Taliban declares spring offensive

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The Afghan Taliban announced on Saturday the start of their spring operations against foreign troops and government officials. A statement from the Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as the insurgents call their movement, on Saturday declared their offensive would start May 1. The operation called Badar will target the troops of the United States and its foreign and Afghan allies, said the statement. The focus would be on military centres, airbases and convoys.

NATO
This article is about the military alliance. For other uses, see NATO (disambiguation). Coordinates: 505234.16N 42519.24E

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Organisation du Trait de l'Atlantique Nord (NATO / OTAN)

Flag of NATO[1]

NATO countries shown in green Formation 4 April 1949

Type Headquarters Membership Official languages Secretary General Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Website

Military alliance Brussels, Belgium

28 states[show]
English French[2] Anders Fogh Rasmussen Giampaolo Di Paola nato.int

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO ( /neto/ NAY-toh; French: Organisation du trait de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN)), also called the (North) Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium,[3] and the organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. For its first few years, NATO was not much more than a political association. However, the Korean War galvanized the member states, and an integrated military structure was built up under the direction of two U.S. supreme commanders. The first NATO Secretary General, Lord Ismay, famously stated the organization's goal was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down".[4] Doubts over the strength of the relationship between the European states and the United States ebbed and flowed, along with doubts over the credibility of the NATO defence against a prospective Soviet invasiondoubts that led to the development of the independent French nuclear deterrent and the withdrawal of the French from NATO's military structure in 1966. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the organization became drawn into the Breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s which resulted in NATO's first military operations in Bosnia from 1991 to 1995 and later Yugoslavia in 1999. Politically, the organisation sought better relations with former potential enemies to the east, which culminated with several former Warsaw Pact states joining the alliance in 1999 and 2004. The September 2001 attacks signalled the only occasion in NATO's history that Article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty has been invoked and consequently the 11 September attacks were deemed to be an attack on all nineteen NATO members.[5] After 11 September, troops were deployed to Afghanistan under the NATO-led ISAF and the organization continues to operate in a range of roles sending trainers to Iraq, assisting in counterpiracy operations[6] and most recently enforced a NATO-led no-fly zone over Libya in 2011 in accordance with UN SC Resolution 1973. The Berlin Plus agreement is a comprehensive package of agreements made between NATO and the European Union on 16 December 2002. With this agreement the EU was given the possibility to use NATO assets in case it wanted to act independently in an international crisis, on the

condition that NATO itself did not want to actthe so-called "right of first refusal".[7] There are currently 28 member states of NATO, with the most recent being Albania and Croatia who joined in April 2009.[8] The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of the world's defence spending.[9] The United States alone accounts for 43% of the total military spending of the world[10] and the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy account for a further 15%.[9]

Operations in Libya See also: 2011 military intervention in Libya and 2011 Libyan civil war

Libyan Army Palmaria howitzers destroyed by the French Air Force near Benghazi on 19 March 2011

During the 2011 Libyan uprising, violence between protestors and the Libyan government under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi escalated, and on 17 March 2011 led to the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which called for a ceasefire, and authorized military action to protect civilians. A coalition that included several NATO members began enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya shortly afterwards. On 20 March 2011, NATO states agreed on enforcing an arms embargo against Libya with Operation Unified Protector using ships from NATO Standing Maritime Group 1 and Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1,[53] and additional ships and submarines from NATO members.[54] They would "monitor, report and, if needed, interdict vessels suspected of carrying illegal arms or mercenaries".[53] On 24 March, NATO agreed to take control of the no-fly zone from the initial coalition, while command of targeting ground units remains with the coalition's forces.[55][56][57] NATO began officially enforcing the UN resolution on 27 March 2011 with assistance from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.[58] By June, reports of divisions within the alliance surfaced as only eight of the 28 member nations[59] were participating in combat operations, resulting in a confrontation between U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and countries such as Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Germany to contribute more, the latter believing the organization has overstepped its mandate in the conflict.[60][61][62] In his final policy speech in Brussels on 10 June, Gates further criticized allied countries in suggesting their actions could cause the demise of NATO.[63] The German foreign ministry pointed to "a considerable [German] contribution to NATO and NATO-led operations" and to the fact that this engagement was highly valued by President Obama.[64]

While the mission was extended into September, Norway that day announced it would begin scaling down contributions and complete withdrawal by 1 August.[65] Earlier in the week it was reported Danish air fighters were running out of bombs.[66][67] The following week, the head of the Royal Navy said the country's operations in the conflict were not sustainable.[68] By October 2011, NATO planes had flown about 9,500 strike sorties against pro-Gaddafi targets.[69] NATO plans to end its air mission in Libya on 31 October 2011. A political scientist said France and the United Kingdom were dominant in the attack on Libya, but the operation would not have been possible without United States support. "This was a success, but it does not guarantee NATO's long-term viability."[70]
NATO has added new members seven times since first forming in 1949 (the last two in 2009). NATO comprises 28 members: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

International Security Assistance Force

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from ISAF) This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (September 2009) "ISAF" redirects here. For the sailing body, see International Sailing Federation. For other uses, see ISAF (disambiguation)
International Security Assistance Force

Logo of ISAF.

December 2001 present UK, Turkey, GE/NL, Country NATO Joint Force Command Brunssum, Part of Brunssum, Netherlands Headquarters Kabul, Afghanistan Pashto writing: wa kamoK) Hamkari) means Motto "Help and Cooperation". War in Afghanistan Engagements (2001-present) Commanders General John R. Current Allen, USMC commander Active

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386[1] as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement.[2] It is engaged in the War in Afghanistan (2001present). ISAF was initially charged with securing Kabul and surrounding areas from the Taliban, al Qaeda and factional warlords, so as to allow for the establishment of the Afghan Transitional Administration headed by Hamid Karzai.[3] In October 2003, the UN Security Council authorized the expansion of the ISAF mission throughout Afghanistan,[4] and ISAF subsequently expanded the mission in four main stages over the whole of the country.[5] Since 2006, ISAF has been involved in more intensive combat operations in southern Afghanistan, a tendency which continued in 2007 and 2008. Attacks on ISAF in other parts of Afghanistan are also mounting. Troop contributors include the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Georgia, Denmark, Belgium, Czech Republic, Norway, Bulgaria, South Korea, Azerbaijan, and Singapore. The intensity of the combat faced by contributing nations varies greatly, with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Denmark sustaining substantial casualties in intensive combat operations.

Free trade area

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Free Trade Agreement) This article is about free international trade. For information on special economic zones within countries, see Free trade zone. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(January 2011)

World trade
A series on Trade

Policy[show] Restriction[show] History[show] Organizations[show] Issues[show] Lists[show] By Country[show]

vde
A free trade area (FTA) is a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free trade agreement (FTA), which eliminates tariffs, import quotas, and preferences on most (if not all) goods and services traded between them. If people are also free to move between the countries, in addition to FTA, it would also be considered an open border. It can be considered the second stage of economic integration. Countries choose this kind of economic integration if their economical structures are complementary. If their economical structures are competitive, they are more likely to form a customs union.[citation needed]

Contents
[hide]

1 Description 2 Criticism of FTAs 3 Lists of free trade areas 4 Qualifying for a free trade agreement 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Description
Unlike in a customs union,[vague] members of a free trade area do not have a common external tariff, which means they have different quotas and customs, as well as other policies with respect to non-members. To avoid tariff evasion (through re-exportation) the countries use the system of certification of origin most commonly called rules of origin, where there is a requirement for the minimum extent of local material inputs and local transformations adding value to the goods. Only goods that meet these minimum requirements are entitled to the special treatment envisioned by the free trade area provisions. Cumulation is the relationship between different FTAs regarding the rules of origin sometimes different FTAs supplement each other, in other cases there is no cross-cumulation between the FTAs. A free trade area is a result of a free trade agreement (a form of trade pact) between two or more countries. Free trade areas and agreements (FTAs) are cascadable to some degree if some countries sign agreement to form free trade area and choose to negotiate together (either as a trade bloc or as a forum of individual members of their FTA) another free trade agreement with some external country (or countries) then the new FTA will consist of the old FTA plus the new country (or countries). Within an industrialized country there are usually few if any significant barriers to the easy exchange of goods and services between parts of that country. For example, there are usually no

trade tariffs or import quotas; there are usually no delays as goods pass from one part of the country to another (other than those that distance imposes); there are usually no differences of taxation and regulation. Between countries, on the other hand, many of these barriers to the easy exchange of goods often do occur. It is commonplace for there to be import duties of one kind or another (as goods enter a country) and the levels of sales tax and regulation often vary by country. The aim of a free trade area is to reduce barriers to exchange so that trade can grow as a result of specialisation, division of labour, and most importantly via comparative advantage. The theory of comparative advantage argues that in an unrestricted marketplace (in equilibrium) each source of production will tend to specialize in that activity where it has comparative (rather than absolute) advantage. The theory argues that the net result will be an increase in income and ultimately wealth and well-being for everyone in the free trade area. However the theory refers only to aggregate wealth and says nothing about the distribution of wealth; in fact there may be significant losers, in particular among the recently protected industries with a comparative disadvantage. In principle, the overall gains from trade could be used to compensate for the effects of reduced trade barriers by appropriate inter-party transfers.

[edit] Criticism of FTAs

In 2011 the EU signed a new FTA with Peru and Colombia. There was a lot of opposition to this.[1] Arguments against it are:

It would reward the Colombian and Peruvian government while they are known to violate human rights. The environment for trade unionists in Colombia is very dangerous and threatening: the assassination of 49 union leaders was accounted for in 2010, and a constant state of personal death threats and assassination attempts has been reported in the past years.[2] Increase investments that also increase land grabbing and forced displacement of people from their homes. Undermine the rights of indigenous citizens Undermine the regional integration in Latin America's oldest regional trading block Prevent Peru and Colombia from boosting employment in local industries.

[edit] Lists of free trade areas

Stages of economic integration around the World: (each country colored according to the most advanced agreement that it participates into.) Economic and Monetary Union (CSME/EC$, EU/) Economic union (CSME, EU) Customs and Monetary Union (CEMAC/franc, UEMOA/franc) Common market (EEA, EFTA) Customs union (CAN, CUBKR, EAC, EUCU, MERCOSUR, SACU) Multilateral Free Trade Area (AFTA, CEFTA, COMESA, GAFTA, GCC, NAFTA, SAFTA, SICA, TPP)

List of bilateral free trade agreements List of multilateral free trade agreements

Every customs union, trade common market, economic union, customs and monetary union and economic and monetary union has also a free trade area.

[edit] Qualifying for a free trade agreement

Main articles: Rules of Origin and Cumulation

To determine eligibility for a free trade agreement (FTA), importers must obtain product information from all the suppliers within the supply chain. An automated solution should be in place for an importer to solicit his/her suppliers. Once supplier documentation is received the importer must determine the eligibility of the product based on the many rules of origin surrounding the product's Harmonized System number. Each free trade agreement will qualify an importer's products in different ways, however the basis of the qualification surrounds the idea that the finished product must have a minimum percentage of local/regional content. Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), qualifying rules include De Minimis, Regional Value Content, and Tariff Shift.

De Minimis states that a finished good will not be disqualified from preferential treatment if the non-originating content of that finished good is 7% or less of the transaction value of the good on an FOB basis (or its weight, depending on the type of good). Regional Value Content is a calculated percentage of the value of the product that represents its North American content Tariff Shift is a substantial transformation that takes place in a NAFTA country

A finished good must qualify under one of these rules to be eligible for free trade under NAFTA. This is just one example of a qualification for a free trade agreement. If a certificate of origin is present from a supplier demonstrating that the good originated in a country under the associated free trade agreement, no further calculations are needed.

When qualifying products for an FTA, the use of an automated system allows importers to stay up-to-date on international compliance regulations, as well as solicit suppliers via the web instead of manually. A functional solution should also perform the required calculations for the associated FTA during the Bill of Material (BOM) analysis, ensuring correct eligibility

MMTC has decided to undertake a major expansion of its joint venture project, Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd. (NINL), in Orissa at a cost of Rs.1,855 crore, to take advantage of its strong global reach in trading business, Chairman and Managing Director H. S. Mann said here.

Qadhafi's son killed as NATO escalates air campaign

A NATO air strike on a residential building in Tripoli has killed Saif-al Arab Qadhafi, the youngest son of the Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi, and three grandchildren, Libyan authorities have claimed.

