Congress decides to hold all-party meet on Lokpal issue

NEW DELHI: With the issue of bringing the Prime Minister within the ambit of the Lokpal remaining a controversial issue, the government is expected to soon call an all-party meeting to seek views across the political spectrum.

This became clear on Saturday after a meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had with top party leaders favouring such parleys against the backdrop of widening differences between the government and the civil society representatives led by Anna Hazare on the issue.

Grappling with the issue and other sensitive matters like Telangana, the Congress core group headed by Sonia Gandhi met fon Saturday, the second meeting coming just after its two-hour long deliberations on Friday night. Today's meeting also discussed Telangana problem. .

The Hazare camp is pitching for inclusion of Prime Minister and the higher judiciary in the proposed Lokpal Bill during meetings of the Joint Committee to draft the measure. The committee will now be meeting on June 20 and 21.

Government is prima facie opposed to the inclusion of Prime Minister within the ambit of Lokpal but was open to the idea of covering him once he demits office.

HRD minister Sibal said,"within the government, we feel prima facie, the Prime Minister should not be covered (under the Lokpal). But at the same time we want to make sure that if he demits office, he should not be exonerated from prosecution."

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Rs 10,000 fine imposed on 'Traffic' Ramaswamy

CHENNAI: Social activist 'Traffic' Ramaswamy has been asked to pay Rs 10,000 by the Madras high court for making a false statement in an affidavit submitted to the court in support of his writ petition.

In the petition, filed as a public interest litigation, Ramaswamy had sought appropriate action to be taken on a fax representation, dated April 21, 2011, sent by him to the President, asking for the inclusion of a member from the southern states in the Lokpal committee.

Passing orders, the first bench noted that a copy of the representation sent by fax was submitted to the court. To its "dismay" , the bench found that the representation had been sent by one Stella, who claimed to be 'Traffic' Ramaswamy's personal assistant. Deprecating the manner in which the petitioner had approached the court, the bench said it was a false statement made by the petitioner that he had sent a representation. TNN

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GSLV to launch GSAT–14 during mid-2012

The Indian Space Research Organisation, which has planned to put three satellites into the orbit with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle before end of this year, will send its GSAT -14 with its indigenously developed Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle D-5 during mid-2012, Chairman, ISRO, K. Radhakrishnan has informed.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the two-day national conference on ‘Expanding frontiers in propulsion technology' at Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Mahendragiri in the district on Friday, Dr. Radhakrishnan said the ISRO, which had learnt a lot of highly valuable lessons from the unsuccessful flight of GSLV D-3 in April 2010, was working hard on the rectifying the problems to make the GSLV D-5 flight a resounding victory. GSAT–14 satellite would have C-band communication transponders.

Towards achieving self-reliance in the development of the Mark III engine for GSLV, the S-200 solid propellant motor would be subjected to static test, which would be the repeat of the successful test that was conducted in January 2010.

Moreover, the ISRO has planned to launch GSAT – 12, which will have extended C-band transponders, with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle during next month.

After launching Meghatropique satellite, an Indo – French joint venture, in September 2011, the ISRO will be concentrating on the launching of Microwave Remote Sensing Satellite – RISAT – 1 – during December this year.

“Our PSLVs will launch these satellites that will provide us clear and excellent pictures even though the sky is overcast,” Dr. Radhakrishnan said.

According to the ISRO chief, his prestigious testing centre at Mahendragiri had been adorned with one more most-modern facility – Thrust Chamber Test Facility – for testing the GSLV Mark III engine's cryogenic stage. “It will be ready for commissioning within next 60 days”.

Inaugurating the conference, Dr. Radhakrishnan stressed the need for engaging more private firms with adequate and state-of-the-art research and development facilities in ISRO's missions and the leading educational institutions as is being done in the United States and Russia.

He stressed the need for developing non-chemical, electro and ionic propellants, “which will have longer life and propel the satellite in its orbit for more period.”

