Sudhakar is still waiting for a job as promised by the government besides the ex gratia from the Centre.     State government gave a compensation of Rs 6 lakh to the kin of those who died in the blasts, and an amount anywhere from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh to those who were disabled depending on the injuries sustained. Cheques were handed over within days of the blast or at the time of discharge from the hospitals.     “The state government paid an ex gratia totaling Rs 1.71 crore to the kin of 17 deceased persons and 96 persons who were hospitalised,” said an official at the district collectorate adding that he is not sure when the central government’s ex gratia would come.     Amanullah Khan, 45, among those who died, has a 17-year-old son studying Inter. His wife is a home-maker, and now the family is dependent on in-laws as Khan’s readymade garment shop, which has meager income, is being run by his younger brother now.     The plight of those critically injured is worse. M Panduranga Reddy, a B Tech final year student, who lost his left eye and left leg is now completely dependent on his family and friends. His left hand has also been rendered paralysed. “He is writing the final year examinations now. His friends are taking him to the exam centre and dropping him back,” said his hapless father M Janardhan Reddy.     According to sources, the Aarogyasri Trust has so far paid Rs 1.19 crore to 97 injured persons for treatment at various hospitals. “A few more require multiple surgeries and there are at least seven such cases. Of the total injured, some were treated as outpatients,” a Trust official said.

‘Cellphones reduce trust, hit quality of relationships’

Cellphones reduce trust, hit quality of relationships’

New York: The mere presence of a cellphone can affect your conversation with people even if it never rings or vibrates, a new study has found.
    Mobile phones don’t disrupt casual conversation much but when people were asked to discuss something meaningful, they reported less trust, empathy and lower relationship quality when a cellphone was in the room, the study has found. Andrew Przybylski, a psychologist at the University of Essex, designed two experiments in which two strangers were told to talk for 10 minutes.
    In the first scenario, 74 undergraduates were paired up and asked to talk about an interesting event. Some of them happened to have this conversation with a cellphone in the room and others did not. 
    In the second experiment, some of the students were told to have a conversation about Christmas trees. Others were asked to discuss the most meaningful event of the year. Again, some had the conversation in the presence of a cellphone and others did not. “When people were having an important conversation, relationship quality, partner trust empathy was lower when the mobile phone was there,” Przybylski said. PTI

Nawaz back as PM in Pak’s first govt change via ballot

Islamabad: Two-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif (63) was on Sunday headed back to power after the first democratic transition from one elected government to another, marking a landmark for Pakistan’s political history hobbled by frequent military dictatorships.
    Sharif was set to bag over 125 of 
the 272 seats contested in Saturday’s vote that saw a record turnout despite Taliban threats, putting him in easy reach of the winning mark with the backing of the bulk of the 70 nominated parliamentarians. He requires 137 members to become the PM and would be sworn in later this week.
    Observers described Sharif ’s tally as overwhelming considering Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had seriously challenged his bid for power with the promise to transform the country. The PTI managed just 35 seats belying projections that put it as a contender for power.
    With Sharif in office, hopes for better India-Pakistan ties soared since he has referred to improving relations as one of his missions if voted to power. Late on Saturday, speaking to the media after it became clear that he was set to return to power, Sharif said he had worked hard for a detente with New Delhi before Musharraf deposed him. 
What India expects from Sharif MFN (most favoured nation) status
Opening up of trade
Increasing civilian control over Pak army
Tackling terrorism directed at India
Tackling radical extremism in Pakistan 
What we remember Lahore bus ride by Vajpayee and the Lahore Declaration
Kargil incursion and armed conflict with Pakistan
Then US President Bill Clinton telling Sharif to get his army off the heights of Kargil
Musharraf’s coup in 1999
Sharif’s arrest and exile in Saudi Arabia 
Total strength of Pakistan’s National Assembly is 342, of which 272 members are directly elected, 70 nominated among women and religious minorities VOTER TURNOUT | 60% (nearly 52m voters), despite blasts in Karachi killing 24 on day of polling