Helpline launch
A helpline to assist victims of corrupt practices in sub-registrar offices and to clarify doubts would be launched in a fortnight. This announcement was made by Inspector-General of Registrations and Commissioner of Stamps, B. Shivappa, following complaints by readers about corruption at sub-registrar offices. Citizens with grievances can also approach him or any senior official in the department's headquartershe said. Complaints can also be sent to igrcs@yahoo.com.

Remnants of Mauryan-era stupas found in Girnar forest

Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to undertake a thorough archaeological survey of the Girnar reserve forest and the Gir sanctuary in Junagadh district in the Saurashtra region of the State.

In a letter dated April 21, Mr. Ramesh said he was giving the advice on the suggestion of a noted historian from Delhi University Nayanjot Lahiri, who recently visited the reserve forest and found the remnants of two stupas which she believed could be of the Mauryan dynasty. Mr. Ramesh said Dr. Lahiri located one of the stupas, locally known as Lakha Medi, near the Bhordevi temple inside the forest. The historian reckoned that the stupa must have been about 50 feet high. Its core was of solid bricks, similar to the Sanchi Stupa I (Madhya Pradesh) and the Stupa at Piprahwa (Uttar Pradesh), believed to be of the Mauryan era.

Service tax on lawyers stayed

The Delhi High Court has stayed till May 23 the imposition of a service tax on Legal Consultancy Services' rendered by lawyers. The Centre's notification was to be implemented from May 1. Acting on a writ petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association challenging the levy of 10 per cent service tax, a Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjeev Khanna on Friday asked the government to file a reply within two weeks and listed the case for May 23.

Public Accounts Committee (India)

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a committee of selected members of Parliament, constituted by the Parliament of India, for the auditing of the expenditure of the Government of India. The PAC is formed every year with a strength of not more than 22 members of which 15 are from Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament, and 7 from Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament.[1] The term of office of the members is one year.The Chairman is appointed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha.Since 1967, the chairman of the committee is selected from the opposition.Earlier, it was headed by a member of the ruling party.Its chief function is to examine the audit report of Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) after it is laid in the Parliament.CAG assists the committee during the course of investigation.None of the 22 members shall be a minister in the government. The present PAC is headed by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi.[2][3]

[edit] Probes
[edit] 2G spectrum scam

In 2011, the Public Accounts Committee is probing into the 2G spectrum scam which has brought the committee to public attention.[4][5] The committee, on 4 April 2011, summoned Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata group, and Niira Radia, corporate lobbyist regarding the scam.[4][5] PAC asked Congress members to apologise to Comptroller and Auditor General of India for making allegations it.[6]

20 per cent increase in consumption of iodised salt

Use of adequately iodised salt has increased by 20 per cent in the rural households as against the last country-wide survey conducted under the National Family Health Survey (2005-06). The Iodised Salt Coverage Study 2010, released here earlier this week, suggests that use of iodised salt in rural India has jumped to 47.3 per cent from 27 per cent. Uttarakhand, Orissa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh witnessed a two-fold increase while Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have shown relatively lower progress. The study shows that the availability of iodine content in the edible salt has improved as the salt is crushed, washed and refined.

Israel suspends cash transfers to PA

Israel's concern over the reconciliation efforts between Palestinian Authority and Islamist group Hamas prompted the Jewish nation on Sunday to suspend the transfer of $89 million in tax revenues to the PA. The agreement that was initiated recently between Hamas, which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, and the Fatah movement [the dominant faction in the PA], must concern not only every Israeli, but all those in the world who aspire to see peace between us and our Palestinian neighbours, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said peace is possible only with those who want to live in peace alongside us. Israel's Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio that Israel is suspending a routine handover of $89 million in customs and other levies that Jerusalem collects on behalf of the Palestinians under interim peace deals. He said Israel feared the money would be used to fund Hamas. The crucial decision comes days after Palestinians announced a new unity deal between the western-backed PA led by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah movement and Islamist Hamas, which has rejected calls to recognise Israel.

Crisis man-made: Tepco

It has been credibly acknowledged for the first time that the continuing nuclear radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power station in Japan is partially a man-made disaster. A top executive of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which owns the power plant and is responsible for crisis-management, made the acknowledgment during the weekend. Tepco Vice-President Norio Tsuzumi was talking to some of the newly-affected villagers in the Fukushima prefecture. Local authorities recently advised these villagers to evacuate to safer places by the end of May in view of the unabated emissions of radioactive substances from the unstable Daiichi plant. Thousands of residents in a 20-km area around the plant were evacuated shortly after it was knocked out by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Mr. Tsuzumi said some say the nuclear accident at Fukushima was beyond any expectations about the intensity of earthquakes or tsunamis. However, I think adequate safety precautions should have been in place to meet the March 11 accident that was caused by natural disasters. These comments acquire much resonance in the debate over the radiation crisis. Until now, Tepco executives had apologised to the victims without being so explicit on the man-made aspect.

Tokyo Electric Power Company

The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated ( Tky Denryoku Kabushiki-gaisha?, TYO: 9501), also known as Toden ( Tden?) or TEPCO, is an electric utility servicing Japan's Kant region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture. This area includes Tokyo. Its headquarters are located in Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and international branch offices exist in Washington, D.C., and London. In 2007 Tepco was forced to shut the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant after the Niigata-Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake. That year it posted its first loss in 28 years.[1] Corporate losses continued until the plant reopened in 2009.[2] Following the March 2011 Thoku earthquake and tsunami, its power plant at Fukushima Daiichi was the site of a continuing nuclear disaster, one of the world's most serious. TEPCO could face 2 trillion ($23.6 billion) in special losses in the current business year to March 2012,[3] and Japan plans to put TEPCO under effective state control as a guarantee for compensation payments to people affected by radiation.[4] The Fukushima disaster displaced 50,000 households in the evacuation zone because of radiation leaks into the air, soil and sea.[5]

U.s. forces kill Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden, leader of terror outfit al-Qaeda and alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, was killed in Pakistan in a Special Forces operation by the United States, U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Sunday night. In a statement issued shortly after 11.30 p.m., Mr. Obama confirmed that Osama, high on the list of U.S. authorities' most wanted men, had been killed after a fire-fight in Abbottabad, a military cantonment town not far from Islamabad. The President said U.S. forces subsequently took custody of his body. Media reports quoted administration officials saying Osama had offered resistance to the assault team, presumed to comprise U.S. Navy Seals, and was shot in the head. The end came when U.S. forces in helicopters attacked a large walled compound where Osama and some of his family members were said to be hiding. Buried at sea While U.S. officials said DNA evidence confirmed that Osama was killed, no official evidence of his identity was released yet. Senior administration officials, briefing the media, had said the body would be handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition, and reports confirmed that he was buried at sea. Even as news of his death broke, large crowds gathered outside the White House, at Ground Zero the site of the 9/11 attacks and in Times Square, New York City. Comprising mostly college-aged youngsters, the masses waved the American flag, sang the U.S. national anthem and chanted USA, USA. Touching upon the historic import of Osama's death after nearly a decade of the U.S.-led war on terror, Mr. Obama said in his address to the nation: For over two decades, Bin Laden has been al-Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. Mr. Obama said the death of Osama marked the most significant achievement to date in the U.S.' effort to defeat the al-Qaeda; however, he cautioned: Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There is no doubt that the al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad. Echoing the popular mood of the jubilant masses on the streets, Mr. Obama said justice had been done. The former Presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also associated with pursuing Osama for terror attacks on U.S. soil also joined with Mr. Obama in hailing Osama killing as justice delivered. Mass murderer of Muslims'

Even as spontaneous celebrations erupted across the country, Mr. Obama sought to emphasise that his country would never be at war with Islam, and also that Pakistan's counter-terrorism cooperation had been important in the operation. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, the al-Qaeda had slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, Mr. Obama said. There was some ambiguity regarding Pakistan's role in the operation. While Pakistani officials were quoted in the media as saying that they did have prior knowledge of the assault in Abbottabad, U.S. officials appeared to deny this, with one senior administration official saying: We had shared this information with no other country, and... a very, very small group of individuals within the U.S. government was aware of this. However, Mr. Obama said he had called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday night, and Pakistani officials agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. Covert operation Regarding the covert operation, senior administration officials at the White House revealed numerous details regarding the intelligence gathering efforts that had set the stage for the assault. Speaking to the media in a late-night conference call, they said that beginning in September 2010 the Central Intelligence Agency was said to have discussed with Mr. Obama a set of assessments that led it to believe that in fact it was possible that Osama may be located at a compound in Pakistan. Following these discussions, officials said, it was determined in mid-February that there was a sound intelligence basis for pursuing the lead in an aggressive way and developing courses of action to pursue Osama bin Laden at this location. With the President giving the final order to pursue the operation on the morning of April 29, the raid was sanctioned for Sunday, May 1, and the target, a large home with 18-foot walls and no telephone or internet connections, was identified based on intelligence reports compiled over four years. Spending less than 40 minutes in the compound, the U.S. forces did not encounter any local authorities while performing the raid, officials said, and apart from Osama, three adult males were said to have been killed, in all likelihood two couriers and Osama's adult son. Osama did offer resistance to the assault, officials said, confirming that one woman was also killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant. Following the assault, a helicopter was lost due to mechanical failure and it had to be destroyed by the crew and the assault force. Officials said crew members boarded the remaining aircraft to exit the compound. Support system

PTI reports: U.S. counter-terrorism chief John Brennan told journalists at the White House on Monday that it was inconceivable that Osama had no support system inside Pakistan that allowed him to remain there for an extended period of time. The U.S. administration was investigating how the al-Qaeda chief was able to hold on in the country for so long. While refusing to speculate on what kind of support Osama might have had in Pakistan, Mr. Brennan did not rule out the possibility of the terrorist having official backing. He said the fact that Osama was found so close to the capital raises questions.

ED granted permission to question Tapuriah

The Special Judge under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Monday granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate Kolkata-based businessman Kashinath Tapuriah, an aide of Hasan Ali Khan, who has been charged with money laundering. The ED will question Tapuriah till Wednesday in the Patna passport case, in which forged documents were used to get a passport for Khan. The ED was granted a similar permission by the court on Saturday to interrogate Khan in the case. Both Khan and Tapuriah are in judicial custody.

Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002

Prevention of Money Laundering Act is Indian law passed in 2002 to prevent moneylaundering and to provide for confiscation of property derived from money-laundering

POSCO
POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company) (KRX: 005490, NYSE: PKX, TYO: 5412, LSE: PIDD) is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It is the world's third-largest steelmaker by market value[1][2] and the most profitable Asiabased steelmaker.[3] POSCO currently operates two steel mills in South Korea, in Pohang and Gwangyang. In addition, POSCO operates a joint venture with U.S. Steel, USS-POSCO, which is located in Pittsburg, California. With the strong Korean shipbuilding and automotive industry dependent on POSCO for steel, it has been seen as the bedrock of Korea's industrial development over the past 40 years.

POSCO in India

In June 2005, POSCO signed a memorandum of understanding with the State of Orissa in India. Under the agreement, POSCO plans to invest US$12 billion to construct a plant with four blast furnaces, an electricity plant, housing, and an annual production capacity of 12 million tons of steel, which is slated to start production in 2010. The project, which would start with a 3 million tonne capacity initially, would fetch revenue for the government to the tune of Rs 700 crore to Rs 800 crore (Rs 7-8 billion) annually. It would also provide direct employment to 13,000 people and ensure indirect employment for another 35,000. The Orissa State government also promised to provide a total of 600 million tons of iron sources, and will allow POSCO to use iron ore from these sources over the next 30 years. If the project goes ahead, it will be the single largest foreign direct investment in India as well as being the world's biggest greenfield steel plant ever. However, from 2005 till date (as of August 7, 2010), the India project has not been able to proceed due to strong opposition from the local residents in the area proposed to be given for the steel plant. There have been allegations that the federal and State governments have been illegally trying to take lands and forests for the project, in violation of the Forest Rights Act.[4] There have also been claims that the project will only benefit the company while displacing more people than it employs, damaging the environment and taking India's mineral resources at a very low price

ISRO unveils supercomputer

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has built a supercomputer, which will be India's fastest in terms of theoretical peak performance of 220 TeraFLOPS (220 Trillion Floating Point Operations per second). Named Satish Dhawan Supercomputing Facility, it is located at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. The new graphic processing unit (GPU)-based supercomputer, which has been named SAGA220 (Super-computer for Aerospace with GPU Architecture-220 TeraFLOPS), would be used for solving complex aerospace problems, said an ISRO press release. The supercomputer was fully designed and built by the VSSC, using commercially available hardware and open source software components. Its total cost was about Rs.14 crore. ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan inaugurated it on Monday.