Releasing the conference proceedings, Sathish Dhawan Space Centre Director M.C. Dathan hoped that the ISRO, with its highly committed and enthusiastic young workforce, would scale greater heights in the days to come.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director P.S. Veeraraghavan said due importance should be given for developing eco-friendly ‘green propellants' and for launching a payload with nuclear fission.

LPSC Director S. Ramakrishnan delivered the keynote address on ‘Expanding frontiers in propulsion technology'. Former LPSC director AE. Muthunayagam and Aeronautical Society of India secretary general Ashok Bhushan offered felicitations.

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Identical twins score identical marks in class XII exams

Mumbai:  Competition between the twin brothers started at the time of their birth, with one seeing the light of the world two minutes before the other.

After 16 years the race is still on, but this time it ended in a tie with both the siblings scoring the same percentage 90.73 in the SSC exams.

Family, friends and teachers of Pratik and Purvik Gohil, residents of Kandivli, could not believe their ears when they were told that the twins had scored the same marks.

According to family members, the twins who were classmates since childhood, were born competitors as they defeated each other almost alternatively. But this time in the board and pre-board exams, they ended up in a tie.

Purvik and Pratik studied at Shivram Singh Sanman Singh English High School in Bhandup.

Pratik Gohil (16), said, "I used to study for around four hours daily, but started spending more time with books in the last three months of the exam. I always kept my cool and never panicked.

"As I am a diehard cricket fan, I watched all the World Cup matches and even the IPL. I think we did better in the exam because our parents did not burden us with their dreams and demands."

He added, "I was expecting more then 95 per cent, but 90 per cent is not bad either. It's just a coincidence that Purvik and I scored the same.

"I think the best-five system has proved helpful for SSC students. I think oral exams and internal assignments, in which examinees invariably score well, have helped reduce students' stress."

Purvik had an interesting story to share about their oral exams. "When I reached school to give the exam, the teacher refused to let me do it saying I had already appeared for it. This is where our identical looks and similar voice play spoilsport. After I convinced her that the one who gave the exam was my twin, she finally allowed me to take the exam. I am happy with the marks we have got. We both wish to do engineering but in different subjects. As of now, we have decided to take admission in Thakur College."

Nikesh Gohil, father of Purvik and Pratik said, "We were surprised to know their percentage. It's a coincidence and it is by God's grace that they scored so well. Their mother burst into tears seeing their percentage. I am very proud of them today."

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/identical-twins-score-identical-marks-in-class-xii-exams-113158?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-Cities+%28NDTV+News+-+Cities%29&utm_content=Google+International&cp

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I will be back in "Rana", says Rajnikanth

Addressing his fans for the first time after being discharged from the hospital in Singapore where he was undergoing treatment Actor Rajinikanth swore that his goal would now be to entertain them. He also promised that he would appear in the K.S.Ravikumar film "Rana". 

"I have no words to thank you," he said, in a hand written note released to the media. This he stated, after apologising for not having spoken to his fans earlier. In his characteristic enigmatic matter, he spoke of tossing a coin to determine who would play first. In the game that he had to play recently, the world’s top specialists and the latest medical technology were on one side, while his fans, and their prayers were on the other. 

He expressed his (100 per cent) belief that it was the prayers that finally saved him. "You have showed the world how many people are fond of Rajini. If I am recovering now, it is because of all the love you people have showered on me. It is because you have considered me as a brother, a friend, as one in the family, and prayed for me," he reiterated. 

"I will never forget your love…" the note in Tamil said. Also, "When I put pen to paper the words are eluding me," he said in an emotion-charged epistle. 

Rajinikanth also mentioned that his first couple of calls had been to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who assured all support and help for him, and to his ‘friend,’ and former Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi.

The actor had been hospitalised a couple of times in Isabel Hospital, and later, was admitted Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, earlier, before he left for Singapore with his family for treatment. It was said then that he had a lung infection, and problems with kidney function.