Pak defies Taliban, votes in big numbers

Pak defies Taliban, votes in big numbers Blasts Kill 24; Imran, Sharif Get Early Leads Omer Farooq Khan TNN  Islamabad: Millions of Pakistanis defied Taliban threats and came out to vote on Saturday in historic elections that marked the country’s first transition from one elected government to another. But violence left 24 people dead and marred the one-day vote that observers predict will result in a fractured mandate.     Officials said the turnout was “huge” as the counting commenced soon after the polling ended across 70,000 polling stations. Former PM Nawaz Sharif ’s Pakistan Muslim League (N) and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were reported to be leading after a partial counting of votes.      Pakistani media reported the PTI was ahead in over 50 of the 272 National Assembly seats. It said the count showed Sharif was in the lead, but his party may lose 15 of its seats in Punjab to Khan.     In Islamabad and adjoining Rawalpindi, Khan’s party was leading with big margin on all seats. It was far ahead of PML-N and other rivals in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and adjoining tribal areas.     Festive scenes were reported from across the country and particularly in the political heartland of Punjab that accounts for over half of National Assembly seats throughout the day. Sharif ’s slogan shouting supporters were carrying his party’s symbol, stuffed tigers, while Khan’s followers carried cricket bats.     The polling started earlier in the day amid unprecedented security. Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani Saturday cast his vote in Rawalpindi. Shari cast his ballot in Lahore.     Over half-a-million army and paramilitary soldiers were deployed across the country to ensure peaceful polling. Checkposts were put up and military helicopters patrolled the skies in Peshawar. Borders with Iran and Afghanistan were sealed three days earlier.     The Taliban had threatened to carry out suicide bombing to prevent people from voting. Over 100 people were killed in the run up to the elections. The polling was largely peaceful. But over a dozen people were killed in separate attacks in Karachi, Balochistan and Peshawar.      Overall, the voter turnout was much higher than the last elections in 2008. The higher turnout is expected to benefit Khan, who has caught the imagination of youth with his promise of building ‘Naya Pakistan’ and making the country independent of foreign aid. Sharif was widely expected to return to power 14 years after he was deposed and exiled.     Taliban threats and leadership crisis marred the Pakistan People’s Party’s campaign along with poor governance record. The party demitted office after leading the first democratically elected government to complete its term in March.  Re-voting in Karachi over rigging claims     Pakistan’s election commission on Saturday ordered a re-vote in more than 30 polling stations in a Karachi constituency over allegations of ballot stuffing, a spokesman said. Earlier on Saturday, Islamist party Jammat-e-Islami (JI) said it was boycotting the elections altogether in Karachi and the southern city of Hyderabad, accusing the MQM of rigging and violence. AFP  180 million ballot papers weighing 650 tonnes used for polls 50 army helicopters flew for 347 hours to transport ballot papers  Voting extended by 3 hours in 7 Karachi constituencies IN LINE FOR CHANGE  We had warned this would happen and today in many polling stations of Karachi and Hyderabad the polling was not free and transparent — Munawar Hasan, JI LEADER It’s better to try a lesser evil instead of trying a novice — A VOTER  The turnout has been amazing it is beyond our expectations — Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER  If we want education, electricity and natural gas in our country, we must take a step —Malala Yousufzai Either we sit in our house and let the terrorism go on, or cast our vote, and bring in a government that can solve this problem — A VOTER  People have been up all night, actually I haven’t slept, a lot of my friends haven’t slept. People just wanted to come out and do this, because we never had this chance — A VOTER We brought change before. We will bring change again — Nawaz Sharif