IAF to acquire 126 combat aircraft

The Indian Air Force will be acquiring 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) very soon, according to M.M. Pallam Raju, Union Minister of State for Defence.

Mr. Pallam Raju told media persons here on Monday that of the six companies that had come forward to supply the aircraft, two companies had been shortlisted. A sum of Rs. 10,000 crore would be spent for the purpose. The idea was to replace the existing Mig-21 and Mig-27 aircraft with the new ones in a phased manner.

Indian MRCA competition

The Indian Air Force Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) Competition, also known as the MRCA tender, is an ongoing competition to supply 126 multi-role combat aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The Defence Ministry has allocated 42,000 crore (US$8.52 billion) for the purchase of these aircraft,[1] making it India's single largest defence deal.[2] The MRCA tender was floated with the idea of filling the gap between its future Light Combat Aircraft and its in-service Su-30MKIs air superiority fighter. Procurement of the aircraft and equipment are to be carried out in accordance with the procedures laid out in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)-2011. The DPP provides for a comprehensive technical and field evaluation of equipment being procured to ensure conformity with the Service Qualitative Requirements (SQRs). The DPP also stipulates standard terms of contract to ensure product and maintenance support of the equipment being procured.[citation needed] On 27 April 2011, the IAF shortlisted two of the six competing fighter jetsEurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale.[3] Bids for the two remaining competitors had been received in 2011. A total cost is being determined for each bid

Bidders
Six aircraft were bid for the order the Swedish Saab Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon, French Dassault Rafale, Russian Mikoyan MiG-35, and the American F-16IN and F/A-18IN Super Hornet ("IN" are the proposed Indian versions). Previously, Mikoyan and Dassault have been regular suppliers of aircraft for the Indian Air Force and in terms of transfers of technology, licensed production in India, personnel training, supply of spare parts, maintenance and upgrading. IAF pilots and technicians are familiar with earlier aircraft from those two aircraft manufacturers, and would need minimal retraining. Infrastructural and logistical support for maintenance and spares would also be easier for these aircraft compared to the unfamiliar Gripen, Typhoon, F-16 and F/A-18.

Aircraft shortlisted

It was reported on 27 April 2011 that only Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale made the cut to the shortlist.[101] Eurofighter and Dassault have been told to keep their commercial bids

open till 31 December 2011.[102] The US ambassador in India, Timothy Roemer said that they were "deeply disappointed" by the news, but added that they were reviewing the documents received from the Government of India and were "respectful of the procurement process". He also said that the US looked forward to continuing to grow and develop their defence partnership with India.[103] Officials from SAAB confirmed that the Gripen was not shortlisted but added that they were committed to the Indian market and continue their plans for growth and that they see large business opportunities in the aerospace, defence and security sectors in India.[104] A US diplomatic cable leaked by Wikileaks has brought forward the fact that US diplomats already held the view that Indian defense trade, in such important deals with the USA, will be subject to scrutiny, owing to the US maintaining a favorable military partnership with Pakistan and due to the sanctions that the US imposed on India after the Pokhran-II nuclear tests. Timothy Roemer, the US ambassador to India, said in an 29 October 2009 cable to Michele Flournoy, a top Pentagon official then about to visit India that "Our ability to seize the opportunities presented by this newly improved environment is limited by the commonly held view that the U.S. will not prove to be a reliable supplier of defense equipment".[105] After entries from Lockheed Martin and Boeing were not short-listed, both companies requested a debrief to understand why their bids fell short in the technical evaluation. On 11 July 2011 representatives from Lockheed Martin and Boeing attended a government-to-government debriefing between Indian and US officials. The companies stated they accepted the IAF decision in releases.[106][107] In late July 2011, the IAF said that the lowest bidder was to be determined in the "next five to six weeks".[108] On 9 October 2011, despite reports that a winner would be announced in October 2011, Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne stated that India is first approving the finalists' industrial offset offers, and allowing each time to make a final bid. A total cost based on lifecycle cost, purchase cost, and technology transfer value for each competitor will be calculated. The two competing financial bids were formally opened on 4 November 2011.[110][111] On 18 November, Air Chief Marshal Browne said that the winner would be announced by midDecember 2011.[112][113]

Food Corporation of India

Food Corporation of India (Hindi: ) was setup on 14th January 1965 having its first District Office at Thanjavur - rice bowl of Tamil Nadu - and headquarters at Chennai under the Food Corporations Act 1964 to implement the following objectives of the National Food Policy :
1. Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers 2. Distribution of foodgrains throughout the country for Public Distribution System 3. Maintaining satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrains to ensure National Food Security

Statistics
It is the largest corporation in India and probably the largest supply chain management in Asia. It operates through 5 zonal offices and 26 regional offices. Each year, the Food Corporation of India purchases roughly 15-20 per cent of India's wheat output and 12-15 per cent of its rice output. The purchases are made from the farmers at the rates declared by the Govt. of India. This rate is called as MSP (Minimum support Price). There is no limit for procurement in terms of volume, any quantity can be procured by FCI provided the stock satisfies FAQ (Fair Average Quality) specifications with respect to FCI.

Operation
The stocks are transported throughout India and issued to the State Government nominees at the rates declared by the Govt of India for further distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS) for the consumption of the ration card holders. (FCI itself does not directly distribute any stock under PDS and its operations end at the exit of the stock from its depots). The difference between the purchase price and sale price, along with internal costs, are reimbursed by the Union Government in the form of Food Subsidy. At present the annual subsidy is around $10 billion. FCI by itself is not a Decision making authority, it does not decide anything about the MSP, Imports or Exports. It just implements the decisions made by the Ministry of Food and Ministry of Agriculture.

Indian Overseas Bank

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) (BSE: 532388) is a major bank based in Chennai (Madras), with 2018 domestic branches and six branches overseas. Indian Overseas Bank has an ISO certified inhouse Information Technology department, which has developed the software that 2018 branches use to provide online banking to customers; the bank has achieved 100% networking status as well as 100% CBS status of branches with a total number of 2018 CBS branchs and Extension Counters. IOB also has a network of about 1010 ATMs all over India and IOB's International VISA Debit Card is accepted at all ATMs belonging to the Cash Tree and NFS networks. IOB offers internet Banking (E-See Banking) and is one of the banks that the Govt. of India has approved for online payment of taxes.The bank's business more than doubled in the last four years. According to "A profile of banks (2009-10)" published by RBI, the bank's deposits increased from Rs.50529 crore as on 31.03.06 to Rs.110795 crore as on 31.03.10 and advances from Rs.34756 crore to Rs.79004 crore. 2010: Malaysia awarded a commercial banking license to a locally incorporated bank to be jointly owned by Bank of Baroda, Indian Overseas Bank and Andhra Bank. The new bank, India International Bank (Malaysia), will reside in Kuala Lumpur, which has a large population of Indians. Andhra Bank will hold a 25% stake in the joint-venture, Bank of Baroda will own 40% and IOB the remaining 35%.

Asian Development Bank

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia.[2] The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly known as the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East) and non-regional developed countries.[2] From 31 members at its establishment, ADB now has 67 members - of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside. ADB was modeled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with member's capital subscriptions. At present, both the United States and Japan hold 552,210 shares, the largest proportion of shares at 12.756% each.[3] China holds 228,000 shares (6.429 %), India holds 224,010 shares (6.317 %), the 2nd and 3rd largest proportion of shares respectively.

International Monetary Fund

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.[1] The organization's stated objectives are to promote international economic cooperation, international trade, employment, and exchange rate stability, including by making resources available to member countries to meet balance of payments needs.[2] Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C.. The IMF was conceived on July 22, 1944 originally with 45 members and came into existence on December 27, 1945 when 29 countries signed the agreement,[3] with a goal to stabilize exchange rates and assist the reconstruction of the worlds international payment system. Countries contributed to a pool which could be borrowed from, on a temporary basis, by countries with payment imbalances. The IMF was vital when it was first created because it helped the world stabilize the economic system. The IMF works to improve the economies of its member countries.[4] The IMF describes itself as an organization of 187 countries (as of July 2010), working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty.

National AIDS Control Organisation

he National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), established in 1992, is a division of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that provides leadership to HIV/AIDS control programme in India through 35 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies, and is "the nodal organisation for formulation of policy and implementation of programs for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India." [1][2][3][4].

In 2010, NACO approved the TeachAIDS curriculum for use in India, an innovation which represented the first time that HIV/AIDS education could be provided in a curriculum which did not need to be coupled with sex education[5].

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the Indian governmental regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This directorate investigates aviation accidents and incidents.[1] It is headquartered at Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi.

Regional offices
DGCA has fourteen Regional Airworthiness Offices (RAO) at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhopal, Lucknow, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Kanpur, Guwahati and Patiala. It has also five Regional Air Safety offices located at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. It has a Regional Research and Development Office located at Bangalore and the Gliding Centre at Pune[3].

[edit] Corruption charges in Fake license scam

The Director General of Civil Aviation faced charges of corruption in April 2011, after 14 pilots flying for several airlines were found to have forged their licenses. Additional director at the DGCA[4], Pradeep Kumar, and also Jyoti Bhattacharya and Mohammed K Ansari, dealing with cash and finances[5], have been arrested[6]. However, it was found that the files containing the records of several pilots had disappeared from the DGCA offices[7]. There were calls for a thorough investigation of the DGCA "top brass"

FCRA 2010 comes into force

The Centre has notified the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 and it has come into force from May 1, 2011. Accordingly, Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules 2011 have also come into effect from May 1, official sources in the Home Ministry have said. Some of the key features of FCRA are: the concept of permanent' registration has been done away with; a five-year registration is provided so that dormant organisations do not continue; all existing registered organisations are deemed to be on a five-year validity from now; organisations of a political nature' cannot receive foreign funds; a ceiling on administrative expenses has been fixed; a procedure for suspension and cancellation of registration has been prescribed; a statutory role provided for the banking sector in regulation; time limits have been provided for accountability on the part of officials; and to deal with bona fide mistakes of nongovernmental organisations, a provision has been made for compounding' of offences.

Buddhadeb asks for judicial probe into armsdrop case

Purulia arms drop
See also: Purulia arms drop scandal

On December 18, 1995, a mysterious weapon consignment was dropped from the sky over Joupur Jhalda area under Purulia district of West Bengal. The consignment was discovered the next morning. The reasons are still not known.[5]

Endangered Pig-nosed Turtles falling easy prey to poachers

Every time the three irrigation canals of Prakasam Barrage, which pass through the city, are closed for the summer, the endangered species of Pig-nosed Turtles become easy prey. Though they are well-camouflaged in the slush and mud of the canal bed, poachers know where to look for them. Armed with a stick or rod, they keep poking until they hit the turtle's hard shell. Gaddam Yesu, who is still in his teens, does not know that the reptile he is selling is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The specimens he has caught weigh about one kilo, and he quotes Rs.150 for each. He is sure to get at least Rs.100 for them. The Pig-nosed Turtle, which was added to the Vulnerable' category in the Red List in 1996, is unlike any other freshwater turtle in the world. Herpetologists say it is the turtle best adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, with the exception of marine turtles. They grow to about 70 cm in shell-length and weigh over 20 kg. P. Gracious, former Assistant Conservator of Forests, says the demand for turtle and tortoise meat is high because people believe it has aphrodisiacal qualities. It is easy to sell anything if you claim that it has aphrodisiacal qualities. A number of wildlife products are in the country with such claims, he says. While there is also a demand for Pig-nosed Turtles in the exotic pet market, only experienced aquatic turtle keepers can maintain them: they are shy, prone to stress and get sick easily. Highly aggressive

Breeding is also not an option for hobbyists because adult turtles are highly aggressive. The Forest Department, which has to be informed about the reptiles within 48 hours of capture, has no record of Pig-nosed Turtles being kept as pets in the city or of them being sold.

IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List), founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species. A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit. The IUCN Red List is set upon precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world. The aim is to convey the urgency of conservation issues to the public and policy makers, as well as help the international community to try to reduce species extinction. Major species assessors include BirdLife International, the Institute of Zoology (the research division of the Zoological Society of London), the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and many Specialist Groups within the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC). Collectively, assessments by these organizations and groups account for nearly half the species on the Red List. The IUCN aims to have the category of every species re-evaluated every five years if possible, or at least every ten years. This is done in a peer reviewed manner through IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Specialist Groups, which are Red List Authorities responsible for a species, group of species or specific geographic area, or in the case of BirdLife International, an entire class (Aves)

Categories

Summary of 2006 IUCN Red List categories.

Species are classified in nine groups, set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation.