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TN sets up panel to examine Samacheer Kalvi syllabus

In line with a Supreme Court order on the Uniform System of School Education (Samacheer Kalvi), Tamil Nadu government on Friday set up a panel to examine the syllabus and text books for over two crore children in the State. 

Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi will head the nine-member panel, comprising members including those from the National Council for Education, Research and Training (NCERT), School Education Secretary and educationists, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said in a release. 

Recalling the Supreme Court directive, which ruled that the system introduced by the previous DMK regime for Classes I and VI would continue this year, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the court had asked the panel to submit its report by three weeks or by July 6, 2001. 

The AIADMK government is mired in a controversy over its decision to defer implementation of USSE.

The apex court had turned down the government’s appeal against the Madras High Court staying its amendment to the USSE Act 2010 to defer its implementation. A vacation bench had directed that USSE should continue to be implemented for Classes I and IV during the present academic year. 

The Act passed by the previous DMK government had introduced a common curriculum for school children till Class X doing away with four streams - Matriculation, Anglo-Indian, Oriental and State Board on the ground they lacked quality. 

The High Court had on June 10 stayed the amendment to the USSE Act by the new government which claimed it wanted to withhold its implementation as the syllabus and contents in subjects like Mathematics, Science and English undermined quality education.

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33 trawlers with 550 fishermen missing in Bay of Bengal

Kolkata:  As many as 550 fishermen in 33 trawlers went missing in the Bay of Bengal today in rough weather due to heavy rains triggered by a depression, prompting a search by a Coastguard ship and a Dornier aircraft.

The trawlers had set sail from Kakdwip and adjacent areas in South 24-Parganas district yesterday and were reported missing in heavy rains following the depression lying 80 km east of Kolkata, District Magistrate N S Nigam told PTI over phone.

A Coastguard ship and a Dornier aircraft were dispatched to trace the trawlers but the search was being "hindered by low-level high speed air circulation and low clouds", Defence sources said.

Nigam said he had earlier alerted the Coastguard and that the Navy has been approached to locate the missing fishermen.

He said the trawlers could have drifted towards Bangladesh. The West Bengal administration has contacted the Bangladesh deputy high commissioner here to help in the rescue operations, he said.

The naval officer-in-charge of West Bengal was also assisting in the search operation, the sources said.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/33-trawlers-with-550-fishermen-missing-in-bay-of-bengal-113009?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-Cities+%28NDTV+News+-+Cities%29&utm_content=Google+International&cp

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India could be key target of new al-Qaeda chief

India could be one of several new theatres targeted by al-Qaeda's newly-appointed chief to establish his authority over the jihadist group and its allies, intelligence sources say. 

The appointment of Osama bin-Laden's long-standing lieutenant to lead al-Qaeda was made public on Thursday, in a three-page online communiqué, which announced “the undertaking of responsibility of the amir [supreme leader] of the group by Sheikh Dr. Abu Muhammad Ayman al-Zawahiri.” 

Perceived by many within the jihadist leadership as aloof, even arrogant, the 1959-born former Egyptian surgeon is under intense pressure to demonstrate that al-Qaeda has survived bin-Laden's killing by the United States special forces last month. 

Long-standing problems between the Egyptian jihadist circles led by al-Zawahiri and their Yemeni and Saudi counterparts, though, mean he could turn to Pakistani jihadists to execute his plans. Fakir Muhammad, a top jihadist commander who has repulsed multiple military campaigns to retake his strongholds in northwest Pakistan's Bajaur agency, is among al-Zawahiri's closest allies. 

Hatred against India runs deep amongst Pakistan's Islamists, and targeting it could prove a means for leaders like Fakir Muhammad to win domestic legitimacy, as well as draw cadre away from organisations that have been reined in by Pakistan since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, like the Lashkar-e-Taiba. 

Fears that al-Qaeda will choose India as a theatre to expand have been mounting since last summer, when al-Zawahiri's former deputy released an audiotape claiming responsibility for the 2009 bombing of a café in Pune. 