2 tainted mantris go in 1 day

2 tainted mantris go in 1 day Sonia Leans On Manmohan To Sack Bansal, Ashwani TIMES NEWS NETWORK  New Delhi: In swift and decisive moves, the Congress brass on Friday gave marching orders to railway minister Pawan Bansal, under a cloud after CBI arrested his nephew for taking a bribe for a railway board job, and law minister Ashwani Kumar, who has faced Supreme Court strictures for vetting and changing the CBI report on Coalgate.     It is learnt that Sonia Gandhi leaned on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to secure their resignations. The PM agreed to remove the duo – both seen to be close to him – after a 45-minute meeting with the Congress chief who, according to sources, had strongly advocated drastic measures to counter the softon-corruption image that has been bleeding Congress.      The sacking of two Union ministers on corruption-linked charges on a single day is unprecedented. While the axe was wielded because of growing opposition and public pressure, there is an impression that the Congress was also seeking to draw some political mileage out of an adverse situation. While the BJP was booted out in Karnataka two days ago for running a corrupt government, Congress is likely to brandish its newfound “intolerance” to corruption.     Already Congress leaders on the networks were ridiculing BJP “sermonizing” Congress on probity. A sustained campaign on this would escalate BJP’s cost of re-inducting B S Yeddyurappa in Karnataka as that would be seen to be welcoming back a “corrupt” leader. However, if BJP doesn’t bring him back, its prospects in Karnataka in the coming Lok Sabha election will significantly recede. Last time, Karnataka gave BJP the largest block of MPs from a state – 19.     Although Manmohan Singh had seemed disinclined to drop Kumar altogether from the Cabinet, he eventually gave in to Sonia’s insistence – and in every likelihood, her political game plan on corruption – on what party sources termed as “demonstrable” action against graft.     In their resignation letters to the President, Bansal wrote that he was unaware of his nephew’s contact with the Railway Board member while Kumar wrote that he was quitting to put an end to the controversy and public perception of wrongdoing.     The railway minister reached PM’s residence just before 9pm, and Kumar followed him shortly afterwards. Wellplaced sources indicated thatpetroleum minister Veerappa Moily and telecom minister Kapil Sibal were being considered for holding the additional charge of the law ministry. No decision has been taken on Bansal’s replacement in the railway ministry yet.     With the resignations in, Congress swiftly moved to claim the moral high ground, while questioning BJP’s commitment to probity. Party spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das said: “Congress stands by its commitment to fight corruption, and has never tolerated these issues. However, BJP has a lot to explain why it acted with such delay and reluctance against its former CMs in Karnataka and Uttarkhand, B S Yeddyurappa and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, respectively, and why there has been no action yet against Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh who faces serious charges.”     The rhetoric could only escalate ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections and can set the bar higher for the BJP, while creating hurdles for any rapprochement with Yeddyurappa whose revolt contributed to the saffron party’s defeat in Karnataka.     Although the fate of Bansal and Kumar had looked fragile for quite some time, the die was cast soon after Sonia Gandhi drove down to 7, Race Course Road just after 5pm for urgent consultations with the PM at his residence.     The conversation happened against the backdrop of strong indications that CBI’s investigation into the auction of crucial jobs in railways could end at Bansal’s bungalow. The railway minister had earned the benefit of doubt on Sunday, with Congress’s core group, party’s elite decisionmaking body, giving some weightage to his argument that his maternal nephew, Vijay Singla, who is in judicial custody for taking bribes for railway posting, was not connected with him in any way. FRIDAY EVENING SHOW: GONE WITH THE WIND      Law minister Ashwani Kumar & railway minister Pawan Bansal quit after Cong chief Sonia Gandhi meets PM Friday evening     Oppn clamour, public outrage may have force d Cong to act, but Cong will now pit its ‘intolerance to corruption’ against BJP being booted out of Karnataka for corruption      Cost of re-inducting BSY in Karnataka goes up for BJP as he’s seen to be corrupt. No re-induction however reduces its chances in state in 2014 Lok Sabha elections  COUNTDOWN TO SACKING APR 12 Reports surface that Ashwani scanned CBI draft on Coalgate, toned down findings MAY 3 Railway minister Pawan Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla arrested by CBI for taking Rs 90 lakh bribe for Railway Board posting MAY 5 Cong core group meets, rules out sack of Pawan Bansal & Ashwani Kumar MAY 6 CBI files affidavit in SC that law minister, PMO and coal ministry made signifcant changes in Coalgate status report MAY 8 SC says heart of Coalgate report changed by Ashwani & govt officials MAY 10 Sonia meets PM. PM agrees to remove Bansal and Kumar, both seen close to him PM was reluctant to let go Ashwani  New Delhi: However, the plausible deniability had worn thin by Friday as CBI investigations revealed that the accused – nephew Singla and Railway board member Mahesh Kumar, had met at Bansal’s official residence and used the phone at his Ashoka Road bungalow to conduct negotiations.     These details convinced the party of the need for a pre-emptive strike ahead of more embarrassing disclosures which look highly likely, instead of waiting for next week when it had planned to act.     The Prime Minister is understood to have been reluctant to let go of Ashwani Kumar. Sources said Singh had surprised many by picking Ashwani, a relative political lightweight, for the sensitive law ministry. It’s said that he had been seeming to draw a distinction between Bansal’s possible culpability in the alleged misdeeds of his nephew, and the case of Kumar. Government sources have maintained that the law minister could at worst be accused of having committed an indiscretion in seeking to protect PM’s interests in the Coalgate probe.     However, the Congress leadership maintained that the public mood was unsparing on corruption, and will not respect a nuanced reading of perceived guilt.     In fact, the leadership’s stand on Kumar’s position in the government appeared to have hardened after the SC on Wednesday said that the law minister might have subverted the investigation into Coalgate. Initial indications had suggested that Congress leadership could have let Kumar stay on as minister so long as his portfolio was changed.     The ante was raised after the SC order, with the leadership taking the view that his continuation in the government, even in a different role, would be detrimental to the party’s effort to counter the clamour for action against corruption.     Significantly, as speculation about whether the law minister was headed the same way as Bansal, Ahmed Patel, the Congress chief ’s political secretary, reached Prime Minister’s official residence for what the party sources called a crucial round of consultations.