Extinct (EX) - No individuals remaining. Extinct in the Wild (EW) - Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range. Critically Endangered (CR) - Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Endangered (EN) - High risk of extinction in the wild. Vulnerable (VU) - High risk of endangerment in the wild. Near Threatened (NT) - Likely to become endangered in the near future. Least Concern (LC) - Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category. Data Deficient (DD) - Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction. Not Evaluated (NE) - Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.[6]

When discussing the IUCN Red List, the official term "threatened" is a grouping of three categories: Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable.

Superbug NDM-I, a result of misuse of antibiotics'

A recent survey in the Sassoon Hospital here showed that 20 out of 3,172 patients were carrying the superbug, NDM-1 gene. Sixty-six per cent of the patients also showed multidrug resistance. While it is not a cause for immediate worry, experts say, the high level of resistance to drugs could mean that soon there will be no antibiotics which can fight diseases. Renu Bharadwaj, Dean of the BJ Medical College which conducted the study on the 3,172 patients over two months, said many such superbugs' existed and NDM-1 (New Delhi metallobeta lactamase-1), a bacterium with multidrug-resistant gene, was the newest genetic mechanism.

New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1

New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1)[1] is an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to a broad range of beta-lactam antibiotics. These include the antibiotics of the carbapenem family, which are a mainstay for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. The gene for NDM-1 is one member of a large gene family that encodes beta-lactamase enzymes called carbapenemases. Bacteria that produce carbapenemases are often referred to in the news media as "superbugs" because infections caused by them are difficult to treat. Such bacteria are usually susceptible only to polymyxins and tigecycline.[2] NDM-1 was first detected in a Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate from a Swedish patient of Indian origin in 2008. It was later detected in bacteria in India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States,[3] Canada,[4] Japan[5] and Brazil.[6] The most common bacteria that make this enzyme are Gram-negative such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, but the gene for NDM-1 can spread from one strain of bacteria to another by horizontal gene transfer

First death
In August 2010, the first reported death due to bacteria expressing the NDM-1 enzyme was recorded after a Belgian man, who had become infected while being treated in a hospital in

Pakistan, died despite being administered colistin. A doctor involved in his treatment said, "He was involved in a car accident during a trip to Pakistan. He was hospitalised with a major leg injury and then repatriated to Belgium, but he was already infected".

Sri Lanka to release stamp on Tagore

The Government of Sri Lanka will release on May 7, a postal stamp and first day cover on Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary celebrations. The stamp, priced at LKR 5, will be released by Minister for Postal Services Jewan Kumaranathunga at a function presided over by Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha, said the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, Vikram Misri, here. Sri Lankan Minister for Cultural Affairs and Arts T.B. Ekanayake, will release Remembering Rabindranath Tagore,' a commemorative volume edited by Sandagomi Coperahewa and published by the University of Colombo. The volume contains 15 articles in English, Sinhala and Tamil and highlights the concerns and philosophy of Tagore and his contribution to life and literature, said Professor Coperahewa.

Thousands pay tributes to Dorjee Khandu

The body of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was flown here from Tawang on an Mi-172 helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday. It will be kept at his official residence for two days to enable the public to pay their last respects and flown back to Tawang on Friday for the completion of the last rites in accordance with the tradition of the Monpa tribe, to which he belonged.

Red Cross Day

Indian Red Cross Society, Karnataka State Branch, is celebrating World Red Cross Day on May 8 at Red Cross Bhavan on Race Course Road. D.H. Shankarmurthy, chairman of Legislative Council, will inaugurate it. Dignitaries, including S. Selvakumar, Mission Director National Rural Health Mission, B.R. Jagashetty, Drug Controller, will take part. Mr. Shankarmurthy will flag off two blood transportation vehicles on the day.

UAE attracts more investors from India

In the first four months of 2011, about 190 companies have started operations in Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZ), Sharjah, Director General of HFZ Authority, Rashid Al Leem has said.

Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on Hamriyah Free Zone Endless Opportunities for Business Sustainability' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Wednesday, he said that UAE had evolved into a model of sustainable development and inclusive growth by attracting over 5,000 investors from across the globe during the last 15 years up to 2010. About 25 per cent of the investors were from India. Of the 493 companies that have started operations in HFZ 38 per cent of them were from India, he said. Executive vice-chairman, Guidance Bureau, Industries Department, M. Velmurugan, said the bilateral trade between India and UAE grew by 30 per cent.

India's engagement with Latin American countries increasing

A three-day photo exhibition titled Amazing Amazon' will be inaugurated by Juan Alfredo Pinto Saavedra, Ambassador of Colombia to India, at Amethyst on Friday. Mr. Pinto said the exhibition was part of the promotion of trade and cultural relationships between India and Colombia. The exhibition would present the hidden treasures of tribes, flora and fauna along the banks of the Amazon from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes Mountains. Talking about the bilateral ties between the two countries, Mr. Pinto said that the Latin American Countries (LAC) were rich in natural resources. Focus sector in Chennai As far as Chennai was concerned, Colombia was looking at automobile industries, health care and information technology. For this the Colombian business delegates were interacting with companies such as TVS, Apollo, Polaris and Hexaware, he said. The country had already signed 14 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with various chambers of commerce, seven MoUs with different Indian Universities and an equal number with the Indian Government.

AMU V-C orders hostel search to seize firearms

Amid allegations of Aligarh Muslim University students stocking firearms in some hostels, ViceChancellor P. K. Abdul Azis on Thursday ordered a search.

In view of official reports that warring student groups have stored firearms in some hostels, the university authorities will carry out an extensive search in the hostels to seize any such material, Mr. Azis said in a statement here. Proctor Beg Mujahid Beg, who had recently made the allegation public at a press conference, has been authorised to complete the operation within the next three days. Condemning the statement, AMU Teachers' Association had passed a resolution describing the remark as irresponsible, baseless and defamatory. Reacting strongly to the V-C's statement, Teachers' Association secretary Mustafa Zaidi said the issue was being raked up to justify the closure of the university. The teachers are on an indefinite dharna against the campus closure. AMU was shut down indefinitely on Saturday following clashes between two students groups that left 12 of them injured. The V-C charged that the agitating teachers and students are in fact vitiating the peaceful atmosphere with the sole purpose of de-stabilising the university administration.

Alstom's Gujarat unit on stream

Global leader in power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure Alstom on Thursday unveiled its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for producing bearings for medium to large sized hydro power projects in India and abroad. Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde inaugurated the factory at Vadodara in Gujarat in the presence of Alstom Power President Philippe Joubert and company Country President Sunand Sharma. According to an official spokesman of the company here, the factory will manufacture bearings for medium to large size hydro power projects, including large turbine and generator thrust bearings, guide bearings and shaft seals to cater to the hydro power sector in India and abroad. The company said its bearing technologies are developed as an integrated part of the hydro generator system. Thrust bearings tolerate much higher impact loads, without damage or performance degradation, and significantly reduce friction, enabling higher load/speed combinations, cooler operation, and extended operational life. Employing around 200 people, it will reach a full production capacity of 40 sets of bearings and shaft seals a year by 2012-13. The Vadodara site is also home to one of Alstom's biggest hydropower manufacturing sites as well as Alstom's Global Technology Centre

Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual

sales of over 20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are located in Levallois-Perret, near Paris.[2] Its current CEO is Patrick Kron. Alstom is active in the field of hydroelectric power generation; in conventional islands for nuclear power plants; and in environmental control systems. It is also the manufacturer of the AGV, TGV, and Eurostar series, as well as of Citadis trams. Alstom is also present in the urban transport market, and is behind regional train models, signalling infrastructure equipment, and a number of associated services.

Ranbaxy, USFDA in settlement talks: report

Ranbaxy Laboratories and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) are reportedly negotiating a settlement to lift a ban on sale of 30 generic drugs produced at the company's two plants in India, which could involve payments and fines exceeding $1 billion. In a report, the Fortune magazine, quoting unnamed sources, said the USFDA and the Gurgaonbased company were negotiating to settle the issue that had been dragging on since 2008. ... Federal prosecutors have been negotiating a criminal and civil settlement with the company (Ranbaxy) that could lead to fines and payments exceeding $1 billion, the Fortune report said, stating it has learned from sources with knowledge of the negotiations.'' When contacted, a Ranbaxy spokesperson said: We have been fully cooperating with the USFDA in seeking a resolution. Comments from the USFDA could not be obtained immediately. In 2008, the USFDA had banned the drugs, citing gross violation of approved manufacturing norms. PTI

UBM India's plans

UBM India, part of the London stock exchange listed United Business Media, a leading global business media company, plans to conduct 16 exhibitions before March 2012, according to Nigel Luke Brown, Project Director. Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, he said the company started its operations in India in 2006 and conducted 55-60 events so far. Worldwide, UBM was working with 29 industries while the Indian company was catering to around eight verticals including pharmaceutical ingredients, food ingredients, gem and jewellery, nuclear and the like. Mr. Brown said the company would bring in buyers and sellers together at events and help them in conducting business successfully.

UBM has 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries and has dedicated teams that cater to the specific industry. IFSEC South India 2011 UBM India is organising a three-day event, IFSEC South India, at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre from June 1 to 3. The event is supported by Asian Professional Security Association, India Chapter. Mr. Brown said around 120 companies confirmed their participation. Of this, 25 companies from overseas would showcase their latest technology and products in the fire and security segments.

IAAF to probe clash of dates

World athletics' governing body, the IAAF, has vowed to sort out an untimely calendar clash that has left the opening Diamond League meet here on Friday shorn of a raft of headline sprinters. Not one Jamaican sprinter will be on show in the Qatari capital, with the Jamaica International Invitational meeting in Kingston being held on Saturday.

International Association of Athletics Federations

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation. Since October 1993 it has been headquartered in Monaco. Beginning in 1982, the IAAF has passed several amendments to its rules allowing athletes to receive compensation for participation in international athletics competitions. However, the IAAF retained the word "amateur" in its name until its 2001 Congress at which the IAAF's title was changed to its current form. The IAAF's current president is Lamine Diack of Senegal. He became Acting President shortly after the death of the previous president, Primo Nebiolo of Italy in November 1999, and was elected IAAF President at the IAAF's 2001 Congress.

Navy comes to rescue of Chinese vessel

The Indian Navy averted a pirate attack on a Chinese merchant vessel sailing in the Arabian Sea by sending its maritime reconnaissance aircraft that forced the sea brigands to abandon the ship and flee, officials said on Friday.

Navy foils piracy bid on Chinese merchant vessel

A Navy patrol plane foiled a pirate attack on a Chinese merchant vessel, MV Full City, off the Karwar coast in the Arabian Sea on Thursday. It flew warning sorties and coordinated with the NATO Task Force to complete the mission successfully. Receiving an SOS at 8.45 a.m. that the vessel was under attack, the Navy directed a TU124 aircraft which was on anti-piracy patrol and a Coast Guard ship to the spot, some 450 nautical miles (850 km) west of Karwar. The aircraft was over MV Full City under 30 minutes and observed a pirate mother ship next to the merchant vessel and an empty skiff alongside. Flying low over the merchant ship several times, the plane warned the pirates, on radio, to leave immediately and warned that naval warships were closing in. Heeding the warnings, the pirates left the merchant ship and fled in their skiff to the mother ship, Navy spokesman Commander P.V.S. Satish said here. Since no surface forces were available in the immediate vicinity, the Navy plane kept watch for over three hours over the Chinese vessel and coordinated with the NATO Task Force. The spokesman said the operation highlighted the alacrity of the Navy and the international cooperation it maintained. The mission involved co-operation with the NATO Task Force, the Chinese Task Force and the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Beijing. The Chinese TF thanked the Navy for its prompt action. MV Full City, which set sail from Jeddah, continues its voyage through the waters of the Eastern Arabian Sea.

Army to set up jungle warfare training area

The Army is awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to conduct training in jungle warfare to a brigade size force in Chhattisgarh. The land for setting up the training area, also called the manoeuvre range, has been identified at Narainpur in Chhattisgarh and approval accorded in principle.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command Lt. Gen. V.K. Ahluwalia said this at a press conference at the Command's headquarters here on Friday Lt. Gen. Ahluwalia said the objective of setting up the training range was only to impart training and not anti-Naxal operations. The area under the Central Command, which encompasses Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, and parts of Madhya Pradesh, were affected by left wing extremism, but presently the Army was not mandated to operate against such elements. Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were the other two States in the Command. The Army's role in this context was advisory and providing assistance in capacity building to the Union government. Though the Army was not involved in anti-Naxal operations, it had imparted training to about 50,000 police and paramilitary force personnel in such operations. The Army was trying to set up training areas since 2006 as the existing ones were shrinking owing to rapid urbanisation. The Commander admitted that saving the Army land from encroachment posed a big challenge as the Central Command comprised 25 military cantonments (40 per cent of the total cantonments in the country) and 76 military stations. Illustrating his point, he said a civil colony was planned before 1994 in a rifle range in the trans-Gomti area of Lucknow. The Army rifle range on about 193 acres had existed there since 1957. Consultations are on with the State government for finding a mutual solution. Similarly, in the Arjunganj firing range, also in Lucknow, which was a notified area, construction activity had started, he said adding the issue was raised at the highest level and a solution would emerge soon. 48th Raising Day The Command is celebrating its 48th Raising Day anniversary celebrations. It was the Chinese aggression in 1962 that led to the creation of the Central Command. It came into being on May 1, 1963. In fact, prior to May 1, 1963, Lucknow was the headquarters of the Eastern Command. Subsequently, Kolkata (then Calcutta) was made the headquarters of the reorganised Eastern Command. In 1963, four States were there in the Central Command. Today it has seven States and 34 regimental training centres and military colleges.

No incursion along border: Gamlin

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin on Friday said there were some disputed areas along the India-China border, but there was no incursion as such. As the McMahon Line between India and China was imaginary, there were a few places along the international border where Indians and Chinese sometimes criss-crossed.

Talking to journalists a day after taking charge, Mr. Gamlin said it was important for everyone to realise that Arunachal was an integral part of India. The State was passing through a difficult period following the sad demise of Dorjee Khandu and people should remain calm and strive to realise his dream of making the State a developed one. Asked about the activities of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in the State, he said the insurgents should keep themselves confined to designated camps and not come to Arunachal Pradesh. He urged them to talk to the Government of India for resolving their problems. Mr. Gamlin said his priorities would be improving the communication, education, health and tourism sectors.

McMahon Line
The McMahon Line is a line agreed to by Great Britain and Tibet as part of Simla Accord, a treaty signed in 1914. Although its legal status is disputed by China, it is the effective boundary between China and India. The line is named after Sir Henry McMahon, foreign secretary of British India and the chief negotiator of the convention. It extends for 550 miles (890 km) from Bhutan in the west to 160 miles (260 km) east of the great bend of the Brahmaputra River in the east, largely along the crest of the Himalayas. Simla (along with the McMahon Line) was initially rejected by the British-run Government of India as incompatible with the 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention.[1] This convention was renounced in 1921. After Simla, the McMahon Line was forgotten until 1935, when British civil service officer Olaf Caroe convinced the government to publish the Simla Convention and use the McMahon Line on official maps.[2] The McMahon Line is regarded by India as the legal national border, although previous Indian governments have made claims (and stationed soldiers and outposts) north of the McMahon Line, such as during the Forward Policy period under then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru prior to the Sino-Indian War. The Dalai Lama's Tibetan government-in-exile also accepts the line as an official border. [3] China rejects the Simla Accord, contending that the Tibetan government was not sovereign and therefore did not have the power to conclude treaties.[4] Chinese maps show some 56,000 square miles (150,000 km2) of the territory south of the line as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, popularly known as South Tibet in China. Chinese forces briefly occupied this area during the Sino-Indian War of 1962-63. China does recognize a Line of Actual Control which includes a portion of the "so called McMahon line" in the eastern part of its border with India, according to a 1959 diplomatic note by Prime Minister Zhou Enlai.[

Centre to enact law to define drinking water standards

In India you have quality standards specifications for soft drinks, but none for potable water. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, under the Ministry of Rural Development, is now seeking to correct the record, and, thankfully, the exercise will cover urban habitations too. The department has found the current legal environment for enforcing and regulating drinking water standards very weak in the country as they focus on issues related to large water bodies and their pollution. The Centre and the States will bear the burden of financing investment in part or full, but the paper lays greater stress on the need for a clear policy direction on paying for the operation and maintenance of the system.

Lord Paul opens learning centre in memory of daughter

Prominent industrialist and Labour Peer Swraj Paul on Friday opened the Ambika Paul Learning Resource Centre named after his daughter who died of leukaemia at the age of four in 1968 at the RSA Academy, a well-known comprehensive school in Tipton, West Midlands, sponsored by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Visual, literary treat for Tagore admirers

Rabindranath Tagore is taking the connoisseurs on a visual and literary treat in the capital. From his literary skills to even understanding the sartorial fashion of his family, it was all here. The unexpected highlight was brought up by the dance theatre Thakur Barir Saaj Poshak (The Sartorial Fashion of the Tagore Family), presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) at the Azad Bhavan Auditorium on Friday. The production looked at how Tagore's large family made wardrobe choices that got distilled to the modern day. The programme was part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of Tagore, and was staged by artistes of the Kolkata-based Odissi Vision and Movement Centre.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in Indias external cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their peoples. It was founded on 9 April 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India.

The ICCR Headquarters are situated in Azad Bhavan, I.P. Estate, New Delhi, with regional offices in Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, [Cuttack]], Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong, Thiruvananthapuram & Varanasi. The council also operates missions internationally, with established cultural centres in Georgetown, Paramaribo, Port Louis, Jakarta, Moscow, Berlin, Cairo, London, Tashkent, Almaty, Johannesburg, Durban, Port of Spain and Colombo. ICCR has recently opened new cultural centers in Dhaka, Thimpu, Sao Paulo, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur & Tokyo.[2
Publications

The ICCR has an ambitious publication programme. Six quarterly journals, are published in five different languages:
Journal Indian Horizons Africa Quarterly Gagananchal Papeles de la India Rencontre Avec I Inde Thaqafat-ul-Hind Language English English Hindi Spanish French Arabic

In addition the Council has published a wide range of books, covering a variety of culturally oriented subjects. Published works include the writings of eminent Indian statesmen and philosophers like Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Nehru and Tagore. The ICCR's Publication Programme, focusses on books relating to Indian Culture, Philosophy and Mythology, as well as traditional music, dance, and theatre. Translation of Sanskrit classics into a number of foreign languages; including French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and English; whilst translating seminal works of World Literature into Hindi, and other Indian languages, is central to the ICCR philosophy of cultural exchange and diversity.

IMG backs RBI strategy to check inflation

The Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on inflation set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh under the chairmanship of Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu on Friday endorsed the strategy adopted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its annual credit and monetary policy

which has stressed that the inflationary spiral needs to be contained at all costs, even if it means a moderation in GDP (gross domestic product) growth in the short term. Food inflation 8.53% At its third meeting here which was also addressed, among others, by RBI Governor D. Subbarao, the IMG reviewed the current economic situation owing to the unacceptable rise in both food and headline inflation and its impact on economic growth. In its assessment of the outcome of the IMG meeting, a Finance Ministry statement said: In the short run, lowering inflation can have a dampening impact on growth...but that is desirable if our aim is to achieve high, sustainable growth. While headline inflation in March stands pegged at 8.98 per cent, much above the RBI's scaledup estimate of eight per cent for the 2010-11 fiscal year end, food inflation, despite a marginal decline, remains high at 8.53 per cent for the third week of April. With tackling inflation being the prime concern of the authorities at the current moment, the apex bank adopted a aggressively hawkish stance earlier this week and raised the key policy rates by 50 basis points while admitting that the resultant high interest rates may lead to a moderation in economic growth. On this issue, the government and the RBI appear to be at one as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has reconciled to a lower GDP growth of eight per cent as projected by the apex bank as compared to the nine per cent expansion that was estimated earlier for the current fiscal. Apart from the domestic supply constraints, the high inflation has been largely owing to a spurt in global commodity prices, especially that of crude oil. Structural factors The IMG is of the view that apart from fiscal and monetary measures, some structural factors of the economy would need to be addressed. These include diversification of the consumption basket and its impact on prices of protein-based edibles, fruits and vegetables. At the meeting, the RBI Governor also made a presentation which was much in line with what he had said during the unveiling of the credit policy for the current fiscal in that containing inflation was a must in order to sustain high growth in the medium to long term. This is a critical attribute of a favourable investment climate, the Finance Ministry statement said. In his presentation on the current inflation scenario and analysis, Dr. Subbarao pointed out that over the long run, high inflation is inimical to sustained growth as it harms investment by creating uncertainty. Current elevated rates of inflation pose significant risks to future growth. Bringing them down, therefore, even at the cost of some growth in the short-run, should take precedence. Trade-off On the issue of growth-inflation trade-off, RBI chief noted that the Indian as well as the international experience suggested that there was no long-run trade-off between growth and

inflation. Any attempt to push growth above the potential will only lead to higher inflation but no durable growth/employment gains, he said.

Sound bytes from India seem to articulate a shift in Mohali spirit

The sabre-rattling from different quarters in the Indian civil and military hierarchy has only served to reinforce the growing perception in Pakistan that a hawkish security mindset and establishment is determining the mainstream narrative in India vis--vis Pakistan and the wellmeaning Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may not be able to stay the course of dialogue. This was articulated in no uncertain terms on Thursday by Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir who described hawkish remarks by senior members of India's political and military leadership as symptomatic of trends and tendencies within the Indian establishment and armed forces which were trying to subvert the agenda of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Earlier in the week, he had said that demands by some Indians for surgical strikes by India against terror camps in Pakistan along the lines of the U.S. operation against al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden were a line of thinking mired in a mindset that is neither realistic nor productive. That Pakistan's civil and military leadership should have warned of terrible catastrophe if India attempted surgical strikes in Pakistan was only to be expected after the media here picked up comments made by the chiefs of the Indian Army and Air Force about India having the capability to carry out a similar stealth operation. The present Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on record to an Indian publication last year that Pakistan Army was India-centric and what matters is not just India's intentions but also its capabilities. Good intentions can change overnight, he had said, and his words rang true as the sound bytes from India this week seemed to articulate a shift in the Mohali spirit. Unfortunately, the off-record External Affairs Ministry briefing for Indian and foreign journalists on Wednesday in which India adopted a pragmatic approach to the evolving situation in Pakistan got eclipsed by the remarks made by the two service chiefs. That it is not realistic to assume that India can exercise a giant swatter-like approach towards Pakistan found little or no space in the Pakistani media. Drawing attention to the off-record briefing was also pointless as the fact that the Indian government did not want to go public with its pragmatic approach is seen here as further evidence of the stranglehold the security establishment in India has over its Pakistan narrative.

Thrissur Pooram festivities begin

The festivities of the Thrissur Pooram began on Friday with the ceremonial kodiyettam' (flag hoisting) by various participating temples, at separate functions. The ceremony ignited a week-long fervour, which will culminate on Pooram day on May 12. The Thiruvambadi Devaswom held the kodiyettam' between 11.30 a.m. and 12 noon. Kanattukara Surendran Asari performed the Bhoomi Puja. Special pujas were performed at the temple. The Poorappurappadu' was held at 2.30 p.m. It coincided with the hoisting of ceremonial flags at Naduvilal and Naikkanal. The Paramekkavu Devaswom held the kodiyettam' between 11.45 a.m. and 12.15 p.m. The kodiyettam' of Cheru Pooram was held at the Ayyanthole, Naithalakkavu, Choorakkottukavu, Lalur, Kanimangalam, Panamukkampilly, Chembukkavu and Karamukku temples. The friendly competition in ceremonies such as Kootti Ezhunnellippu and Kudamattom between Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi Devaswoms is the highlight of Thrissur Pooram. The first round of display of fireworks, called Sample Vedikettu, will be held at 7 p.m. on May 10. Chamaya Pradarsanam (display of caparisons) by Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi Devaswoms will be held on May 10 and 11 respectively. Thrissur Pooram falls on May 12. The major display of fireworks will be at 3 a.m. on May 13.

India Post offers discounts on sale of gold coins

India Post will offer special discounts on the sale of gold coins during the Akshaya Tritiya season. The discounts will be available till June 30. Any customer who buys a 10 gm gold coin will get a 0.5 gm gold coin free or a discount of 6 per cent on that day's retail price. Coins of two new denominations, 10 gm and 50 gm, have been introduced in an attractive tamper-proof packaging. The post offices selling the gold coins in the State are Thiruvananthapuram GPO; Thiruvananthapuram Fort; Pattom Palace; Thiruvananthapuram Medical College; Sasthamangalam; Kollam head post office; Chengannur head post office; Thiruvalla head post office; Kottayam head post office; Gandhinagar Medical College, Kottayam; Changanachessery head post office; Ernakulam head post office; Kochi head post office; Thripunithura; Edapally; Ernakulam High Court; Ernakulam M.G. Road; Thrissur head post office; Guruvayur; Kunnamkulam; Chavakkad; Chalakudy head post office; Kozhikode head post office; Kozhikode Civil Station head post office; Kallayi; Kunnamangalam; Feroke; Kozhikode Beach; and Kalpetta head post office.