OGH struggles to meet water needs

OGH struggles to meet water needs TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Hyderabad: Osmania General Hospital, the biggest state-run institute, is receiving just 10% of its daily requirement of around 3 lakh litres of water and is struggling to meet its water needs, officials said.     Patients and doctors have been hugely inconvenienced as sterilization of instruments, cleaning of operation theatres is being compromised, exposing patients to more infection, doctors said. Also, water shortage also increases the use of disposables, thereby increasing the hospital expenditure.     “Though we pay Rs 2 crore annual bill to the Water Board, the supply is pathetic,” said a senior doctor at the state-run hospital. “Water and power are the basic requirements in a hospital set up, but their availability is always found wanting,” he added.     Authorities said because of the persistent water shortage, a second connection was taken,whichcostthehospital Rs 4-5 lakh, but in vain.     Sources said that casualty wardwears a dirty lookdueto water scarcity. For surgeons, to wash hands before and after surgery, water has been keptin drums,whichincreases the scope of infection as they areusing stagnantwater instead of running water.     There is a severe water scarcity even in the mess and washrooms will be out of water most of the times.     “For a 9 lakh square feet facility with 1,400 beds and multi-specialty services, this situation is awful. State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Water Board officials thrice to ensure adequatesupply tothe hospital but each time promises are madebut never kept,” said another senior doctor, adding that routine work is getting affected due to the scarcity of water.

Ecstasy In K’taka, Agony In SC

Ecstasy In K’taka, Agony In SC Cong wins clear majority after 14 yrs, BJP reduced to joint 2nd with Gowda TIMES NEWS NETWORK  New Delhi: The Congress has scored a decisive victory in Karnataka, ousting the first BJP government in southern India and denting the perception that it was the hot favourite for the 2014 contest while potentially earning a breather for the Manmohan Singh government at a time when it is under siege over allegations of corruption and is having to fend off demands for resignations of its ministers.     Congress won 121 seats, eight above the majority mark, with a vote share of 41.6%, leaving the BJP far behind with a humbling 40 seats and a 20% vote share. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s JD(S) also won 40 seats, recording an improvement over its previous performance but failing to realize its ambition to play the kingmaker in the state where fractured verdicts had seemed the norm.     BJP rebel B S Yeddyurappa’s fledgling KJP scored a measly six seats, but appeared to have contributed to BJP’s humiliation by taking away a big chunk of Lingayats who had been the saffron party’s steadfast supporters.     Congress’s impressive win was par for the pattern where voters have given clear mandates: for instance in UP, and could not have come at a better time for the party. The ruling party has been harried by rivals who have jumped on vulnerabilities arising from perception of corruption and non-governance, as well as the perception of a steady decline. It interpreted the change of guard in Bangalore as a reassuring sign that there is no overarching anti-corruption sentiment trained at Congress. As everything fell in place for Congress in Karnataka, it regained the bounce it had been lacking in the face of a paralyzed Parliament, bribery scam involving railway minister Pawan Bansal, impropriety of law minister Ashwani Kumar and a string of electoral defeats pointing to its dipping graph.     The party believes that the Karnataka mandate, read for voters’ anger against corruption like mining, land allotment and nepotism, would take the sheen off BJP’s positioning, and lost no time in questioning Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s ability to swing the 2014 election for the saffron challenger.  MESSAGE FROM THE SOUTH  Tonic For Cong: Win breaks bad news cycle. That BJP lost because of graft & poor governance will strengthen claim that there’s no countrywide anger against Cong. Can claim ‘Modi magic’ is a myth  Downer For BJP: Saffronites lose only base in south that gave BJP 19 MPs last time. With tension with Nitish mounting, it undercuts BJP’s bid to be 2014 poll frontrunner Back To Yeddy? Undercut BJP but fared miserably himself. Will realize that it’s better to hang together with BJP. Modi’s ascendance may boost patch-up prospects Focus On Graft: Corruption remains hot-button topic. What has hurt BJP in Karnataka can impact Cong at Centre too. Lesson for both: voters will punish the corrupt Stability In Favour: After SP landslide in UP, clear majority for Congress in Karnataka suggests voters now prefer decisive outcome to give winner free run Share Swing:BJP was hurt by its former CM Yeddyuruppa’s breakway BSY, which took away 9.8% of votes. But it lost even otherwise: its total vote share came down by 13.9%. Cong’s gain of just 1.8% translated into 42 more seats. JD(S) upped its share 1.1% to 20%, a shade above BJP’s After K’taka, Dec poll test awaits Cong For Now, The Poll Victory In Karnataka Has Given Congress A Breather  New Delhi: Government spokesman and I&B minister Manish Tewari said, “The entire disruption of Parliament on the pretext of alleged corruption was a charade for the Karnataka elections. It has come a cropper as people saw through the BJP design.”     Significantly, the outcome did not come as a shocker to the BJP, although it was surprised by the magnitude of the defeat. The party had seemed resigned to a defeat after corruption represented by mining scams and constant bickering sapped the goodwill that helped the party form the first-ever government across the Vindhyas. Yeddyurappa’s departure had snuffed out chances of even a rearguard resistance.     Party sources, however, conceded that the scale of the defeat was a sobering reminder for the work that needs to be done on the ground in the lead-up to the 2014 battle.     Interestingly, even as Congress quickly dubbed the result as a reflection on Modi’s ability to be thegame-change for the BJP, saffron circles almost unanimously maintained that the humiliation will escalate the clamour for the Gujarat CM’s projection as the prime ministerial candidate. “It is inevitable,” said a senior party office-bearer when asked about the possibility of Modi being declared the PM candidate.     However, for many in the Congress, the Karnataka verdict was reassuring because they felt it suggested that the 2014 polls would be an aggregate of many battles to be fought in states ondiverse issues, rather than a gladiatorial contest with Modi leading the saffron charge.     The relief, however, was tempered by the worry that the victory may be interpreted as a go-ahead for persisting with the way that has resulted in scams which, many said, would be unfortunate as voters may be as inclined to punish malgovernance at the Centre as well when they get the chance in 2014.     Insiders hinted at possible correctives in due course, which could be in the form of Cabinet and organisational reshuffle. There are few takers for the two tainted ministers, Bansal and Kumar, though the holdout by the leadership has left many shocked.     The Congress victory may not have come at a better time, bedeviled as it is with corruption and policy paralysis at the Centre and facing an aggressive onslaught of Modi and BJP.     Siddaramaiah and Mallikarjuna Kharge are seen as front-runners for the chief minister’s post in Karnataka. They could have faced a tough challenge from state unit chief G Parameshwara but he lost.     The Karnataka results could help Congress shape the coming months which would involve attracting allies. The party is likely to cleave the polity along “communal” and “secular” lines, while toasting itself as the principal force to stop the saffron momentum. Though not Gujarat, Karnataka with aggressive RSS politics had emerged as the pocket of concern for the “secular” brigade that began to doubt Congress as the bulwark against BJP.     While it would help mobilise minorities behind the party, without the latter having to play an aggressive “secular” card that risks counter polarization, it could force reassessment among regional outfits whom Modi was seeking to attract with his pole position in the principal opposition.     Observers say much would also depend on how Congress fares in the December polls in Delhi, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram: states evenly divided between Congress and BJP  K’taka loss set to derail BJP’s momentum  New Delhi:BJP’s big defeat in Karnataka on Wednesday will decelerate the momentum the saffron outfit is trying to drum up ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The drubbing in Karnataka is proof that the party can ruin its prospects without the assistance of an external force working against it, as the result served to confirm that relentless factional fights dividing the central leadership have percolated to the state level. While corruption was an important factor too, working against the party’s image in Karnataka, the rebellion of former CM B S Yeddyurappa, BJP’s most popular draw, inflicted a mortal blow to BJP’s prospects -- a fact that BJP’s parliamentary board belatedly acknowledged on Wednesday. “ Division of votes has affected us. Image of disunity, some forming separate party, continued media coverage have affected image of the party and the electoral outcome. We need to learn lessons from this,” is how party leader Venkaiah Naidu put it. TNN