SWAT team to be ready next year

The Kerala Police will deploy its newly-raised elite paramilitary commando unitKerala Commandosat Pulinkudi near Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram, Thripunithura in Kochi, and Pandikkadu in Kozhikode in 2012. The 240 direct recruits to the proposed Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) are two months into their initial 18-month training to perform perilous counter terrorism and hostage rescue operations, and to handle heavily armed terrorists in the event of an attack similar to the one in Mumbai. Taking a cue from their counterparts in Maharashtra, the State police have hired trainers of Israel's Special Forces to teach its recruits modern commando tactics, including Krav Maga, a lethal martial art. Officers on deputation from the elite National Security Guards and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force are supervising the training. Each SWAT unit will have 40 combatants, including snipers, maritime and airborne assault commandos, and communication and signals experts.

Air India to deploy wide-bodied aircraft on some metro routes

A day after Air India pilots, owing allegiance to the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), called off their 10-day strike, the airlines' domestic operations were limping back to normality on Saturday. Taking stock of the situation after the pilots started reporting for duties, the Air India management is giving another look at the domestic operations. Plans are afoot to deploy widebodied aircraft like Airbus A-330 on a couple of major metro routes to offer enhanced capacity. Sources in the airline said the Chennai-Bangalore-Delhi and Delhi-Mumbai could be two major routes that could see a wide-bodied aircraft being pressed into service, offering 290 seats a flight. Such flights would be called breakfast'' and dinner'' flights, informed sources said. Over the next four to five days, we plan to offer a total of 35,000 seats daily on our domestic network and for the first time the airline will use A-330 type of aircraft, which was used to clear passenger rush during the strike period, the sources said. A single flight of a wide-bodied aircraft can take the passenger load equivalent to three flights of a narrow-body aircraft like Airbus A-320. According to estimates, Air India suffered a revenue loss of about Rs. 160 crore due to the strike by the ICPA pilots, whose strength was put at 800. The airlines is also making efforts to stabilise fares on its domestic network with stress on ensuring total revenue on each domestic flight,

realising that it was important for each seat on an aircraft to be filled up. It may also pull out of some of the loss-making routes while trying to have connections like Delhi-Ranchi-Kolkata or Delhi-Raipur-Chennai. On the international front, after having a single code of AI,'' the flag carrier is all set to join the Star Alliance, the global network of major carriers.

Centre behind Bhutan move, says Chandy

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said here on Saturday that the Bhutan government had terminated its lottery agreement with Santiago Martin owing to the intervention of the Union government. In a statement here, Mr. Chandy said the Union Home Ministry, through the External Affairs Ministry, had been successful in convincing the Bhutan government about the illegal activities conducted in the name of its lotteries in Kerala and other States. He said Kerala was a witness to a series of irregularities in the conduct of Bhutan lotteries with the tacit approval of the State government and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He said the Chief Minister had admitted that the lottery mafia had looted the State of Rs.80,000 crore during the Left Democratic Front rule.

Hasan Ali front man' for arms dealer: ED

The charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate against Pune-based stud farm owner Hasan Ali has said that he acted as the front man for international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who helped Ali open his account with UBS, Zurich. The account was then used to park Khashoggi's money

Directorate General of Economic Enforcement

The Directorate General of Economic Enforcement (Hindi: ) is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India. It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. It comprises officers of the Indian Revenue Service. It was established on the 1st day of June, 2000 by the Central Govt. of India to investigate provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.[1]

Objective
The prime objective of the Enforcement Directorate is the enforcement of two key Acts[2] of the Government of India namely, the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999(FEMA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 The ED's (Enforcement Directorate)official website enlists its other objectives which are primarily linked to checking money laundering in India.

[edit] Organizational Set Up

The ED was commissioned with its headquarters at New Delhi and has ten zones at Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chandigarh, Chennai, Ahmedabad , Bangalore, Lucknow, Cochin and Hyderabad. Each of these zones are headed by the Deputy Directors.[3] Besides, there are nine sub-zones at Indore, Agra, Srinagar, Jaipur, Varanasi, Trivandrum, Calicut, Hyderabad, Guwahati Pajjim which are headed by the Assistant Directors. The Special Unit at Madurai is headed by The Chief Enforcement Office New Delhi. Moreover, there are three Special Directors of Enforcement and one Additional Director of Enforcement and two Deputy Director at Head Office.

Worries stalk Waqf Amendment Bill

The Waqf Boards in India have approximately six lakh acres of land. The income from Waqf land, which is a religious endowment, is used for the welfare of the Muslim community. Yet much of this has been encroached upon, especially in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The proposed Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2010 has kindled fears in the community that it might lose control even of what is left of the land. The reason for this is a provision in the bill under which the succession of the mutawalli (the person responsible for a specified Waqf property) has to be clearly laid out and established in order for the community to access the income. The fact that the word community has been left undefined is another big worry. Zafar Mehmood, president of the Zakat Foundation, says the bill must unambiguously define community as the Muslim community to avoid unnecessary misinterpretation. What is to stop the poor from other communities from claiming the income? The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha six months ago and has been placed before the Rajya Sabha with objections from sections of the Muslim community. It also appears to have overlooked important recommendations of the Sachar Committee as well as the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the functioning of Waqf Boards.

As per the existing Waqf Act of 1995, the CEOs of State Waqf Boards have to be Muslim. However, due to the fact that not many Muslims reach the higher bureaucracy, the positions have tended to be filled by junior government employees, inexperienced public men, and sometimes even government officials holding additional charge of the Waqf Board.

Electronic warfare can be a match-winner'

From a mere add-on role, electronic warfare (EW) has now come to the forefront of the country's defence sector and can prove to be a match-winner, Chief Controller (Aeronautical Programmes), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Prahlada, has said. Speaking after presenting the first annual awards, instituted by the Association of Old Crows (AOC), Indian Chapter, in Bangalore on Saturday, Mr. Prahlada said: One can win a war with a good EW system. Crucial for security' Mr. Prahlada said EW would be crucial for handling any kind of security both internal and external but use of EW had to be well planned for its efficient application. Requirements He pointed out that energy efficient, small-size and low-weight components were the immediate requirements for EW and it was a challenge for persons specialising in EW to come out with such components so that EW could become an integral part of any defence system, be it a fighter aircraft or Naval ship. New award U.R. Revankar, president, AOC-India Chapter, and Director, Defence Avionics Research Establishment, DRDO, Bangalore, said that the chapter would institute a new award called Young Engineer Award at the university-level from next year. He said that about 210 professionals had become members of the chapter since it was launched in 2010. Recipients The recipients of the awards are: T.N. Yadgir Rao, Associate Director, DLRL (DRDO), Hyderabad; K.V. Venkataraman, Associate Director, DARE (DRDO), Bangalore; I.V. Sarma, Director (R&D), Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bangalore; Shirish J. Bhole, Chief Manager (Design), HAL, Nasik; Wing Commander Nand Kumar Nair, Directing Staff, EW Range, Gwalior; Indian Air Force, Colonel H.S. Shankar(retd.), CMD, Alpha Design Technologies Ltd., Bangalore; and S. Bimalkhedkar, Director, EWAS Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore.

Orchid CMD honoured for contribution to pharmaceuticals

The Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association on Friday felicitated Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd's Chairman and Managing Director, K. Raghavendra Rao for his contribution to the pharmaceutical field and for being conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award recently. Talking on the theme Global opportunities for Indian pharma companies', Mr. Rao said India is in an advantageous position as compared to other countries in several fields including pharmaceuticals. The changing economic scenario, rise in income and literacy level and growth of young population have changed the profile of the country for the better. Why can't we replicate our success in IT field to other sectors too, he asked? Noting that India could make its presence felt in pharma field globally, he listed five factors that would make this possible availability of entrepreneurs; multiple skill set; technology; compliance to safety, quality and regulatory standards; and financial resources already available in the country. He also called for a change in the mindset of entrepreneurs and not to go in for shortcuts to achieve success. Think globally Besides, he also asked them to think at international level to plan their operations. Failure to look at international level, scale or size would result in division of products, increase in competition and inefficiency, he warned. While asking the entrepreneur to overcome the obstacles and have inter-institution collaborations, he urged the government agencies to provide necessary support to the industry. The occasion was marked by presentation of citation and memento by Tamil Nadu Drug Controller M. Bhaskaran and Mysore JSS University Vice-Chancellor and Pharmacy Council of India president B. Suresh.

Padma Shri
Padma Shri (also Padmashree) is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. It is awarded by the Government of India. It is awarded to citizens of India to recognize their distinguished contribution in various spheres of activity including the Arts, Education, Industry, Literature, Science, Sports, Medicine, Social

Service and public life. However it has also been awarded to some distinguished individuals who were not citizens of India and who did contribute in various ways to India. On its obverse, the words "Padma", meaning lotus in Sanskrit and "Shri", in Devanagari, appear above and below a lotus flower. The geometrical pattern on either side is in burnished bronze. All embossing is in white gold. As of 2011, 2420 people have received the award.

80 lakh fraudulently withdrawn from FCI bank account

A massive fraud has been detected at the main branch of the State Bank of India here after Rs.80 lakh was found to be withdrawn from the account of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) through a fake cheque, police said on Saturday. Fake documents A person had opened an account at the Punjab National Bank branch at Sikandarabad in Bulandshahr district by submitting fake documents and later a payment of Rs.80 lakh was cleared by the SBI on a fake cheque issued by him, SBI branch Deputy General Manager Tilak Raj Sachdeva said. He said the CBI has been informed of the matter and no further payment will be made from the FCI account. Mr. Sachdeva said the PNB officials have been reprimanded for not checking the authenticity of the cheque and making a huge payment to an unidentified person. Meanwhile, FCI officials have lodged a complaint. This could be a case of hand-in-gloves between PNB and SBI officials, the police said, adding that officials involved in this transaction are being thoroughly interrogated. - PTI

A rare opportunity for sky-watchers

Non-government organisation Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) is all set to host All-India Asteroid Search Campaign-2011 to enable school children, amateur astronomers and celestial lovers to discover asteroids and become a part of the international scientific community. AIASC-2011 has been segregated into two phases. The first phase begins on May 16 and runs up to June 30, while the second one begins on July 11 and culminates on August 26. The NGO is

also conducting a specialised workshop in Delhi on May 10 to train students on how to use the software and analyse the data. Sixty schools from across the country are participating in the campaign. This year we plan to discover more asteroids than last year. For the first time we are providing an opportunity to government schools and amateur organisations to participate in the project. We had approached every State in our endeavour to have participation of at least one school, said a SPACE representative. The campaign is being conducted by the NGO in association with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration, an educational outreach programme which includes Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley and Global Hands-on-Universe Association (USA). The programme seeks to enable students to work along with professional astronomers and handle real astronomical data. They will also receive a certificate of participation from SPACE. The training will help them make original discoveries of Main Belt asteroids and important observations that contribute to the NASA Near-Earth Object Programme at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Eleven countries are participating in the International Asteroid Search Campaign' which involves using the software to sift through data files provided and spot moving objects which could be new asteroids. Amateur astronomy organisations participating in asteroid hunting are Bhaskaracharya Astro Organisation, Maharashtra, and Star Gazing Club, Karnataka. Amateurs get a chance to discover asteroids

CITU for CBI probe into AI's aircraft purchase

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s labour wing, has urged the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre to immediately order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the purchase of 111 aircraft by Air India. CITU president A.K. Padmanabhan, quoting reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG), as reported in a section of the media, said the present financial crisis of AI was due to the wilful acts of omission and commission by the then Civil Aviation Minister. The report pointed out that AI had lost Rs.10,000 crore because it was forced to buy 111 aircraft unnecessarily, and the deal was carried out despite the fact that it would push the airlines into a deeper financial crisis.

Mr. Padmanabhan claimed that even the parliamentary committee on public undertakings (COPU) had specifically recommended that the reasons behind the undue haste in merger (of Indian Airlines with Air India) and lack of monitoring post-merger should be probed to fix the responsibility, and the government must set up an effective monitoring mechanism to review the progress made on the revised merger schedule every quarter. The government should immediately implement COPU's recommendations. Unless the real culprits responsible for AI's present financial distress are brought to book, the provocative action by the AI management to create industrial unrest under one pretext or the other will continue, Mr. Padmanabhan said.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Hindi: ), CITU is a National level Trade Union in India politically attached to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Centre of Indian Trade Unions is today one of biggest assembly of workers and classes of India. It has strong unchallangeable presence in the Indian states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura besides a good presence in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It has presence in almost all of the Indian states. According to the provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, CITU had a membership of 3,222,532 in 2002.[1] Chittabrata Majumdar was the General Secretary of CITU from 2003-2007. 12th Conference (held in January 2007) of CITU re-elected him as its General Secretary. But he died on 20 February 2007. The General Council of CITU met on 17 May 2007 and elected Mohammed Amin as its new General Secretary.

Supplyco to open outlets in the Gulf

The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) is planning to open outlets in the Gulf countries and to set up a fuelling station within the Vyttila Mobility Hub. Hyper markets at Thalassery, Karunagappally, Thiruvalla, Kollam, and Kazhakkoottam; an outlet on the Cochin International Airport premises; conversion of 75 Maveli Stores into super markets; conversion of 10 super markets to People's Bazaars; premium outlets at Kerala House in New Delhi and Navi Mumbai; and building of more godowns are also part of the Corporation's plans, said a press release here on Saturday. It said that the Corporation had logged a sales turnover of Rs.2,328 crore for the financial year 2010-11. The market share of the Corporation had touched around 30 per cent and it was serving around 1.25 customers yearly, the Corporation press release said.

It also said that broadband connectivity would be provided to all Supplyco outlets. Scientific management of finance and better indenting were the factors that had made the Supplyco operations a success during the last financial year. The paddy procurement scheme, which benefited 70,000 farmers, and the distribution of 4,000 tonnes of fortified atta' every month were part of the social benefits of Supplyco operations, the press release added.

End to emergency law in Bahrain (9-May)

Bahrain's king ordered an end to the emergency rule imposed in mid-March to quell a wave of anti-government protests, after leading opposition figures went on trial on Sunday for plotting against the Gulf state's monarchy

Infineon eyes India's green energy market

German semiconductor and system solutions provider Infineon Technologies AG aims to focus on energy efficiency, mobility and security in the power infrastructure, transportation and electronic security sectors in India. It has identified opportunities in power semiconductors in the renewable energy space, said Andrew Chong, regional president and managing director, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific, in Bangalore, recently. Without semiconductors, economical use of energy would be inconceivable, be it in motors, power supply units, lamps, or computers, he said. According to iSuppli, a market research and intelligence company, India's semiconductor market is estimated to grow from $ 5.6 billion in 2010 to $ 8.8 billion by 2015. Government policies Semiconductor-based applications are likely to get a boost from the Union Government's energy security policies such as the National Solar Mission and the National Council for Electric Mobility. National programmes such as Aadhaar's unique identification for Indian citizens, and technology upgrade such as HVDC linkages and electrification of trains, ensure higher energy efficiency to better meet the growing demands of India's rapid economic growth. As the demand for electricity is directly related to economic growth, minimising electricity wastage is most critical to going green and fulfilling the mandates set in the government policies. Infineon believes that its range of product portfolios and solutions from its automotive, industrial and multi-market, and chip card and security divisions serve this objective.

Mr. Chong said: We have seen the rapid adoption of technology in emerging markets such as China and feel that with timely execution of the missions, India is embarking on a similar journey from demand fulfilment to demand creation. One key aspect of demand creation is to address local needs with local solutions, but with world-class technology. This is what we can offer to our partners and customers in India. Infineon Technologies India Pvt. Ltd., which was established in Bangalore in 1997, plays a role in developing hardware and software for the parent company's products. Tapping potential It's managing director Vinay Shenoy said: We are uniquely poised to leverage the emerging growth opportunities in India through an already well-established software development and qualification centre for worldwide automotive and chip card applications. Building upon this, we are now putting emphasis on applications engineering and customer technical support with the aim of addressing local demand creation.

Illegal mining: action against officials in Bellary likely

The process of initiating disciplinary action against officials in Bellary district who have reportedly colluded with iron-ore miners is expected to begin soon with the State Government constituting a high-level committee to look into the matter.

Illegal mining in India

Illegal mining in India is widespread in various ore-rich states of India, and has generated controversy, which spans encroachment of forest areas, underpayment of government royalties, conflict with tribals regarding land-rights[citation needed]. The spill-over of the effects of legal mining into problems such as Naxalism and the distortion of Indian democracy by mixed political and mining interests, has gained international attention. Lokayukta Report of July 2011

The Lokayukta Report on illegal mining in Karnataka [28][29][30][31] details the methods in which miners, government officials and ministers colluded to defraud the government of mining revenues. The report details the complete breakdown of democratic governance in the bellary area [32][33] and uncovers the "zero risk system", a protection and extortion racket, masterminded by G. Janardhana Reddy.[34][35] The report describes the illegal money transfers to foreign companies and tax shelters by mining entities such as Obulapuram Mining Company, Associated Mining Company, GLA Trading and GJR Holdings owned by the Reddy Brothers.[36][37] The report tells about illegal mining, bureaucrats-politicians-businessman nexus. Even banks and public sector companies also participated in the loot. There are more than 100 names involved in

illegal operation. NDMC, Adani enterprise, JSW Steel are some major name in fraud list. Charges against these companies are illegal movement of iron ore from mining yard without permits and without paying royalties, forest encroachment, mining lease violations, overloading of trucks and sandry violation etc. The iron ore was illegally exported to china through ports of southern India and payment is made through more than 4000 banks account. Damage to environment can not be calculated.This report was prepared mainly from the Income Tax Commissionerate of Central Circle.

Ban on some red category pesticides soon

A high-level conference of officials and researchers, convened by Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran here on Wednesday, decided to ban several red category pesticides and introduce restrictions on the use of certain yellow category weedicides and fungicides in the State. An order for enforcing the decision is likely to be issued in a day or two as part of implementing the State's organic farming policy. The policy recommends phasing out of pesticides over ten years, considering the peculiar characteristics of the ecosystems in the State. Kerala Agriculture University has already prepared a revised package of practices for agriculture. Chemicals to be banned The red category chemicals listed for ban include furadan, phorate, methyl parathion, monocrotophos, and methyl demeton. Rodenticides bromadiolone and zinc phosphide have been recommended for restricted use, besides agro-chemicals such as karatee, chlorpyrifos, and cypermethrin. Use of yellow category pesticides such as profenophos and triazophos is also proposed to be restricted under the policy. The conference resolved that pesticide use should be severely restricted in biodiversity hotspots of the State. Sale of red category pesticides is already banned in Kasaragod and Wayanad districts. Measures should be taken to educate workers regarding safe use of pesticides and disposal of unused pesticides and wastes. They should also be encouraged to wear protective clothing. The conference also discussed the problem of pesticide residues in various fruits and vegetables arriving in Kerala from other States and decided to establish five regional testing laboratories to test fruits and vegetables for residues. Senior officials and researchers of the Agriculture Department, Kerala Agriculture University, Kerala Biodiversity Board and non-governmental organisations attended the conference.

Geronimo' offends native Americans

Native American leaders in the United States expressed outrage on Wednesday that the name of legendary Apache warrior Geronimo was used as a military codename during the commando raid that killed al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden. To associate a native warrior with bin Laden is not an accurate reflection of history, and it undermines the military service of native people, said a statement by Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians. Geronimo, an Apache chief who lived from 1829 to 1909, was a famed warrior who fought in what is now the U.S. State of New Mexico, battling U.S. and Mexican authorities as the American West was being settled. The elite U.S. Navy SEAL team that stormed bin Laden's compound uttered the words Geronimo-EKIA' Geronimo Enemy Killed in Action.'

At India's insistence, mental health included as non-communicable disease

India achieved a major success on the global platform by pushing for inclusion of mental health in the list of non-communicable diseases. India fought alone to get mental disorders included in the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) list at the just-concluded first Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Disease Control in Moscow. Mental health as a NCD was adopted in the Moscow Declaration on April 29 which reads: Other NCDs such as mental disorders also significantly contribute to the global disease burden. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad led the Indian delegation to Moscow where the World Health Organisation organised the two-day conference on April 28 and 29. The principal non-communicable diseases are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases, which are the leading causes of preventable morbidity and disability, and currently cause over 60 per cent of global deaths, 80 per cent of which occur in developing countries. By 2030, the NCDs are estimated to contribute to 75 per cent of global deaths. Pleading for its case, India argued that like all non-communicable diseases, mental disorders required long term treatment and affected the quality of life. Global agenda

Mental disorders will now form part of the global agenda and get attention. It will also be brought up at the World Health Assembly in Geneva later this month, and at the United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases to be held in September. India is also working towards framing a mental health policy based on internationally-accepted guidelines. It will also keep in mind the specific context of mental illness in the country and take into account the draft Mental Health Care Bill, 2010. A 12-member policy group entrusted to frame the National Mental Health Care Policy and Plan will prepare a situational analysis of the need for mental health care in the country, taking into account the issues of human resources, essential drug procurement and distribution, advocacy, prevention, and rehabilitation of mental health patients. To be represented by experts in the mental health sector non-governmental organisations, and legal experts the policy group will recommend changes to the proposed draft Mental Health Care Bill, if necessary, to support the National Mental Health Care Policy and Plan. The evidence-based policy will state the guiding values, principles and objectives of such a policy and identify priority areas for action while the plan will be drafted keeping in mind the National and District Mental Health Programmes, and will recommend specific strategies and activities for implementation in priority areas of action as identified in the National Mental Heal Care Policy. The policy group, that will give its report in a year, will conduct broad-based consultations with mental health stakeholders in the country before finalising the draft. The group will submit the performance report of the district mental health programmes and financial estimates to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry within six months for meeting the 12 {+t} {+h} Five Year Plan deadline

Spewing silicosis: Gujarat's factories of doom

At the exact point where the bumpy single road from Alirajpur spreads out to a smooth highway leading to Godhra via Dahod, you leave Madhya Pradesh and enter Gujarat. For most of the nation and mainstream media, the word Godhra evokes images of a burning train and the subsequent communal riots. However, for migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh, Godhra represents the uglier side of Gujarat's vibrant industrial success story. Godhra, along with neighbouring Balasinore, is the epicentre of the silicosis-spewing quartzcrushing industry in Gujarat.

Silica, obtained after crushing quartz stone, is used for manufacturing special steels and cast iron, aluminium alloys, glass, ceramics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paper, paint and insecticides among other things. The deadliest by-product of quartz crushing, however, is silicosis, an incurable and irreversible respiratory disease caused by inhaling free crystalline silica.

Debunking ten myths

1. Osama bin Laden was created' by the CIA. He did not receive any direct funding or training from the U.S. during the 1980s. Nor did his followers. The Afghan mujahideen, via Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency, received large amounts of both. Some bled to the Arabs fighting the Soviets but nothing significant. 2. He had a huge personal fortune. Osama was forced to leave any cash he had when he in effect fled Saudi Arabia in 1991 for Pakistan and then Sudan. His family cut him off. Nor would the inheritance from his hugely wealthy father have been divided into equal parts anyway. What Osama did have was contacts, which allowed him to raise money with ease. 3. He was responsible for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Ramzi Yousef, who was the main perpetrator of the attack, was probably working for Khaled Sheikh Mohammed who was an independent operator at the time. Mohammed only started working with the al-Qaeda in 1996 and even then kept his distance from Osama. 4. He got money from drug running. No evidence for this whatsoever despite repeated claims such as in the post 9/11 British government dossier on the al-Qaeda. 5. He never exposed himself to any danger. He did not single-handedly seize a short-barrelled AK-47 from a dying Soviet general as he sometimes claimed, but numerous witnesses report that he was in the thick of fighting in Jaji in 1987 and again at the battle of Jalalabad in 1989. 6. He spent a lot of time in caves. In the late 1990s, for propaganda purposes, Osama invited select journalists to meet him in caves near Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan. However, he lived in a much more comfortable compound a short drive away, near the former Soviet collective farm of Hadda owned by a local warlord. By 1999 he had moved to a complex of houses near Kandahar. When he was killed, he

was living in a relatively comfortable detached house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In between, there is no evidence that he spent any time living in caves. The rest of the al-Qaeda's senior militants appear to have lived in the semi-fortified houses that are common in the tribal zones. 7. He was a tearaway teenager who partied in Beirut before becoming religious. There is no evidence for this either. Osama appears to have been an intense, shy and pious youth who married young and spent an inordinate amount of time studying the scriptures. 8. He was near to dying of a kidney disease. There are some reports not least in the Guantanamo files of renal problems but certainly not serious enough to kill him. It is more likely he had back problems caused by his height (around 1.95 m) and relatively sedentary lifestyle. 9. He hid in Kashmir, was the leader of Chechen groups, was responsible for violence in the Philippines and in Indonesia, organised the Madrid 2004 attack and had an extensive network in Paraguay, sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa. All these claims, made by various governments or intelligence services over the last decade, have proved totally without foundation. 10. Osama was an Arsenal fan. Despite fans reportedly chanting Osama, woah-woah, Osama, woah-waoh, he's hiding in Kabul, he loves the Arsenal, he was not a faithful of the north London club.