3D-printed gun fires first shot, triggers fury in US

3D-printed gun fires first shot, triggers fury in US Trial Of Single-Shot .380-Caliber Liberator A Success Washington: Computer files to create a handgun almost entirely from parts made with a 3D printer went online on Monday, alarming gun control advocates after it was successfully test-fired by its inventor. The single-shot .380-caliber Liberator bears a vague resemblance to its namesake, the FP-45 Liberator pistol that the United States developed during World War II to be air-dropped to French Resistance fighters.     Computer-aided design (CAD) files for the Liberator appeared on the website of Defense Distributed, a non-profit group that promotes the open-source development of firearms using 3D printers. “We’ll build the trigger first... Next, we’ll build the hammer subassembly ... Next, drop the hammer into the frame...,” reads the accompanying set of instructions, which come in English and Chinese. “Finally slide the grip on the frame and insert the grip pin. Your Liberator is now ready to go!”     For the Liberator to conform with US firearms law, the instructions call for an inch-big chunk of steel to be sealed with epoxy glue in front of the trigger guard, so that the weapon can be spotted by metal detectors. The only other non-plastic part is a tiny nail that acts as the firing pin.     Business magazine Forbes posted a video of the Liberator being remotely test-fired outside Austin, Texas last week, with a yellow string tied to the trigger of the toy-like white-and-blue handgun.     “The verdict: it worked,” Forbes reported, adding however that the Liberator exploded (“sending shards of white ABS plastic flying into the weeds”) when its inventor Cody Wilson attempted a second test using a rifle cartridge. “I feel no sense of achievement,” the 25-year-old University of Texas law student told Forbes. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”     Supporters of tougher gun laws in the US expressed alarm. “Stomach-churning,” said Senator Charles Schumer of New York. “Now anyone — a terrorist, someone who is mentally ill, a spousal abuser, a felon — can essentially open a gun factory in their garage. It must be stopped.”     In the House of Representatives, Congressman Steve Israel, is sponsoring an Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act to outlaw plastic homemade guns. “Security checkpoints, background checks, and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home and bring those firearms through metal detectors with no one the wiser,” he said. AP  Now, print your own invisibility cloak     Researchers have created a new disc-shaped plastic invisibility cloak, using a standard 3D printer, that deflects microwave beams to make objects disappear. Producing a cloak in this fashion is inexpensive and easy, said researcher Yaroslav Urzhumov from Duke University. In 2006, Duke engineers demonstrated the first working invisibility cloak in complex laboratory experiments. Now it appears creating a simple cloak has become a lot simpler. The newer version deflects microwave beams, but researchers feel confident that in the not-so-distant future, the cloak can work for higher wavelengths, including visible light. PTI

Ladakh standoff ends as Chinese agree to pull out

Ladakh standoff ends as Chinese agree to pull out Khurshid, Li Visits To Go Ahead Indrani Bagchi & Rajat Pandit TNN  New Delhi: After a tense face-off for a couple of weeks, Chinese troops have decided to withdraw from Indian territory in Depsang plains in northern Ladakh. This will pave the way for foreign minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Beijing on May 9 and Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s India visit on May 20.     While the official line is that both armies have withdrawn to their previous positions, it’s unclear why the Indian army would have to move back since it is very much within Indian territory. In fact, in his statement to a parliament committee, the ministry of defence had clarified that Chinese troops had come 19km inside Indian territory.     Both sides held the fourth and fifth flag meetings between local commanders over the weekend, amid the faint possibility of a resolution to the continuing standoff in the Depsang Bulge area.     The first three flag meetings, on April 18, 23 and 30, at Spanggur Gap between the Daulat Beg Oldi and Chushul sectors had failed to break the deadlock.  BACK TO PRE-APRIL 15 POSITIONS  Indian troops had set up some tents on Chinese side as a retaliatory measure. Those will be taken down Troops on both sides will move back to pre-April 15 positions Indian govt will wait to verify Chinese withdrawal on the ground before making an announcement Both govts expected to make simultaneous statements on Monday Foreign minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Beijing on May 9 and the Chinese premier’s India visit on May 20 to go ahead UPA changes stance under pressure  New Delhi: It is unclear whether India made any concessions to the Chinese or whether the withdrawal was unconditional.     A tense stand-off finally came to an end as the Chinese agreed to withdraw their troops from Ladakh, where they had intruded 19km deep into Indian territory. The Indian government had been reluctant to take a strong line with the Chinese for what was a national security scare. It is only under intense public and political pressure that the UPA government finally took a hard line.     The Chinese had been insisting that India dismantle its security and monitoring posts built in Chumar and other areas. India had resisted this because Chumar is considered to have strategic significance, particularly since Indian soldiers can monitor troop movements across the Line of Actual Control from there.     Before the news of the troops withdrawing was announced, some sources had said India might agree to remove some of the structures as “a face saver’’ to enable the Chinese troops to withdraw to their pre-April 15 positions. Analysts said if the Indian government had indeed agreed to make a deal with the Chinese, this kind of incursion wouldbe repeated over and over again.     The Chinese intransigence had created a political problem with memories of the 1962 war and India’s humiliating defeat by China playing in everyone’s minds. Both the ruling Congress party and the opposition had asked for Khurshid’s visit to be cancelled after Chinese troops refused to withdraw despite three flag meetings with the Indian side. The Chinese action caught India by surprise in mid-April. The Indian government tried hard to rationalize the incursion, with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh describing it as “localized problem” and Khurshid as mere “acne”. The Indian reaction was seen to be late, inadequate and appeared to be glossing over the importance of the Chinese action. MHA, MoD lock horns over ITBP  New Delhi:The 20-day military standoff with China in Ladakh has triggered an escalating turf war between the home ministry (MHA) and the defence ministry (MoD), much like the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai provoked a blame game among different maritime security and intelligence agencies.     The Army, backed by the MoD, has now taken to strongly reiterating its decade-long demand for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to be placed under its “operational command and control’’ for “better and coordinated border management’’ along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.     Having taken up the jurisdiction matter with national security advisor Shivshankar Menon, in the wake of recommendations by the recent Naresh Chandra taskforce on national security, the MoD-Army combine want “an early decision’’ by the Cabinet Committee on Security to resolve the imbroglio.     MHA, however, has once again dismissed the Army’s case, holding that it will not get control over ITBP come what may. The ITBP, one of the seven central armed police forces (CAPF) under the MHA, mans the LAC along the Tibet Autonomous Region with around 17 battalions. The Army is positioned in “depth’’ for support with some 23 battalions. TNN