Panel says VIPs often pressure chopper pilots to operate in adverse conditions
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has expressed concern over instances of take off and landing of helicopters in low visibility, bad weather and even during nights, saying these were serious breaches of aviation security norms. In its 168 {+t} {+h} and 169 {+t} {+h} reports presented to Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Hamid Ansari on Wednesday, the 30-member committee with CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury as its chairman, said that technicians, including pilots, were often put under pressure to ignore minor deficiencies and undertake helicopter sorties. It happens mainly in the case of chartered helicopters and those under the State governments flying VIPs. Such violations of rules have led to fatal accidents, losing several precious lives, the report said.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Yechury said lack of proper maintenance and nonobservance of operating manuals, mechanical failures and lack of needed instruments had been found as the causes of such helicopter accidents.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the Indian governmental regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This directorate investigates aviation accidents and incidents.[1] It is headquartered at Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi.[

Regional offices
DGCA has fourteen Regional Airworthiness Offices (RAO) at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhopal, Lucknow, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Kanpur, Guwahati and Patiala. It has also five Regional Air Safety offices located at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. It has a Regional Research and Development Office located at Bangalore and the Gliding Centre at Pune[3].

[edit] Corruption charges in Fake license scam

The Director General of Civil Aviation faced charges of corruption in April 2011, after 14 pilots flying for several airlines were found to have forged their licenses. Additional director at the DGCA[4], Pradeep Kumar, and also Jyoti Bhattacharya and Mohammed K Ansari, dealing with cash and finances[5], have been arrested[6]. However, it was found that the files containing the records of several pilots had disappeared from the DGCA offices[7]. There were calls for a thorough investigation of the DGCA "top brass"

Palestinian factions sign unity pact

The leaders of two main Palestinian-factions, Fatah and Hamas have signed a reconciliation agreement paving the way for the formation of transitional national unity government followed by elections. The pact is widely seen as a fall-out of the Egyptian uprising that resulted in the formation of military-led transitional government in Cairo, which played a key role brokering the intraPalestinian accord.

Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv (English pronunciation: /tl viv/[3]), officially Tel Aviv-Yafo (Hebrew: , - Hebrew pronunciation: [tel viv jfo]; Arabic: Tall Abb),[4] is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of 52 km2 (20 sq mi).[2] The city is located on the Israeli

Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with a population of 3.3 million residents as of 2010.[5] The city is governed by the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, headed by Ron Huldai. Residents of Tel Aviv are referred to as Tel Avivim.

U.N. report's stress on durable solution: Blake

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake Jr. was not able to meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa here, but that did not prevent him from delivering the messages he carried from the Harry S. Truman building in Washington DC: talk to the Tamils and arrive at a comprehensive agreement and, enter into a dialogue with the United Nations. The government and Tamil National Alliance have conducted several rounds of talks with another round scheduled on May 12. I expressed our hope that these talks can result in a comprehensive agreement that can help Sri Lanka heal the wounds of war and ensure that all Sri Lankans enjoy equal rights and a future of hope and opportunity, he said in a statement after a series of productive meetings with Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris, members of the opposition, and representatives of civil society.

Russia demands legal safeguards over U.S. interceptors in Romania

Russia voiced concern over Romania's decision to host United States interceptors for a European missile shield and demanded legal safeguards that the system would not target Russian missiles. According to our estimates, the planned missile defence system may pose risks for Russian strategic nuclear deterrence forces in the future, said the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement. The statement was issued hours after the U.S. and Romania announced that missile interceptors would be stationed at a former Soviet air base in southern Romania. Practical steps We regret to say that practical steps on building the European segment of the U.S. global missile defence system are being made regardless of the Russian-U.S. dialogue on missiledefence issues, which was launched under the initiative of President Dmitry Medvedev and President Barack Obama.

Moscow is concerned that U.S. interceptors would have the capacity to target Russia's longrange missiles once the missile shield is fully deployed by 2020 under Mr. Obama's plan for phased adaptive approach plan.

BPCL plans to raise Bina capacity

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) on Wednesday announced its intention to enhance the capacity of the just commissioned Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh to nine million tonnes.

Bharat Petroleum
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) (BSE: 500547, NSE: BPCL) is a state-controlled oil and gas company headquartered in Mumbai, India. In 2011, Fortune Global 500 ranked the company of 272. Bharat Petroleum owns refineries at Mumbai and Kochi (Kochi Refineries) with a capacity of 12and 9.5 million metric tonnes per year respectively. Its subsidiary at Numaligarh has a capacity of 3 million metric tonnes per year. On 25 May 2011, the Bina Refinery in Madhya Pradesh with a capacity of 6 million metric tonnes per year was commissioned. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of 2011 Cricket World Cup winning team, and Narain Karthikeyan, Formula One driver for Hispania Racing team, are brand ambassadors for Bharat Petroleum.

AKAI launches smallest LED TV

AKAI India has launched 48 cm (19 inch) HD LED television, the smallest LED available in India, priced at Rs.11,000. The size and dimensions of the LED is perfect for the smaller rooms of the house or a smaller residence. It operates on digital and analogue TV signals and can be easily connected to a PC with the VGA Port (D-sub 15 Pin), said AKAI India Managing Director Pranay Dhabhai. The launch of smallest LED TV is aimed to provide value for money. It comes equipped with the latest features to deliver stunning viewing experiences that bring life-like depth to TV. It also has an SD card slot, which also supports movies, pictures and music formats, Mr. Dhabhai said.

Background radiation and radioactivity in India

We live in a sea of radiation. In any city, an unsuspecting owner of a 0.1 acre backyard garden may not know that the top one metre of soil from his garden contains 11,200 kg of potassium,

1.28 kg which is of potassium- 40 (K-40, a radioactive isotope of potassium), 3.6 kg of thorium and one kg of uranium. These values may be higher or lower depending on the soil. Uranium and thorium decay through several radio-nuclides to lead, a stable element. The presence of radioactive nuclides does not pose any significant risk. Brazil nut Brazil nut is probably the most radioactive food. Scientists have measured 700Bq of radium per kg of Brazil nut. The roots of the Brazil nut tree pass through acres of land; They have a tendency to concentrate barium; along with barium, the roots collect radium as well. Radium appears in the nuts. Many vegetables like brinjal, carrot etc. also contain the radioactive isotope. Indian researchers have measured polonium-210 in fish and other marine organisms. Our whole body is hit by particles coming from all sides. Radiation is a part of our life. We cannot avoid eating food just because it contains radioactivity

3D glasses
Presence of any object or image on a screen is perceived by the brain from the light reflected by it and received by the eye as stimuli in the human visual (neural) system. The human visual system basically splits the reflected light in to three components corresponding to blue, green and red regions of the visible spectrum. Also it is possible to produce any colour just by mixing/ controlling the relative intensities of these three colors. Hence these three colours are called primary colours and are quantified in terms of tri-stimulus values. In order to generate an illusion or impression of real space (both area and depth) of an object or image in a two dimensional projection, three dimensional (3D) glasses are used which is accomplished with the principle of binocular vision. That is the two eyes of the human visual system placed apart ( about 5 cms ) perceive the object/image from different positions and angles in turn causing response or stimuli as two different images of the same object in the neural- visual system of the brain. Binocular vision in our brain uses the difference to calculate distance/depth and has the ability to correlate the images it sees in its two eyes even though they are slightly different. In the binocular system, the same scene is projected simultaneously from two different angles in two different colors usually red and cyan (or blue or green). In order to see things in 3D each eye must see a slightly different picture.

The brain then puts the two pictures together to form one 3D image that has depth eventually generating a three dimensional impression. 3D glasses make use any two of these primary colors ( blue, green and red) one for each eye as the intensity of the third colour can be inferred from difference between total light and the sum of intensities of these two colours to get the complete information on colour of the object or image to be seen through the 3D glass.

Indian railway project in Sri Lanka in full steam

With an Indian de-mining team clearing the 107-km stretch of a railway alignment from Medawachchiya to Talaimannar in record time, the Indian Railway Construction Corporation (Ircon) has shifted gears on the construction of a railway line. Ircon is aiming to complete the sections allocated to it in a year-and-ahalf.

NATO ship leaves 63 refugees to die in the Mediterranean

Dozens of African migrants were left to die in the Mediterranean Sea after a series of European and NATO military units apparently ignored their cries for help, the Guardian has learned. A boat carrying 72 passengers, including several women, young children and political refugees, ran into trouble in late March after leaving Tripoli for the Italian island of Lampedusa. Despite alarms being raised with the Italian coastguard and the boat making contact with a military helicopter and a NATO warship, no rescue effort was attempted.

India, New Zealand to fast track FTA

ndia will fast track the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with New Zealand to enhance economic engagement 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, Mr. Sharma said he was hopeful that the FTA would be concluded by early next year paving the way for greater economic and investment ties between the two countries. The joint meeting has been organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce Industry (FICCI) and the India New Zealand Joint Business Council. New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser was present on the occasion. The FTA will not only increase the economic opportunities for both sides but will also open up big segments of investment and services,'' he added. Both sides had held four rounds of

negotiations and the fifth round was likely to be held soon to work and resolve contentious issues.

Human Papilloma Virus

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus from the papillomavirus family of viruses that is capable of infecting humans. Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes. While the majority of the nearly 200 known types of HPV cause no symptoms in most people, some types can cause warts (verrucae), while others can in a minority of cases lead to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, and anus in women or cancers of the anus and penis[1] in men. It can also cause cancers of the head and neck (tongue, tonsils and throat).[1] Recently, HPV has been linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.[

HPV vaccine
The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine prevents infection with certain species of human papillomavirus associated with the development of cervical cancer, genital warts, and some less common cancers.[1][2][3] Two HPV vaccines are currently on the market: Gardasil and Cervarix.[4]

Indian Council of Medical Research

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world

Shaan is India's tobacco control ambassador

Famous Bollywood singer Shaan was on Tuesday announced as the Tobacco Control Ambassador of India' by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare here.

Obama authorised SEALs to take on Pak forces

United States Navy SEALs were authorised by President Barack Obama to engage in a fierce fire-fight with the Pakistani military during their clandestine operation against al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on May 1, it has emerged. As per an initial plan, the elite commando unit would have relied on backup from two combatready helicopters positioned on the Afghan side of the Durand line. However as it would take them 90 minutes or more to reach the primary strike team in Abbottabad, Mr. Obama stepped in

and changed that plan at the last minute, insisting that the backup choppers and troops fly deep into Pakistani territory as well.

Microsoft to buy Skype for $8.5 b

In one of its biggest buyouts in over three decades, Microsoft will snap up Skype for $8.5 billion in cash, a move that will bolster the software major's presence in the highly competitive Internet market. The deal, announced on Tuesday, would be a shot in the arm for cash-rich Microsoft in competing with strong rivals such as Google and Apple apart from strengthening its footprint in the consumer markets. The companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Skype, the leading Internet communications company, for $8.5 billion in cash from the investor group led by Silver Lake, the two firms said in a joint statement.

China's trade surplus zooms

India's trade deficit with China continued to rise over the first four months of this year, on the back of a record increase in Chinese exports which took the country's overall trade surplus to a higher than expected $11.4 billion in April. Figures released on Tuesday by China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed India's trade with China touched $23.58 billion at the end of April, a 20.2 per cent year-on-year increase. Bilateral trade was driven by a 26.2 per cent increase in Indian imports, mainly of machinery and heavy equipment, which amounted to $14.5 billion. Indian exports to China were up 11.7 per cent in April from a year earlier, a rise attributed by officials to the resumption of iron ore exports following recent ban and a sharp increase in exports of yarn.

SAIL, ONGC disinvestment shortly

The Centre will divest equity in National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) in the second half of the current fiscal, while disinvestment in big public sector companies such as SAIL and ONGC is likely to happen in next two months, Disinvestment Secretary Sumit Bose said here on Tuesday. Mr. Bose, who was addressing a press conference to announce the Power Finance Corporation's further public offer (FPO), said the government would meet its target of Rs.40,000 crore from disinvestment in the current fiscal, as announced by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech this year.
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