Now, yet another scam rocks Cong-led UPA II

Now, yet another scam rocks Cong-led UPA II Cong Caught In A Bind Over Bansal’s Fate Neeraj Chauhan & Mahendra Singh TNN  New Delhi: Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Saturday washed his hands of his nephew and key political aide, arrested for taking bribes for fixing a key appointment in the Railway Board. But Bansal failed to secure an “all clear” from the Congress leadership reeling under a spateof scams and controversies.      Bansal told both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi that he never let Vijay Singla, his sister’s son who minds the minister’s political andbusinessinterestsin his hometown Chandigarh, influence his official decisions. The nephew and others have been accused of corruption for allegedly seeking bribes from Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar for fixing appointments through the minister.     However, Congress’s core group, which discussed the fallout of the latest corruption scandal to hit the UPA, deferred a decision on his continuation in the Cabinet, signaling it was not ready to give the minister the benefit of doubt yet.Thecore group willmeet again on Sunday.     There was no confirmation of reports Bansal had offered to resign even as he proclaimed himself innocent.Deferring thedecision is significant because Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi had in the afternoon cited the minister’s defence to dismiss Opposition’s demand for his resignation.     The indecision, viewed against the backdrop of the perception of Bansal being a “clean person” who was PM’s personal choice for the crucial infrastructure ministry, suggested that the decision will be shapedby thelarger contextwhere scandals and allegations of corruption against UPA functionaries have dented the image of the coalition. The embarrassment comes as the fate of another Punjab Congressman, law minister Ashwani Kumar, appeared to be hanging by a slender thread. ‘Sleuths tapped rly official’s phone for 3 months’  New Delhi: Congress leaders grappled with the new crisis even as CBI’s dragnet closed in on Bansal, with sources revealing the agency might seek clarifications from the minister himself, his two sons Amit and Manish, and at least one more nephew in connection with the bribery case.     The Opposition cited this to argue that Bansal was culpable “not just morally but even criminally”, while demanding his dismissal.     Garg has already been named in the FIR CBI filed on Friday evening alleging that Mahesh Kumar, Member (Staff) of the Railway Board, agreed to pay Rs 10 crore for an appointment as Member (Electrical) on the Board. The money, which was to go to Singla through a Chandigarh-based railway contractor Sandeep Goel, was to be raised by a group of fellow businessmen dealing with train equipment who were promised business from railways by Kumar. As per the understanding, Kumar was to pay half of the agreed amount upfront before the appointment and the rest after his appointment as Member( Electrical). Kumar could not get the post of his choice, and was appointed as Member (Staff) instead.     He was unhappy but Goel and others asked him to be patient and wait for the elevation of the current Member (Electrical) Kulbhushan as the Chairman of the Board after the retirement of the incumbent Vinay Mittal in June.     Kumar agreed but wanted to continue as General Manager of Western Railways while being on the Board. Goel accepted the demand in return for an additional Rs 2 crore in bribe. CBI on Friday recovered Rs 90 lakh, allegedly the first installment of the transaction, and has arrested Singla and others.     Appointments of Chairperson of the Board, its members (who are equivalent in rank to Union secretary) and general managers of railways are handled directly by the rail minister. Although the final approval rests with the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), the panel usually goes by recommendations of the minister.     Although Singla is known in Chandigarh as Bansal’s confidant, the rail minister denied the charge of any wrongdoing. He said he had no knowledge of the deal that Singla and others were negotiating with Mahesh Kumar, who was placed under suspension on Saturday evening. “Though a close relative, he or any other relative of mine does not and cannot meddle in my official functions or influence my decisions.”     However, sources said that CBI is proceeding on the assumption that it was impossible for Mahesh Kumar to have agreed to pay such a hefty sum unless he was confident about Singla’s ability to leverage his family ties and get him the job.     Official sources said they had been tapping Mahesh Kumar’s phone for three months and had traced several of his calls to Bansal’s family members.     Two Delhi-based businessmen, Samir Sandhir and Rahul Yadav, Faridabad-based businessman Sushil Daga and Bansal’s relative Ajay Garg have been named in the FIR along with the arrested persons, Mahesh Kumar, Singla, Chandigarh based businessman Sandeep Goel and Narayan Rao Manjunath of Bangalore, allegedly the main financier.

New influenza strain created in Chinese lab?

New influenza strain created in Chinese lab? Experts Say Bird Flu Virus Mixed With Human Variant Poses Danger Steve Connor      Senior scientists have criticized the “appalling irresponsibility” of researchers in China who have deliberately created new strains of influenza virus in a veterinary laboratory. They warned there is a danger that the new viral strains created by mixing bird-flu virus with human influenza could escape from the laboratory to cause a global pandemic killing millions of people.     Lord May of Oxford, a former government chief scientist and past president of the Royal Society, denounced the study published on Friday in the journal Science as doing nothing to further the understanding and prevention of flu pandemics.     “They claim they are doing this to help develop vaccines and such like. In fact the real reason is that they are driven by blind ambition with no common sense whatsoever,” Lord May said.     “The record of containment in labs like this is not reassuring. They are taking it upon themselves to create human-to-human transmission of very dangerous viruses. It’s appallingly irresponsible,” he said. The controversial study into viral mixing was carried out by a team led by professor Hualan Chen, director of China’s National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute. Chen and her colleagues deliberately mixed the H5N1 bird-flu virus, which is highly lethal but not easily transmitted between people, with a 2009 strain of H1N1 flu virus, which is very infectious to humans.     When flu viruses come together by infecting the same cell they can swap genetic material and produce “hybrids” through the re-assortment of genes. The researchers were trying to emulate what happens in nature when animals such as pigs are co-infected with two different strains of virus, Chen said.     “The studies demonstrated that H5N1 viruses have the potential to acquire mammalian transmissibility by re-assortment with the human influenza viruses. This tells us that attention should be paid to monitor the emergence of such virus in nature to prevent a possible pandemic caused by H5N1 virus,” she said. THE INDEPENDENT

B’lore blast: Two more held in TN

B’lore blast: Two more held in TN TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Bangalore: Two more men “suspected to have handled or possessed” the explosives used in the bomb blast on Temple Street, Malleswaram on April 17, were arrested by Tamil Nadu police in Coimbatore.     Valayal Hakeem and Asghar Ali, the two arrested, will be remanded to Bangalore police custody by a court in Tamil Nadu. Thursday’s arrests take the total number of suspects arrested in the case to six.     Addressing the media on Friday, Bangalore city police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar announced that the two men were arrested in a joint operation by the city and Tamil Nadu police. “The two suspects, Valayal Hakeem and Asghar Ali were already in the custody of Coimbatore police for alleged possession of explosives,” he said. Auradkar said police are yet to come across the duo’s role with any outfits. He said the police have a “fair picture” of the conspiracy after the interrogation of the suspects.

Net addiction drives city youth into danger zone

Hyderabad: The recurring theme in the jokes of many sitcoms about modern couples is the man preferring to spend time with his beloved gadgets than his better half, and if experts are to be believed, this particular scene has been coming to life in several city homes and the ensuing reality is far from funny. 
    With internet addiction disorder fast gaining global acknowledgment as a serious psychiatric condition and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) calling it a “mental condition warranting further research” in a draft report to be published globally next week, Hyderabad doctors said the city too has not been spared of this dangerous trend.
    Doctors said an increasing number of couples seeking counseling due to internet addiction are something to be worried about. “Young people in the 20-30 age group seeking help to get rid of net addiction has become a common trend now,” said Dr M Phani Prashant, consultant psychiatrist at Care Hospital.
    “The problem results in one not being able to provide physical and emotional support to the other.” One such case is of 25-year-old Pooja Ramesh, a finance professional who was all set to tie the knot this month with her fiancé of six months, till she realized that his virtual networking addiction was becoming too difficult to handle.Internet obsession puts careers on the line 
Hyderabad: “Initially, it didn’t bother me much and I let it go thinking that it was a stress buster for him. However, when it reached a point that most of his waking hours were spent gaming or chatting on Facebook or even compulsively tweeting, I realized that there was aserious problem,” says Pooja.
    Pooja has now put the wedding on hold for the next couple of months, till her ‘would-be’ is freed of his addiction.
    In another such case from the city, Ashirwad M, an architect, had a bad experience with one of her friends because of the latter’s obsession with the internet. “For the past few months, every time I met my friend, she was constantly on her phone posting on social networking sites. Even after my persuasion, she could not manage to keep her hands off her phone. I have been avoiding making plans with her since then,” Ashirwad said.
    The APA paper, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) says that people with this condition endanger their academic pursuits or careers because of their obsession with online, specifically in gaming activities, and much of this literature stems from addiction from Asian countries and centres on young males.
    City psychiatrists also warned against this addiction among children. “Often underlying anxiety and depression can push a child to the virtual world, thus alienating himself further from his family and friends,” says Dr Ashok Alimchandani, senior consultant psychiatrist at Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills. In such cases, he said parents should monitor the child’s internet activities and unusually long hours must call for counselling.