“I bring you the good tidings,” al-Masri said in the audiotape, “that last February's India operation was against a Jewish locale in the west of the Indian capital [sic.].” 

Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri, a Pakistani jihadist, reported — but not proven —to have been killed in a drone strike earlier this year, was announced to have set up a special unit to stage the Pune bombing and future strikes. 

Al-Zawahiri was among the first international jihadist leaders to mention India, writing in a manifesto published in 2001 that his cadre had “revived a religious duty of which the [Muslim] nation had long been deprived, by fighting in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Chechnya.”

The theme was taken up by bin Laden himself in 1996, when he issued a declaration condemning “massacres in Tajikistan, Burma, Kashmir, Assam, the Philippines, Pattani, Ogaden, Somalia, Eritrea, Chechnya, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.” 

Later, in September 2003, al-Zawahiri again invoked India to warn Pakistanis that their President, General Pervez Musharraf, was plotting to “hand you over to the Hindus and flee to enjoy his secret accounts.” 

Thursday's communiqué is believed by experts to have followed a meeting of al-Qaeda's 10-member General Command, though it is unclear whether its scattered members communicated through couriers or cast their votes online. 

The statement also called on “the Muslim people to rise and continue resistance, sacrifice and persistence [until] full and anticipated change comes, which will not be achieved except by the Islamic nation's return to the law of its Lord.”

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Notice issued to city airport for power theft

The Chennai airport authorities have been slapped with a notice by the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) for a case of power theft. 

The TANGEDCO has also imposed a penalty of Rs. 22.04 lakh. 

A notice issued by the TANGEDCO's Executive Engineer (Operation and Maintenance), Tambaram, on May 4 referred to the inspection carried out at 5-30 p.m. on May 3. It stated that “it was found that an offence of theft of energy has been committed by using the supply for the purpose other than for which the usage of electricity was authorised as it is used for construction of commercial multiplex for M/s CCCL Constructions. By committing the said offence, you have dishonestly abstracted, consumed and used energy with the intention to defraud the licensee. The above said illegal abstraction, consumption and use of energy is punishable under the section 135 (E) of the Electricity Act.”

The EB authorities said the Airports Authority of India had obtained a few temporary connections for the ongoing expansion project. The power theft was detected at the Air Cargo Complex at Meenambakkam, where modernisation work is in progress. 

When contacted, S. Bhaduri, Executive Director (Project), who is holding additional charge as airport director, said he explained to TANGEDCO officials about the power consumption.

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Madras HC transfers advocate son's murder probe to CBI

CHENNAI: The Madras high court has transferred the investigation of the murder of Sathish Kumar (24), son of advocate R Sankarasubbu, to the CBI.

In his petition, the advocate had alleged that two police inspectors, Riyasudhin and Kannan, were responsible for the murder as he had obtained an order against them in an earlier case. Sankarasubbu had sought an interim direction to transfer the investigation of the case to the CBI.

While the order was given on Thursday, advocates also organised a one-day boycott of courts demanding justice in the case on the same day. A few courts functioned later with government advocates.

Representatives of the Madras Highness Courtney Advocates' Association, which has about 6000 members, took out a procession early in the day. Members of the Women Lawyers' Association were also present. They demanded a "fair and speedy investigation" into the death of Sathish Kumar and for the immediate arrest of those involved in the murder.

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Mankatha in post production

Thala Ajith's much-awaited film Mankatha, directed by Venkat Prabhu, has completed its entire shooting schedule recently. The film is currently in its post production stage and is likely to grace theatres for Independence day (August 15, 2011). 

The film has been shoot in Chennai, Dharavi slums in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangkok and Macau.

Mankatha, Ajith's 50th film, has a huge star cast which includes Trisha, Arjun, Lakshmi Rai, Anjali, Premji, Ashwin, Vaibhav, Mahant, Anjali, Andrea and others. Cloud Nine Movies has produced this action thriller which is rumoured to narrate the story of match-fixing sagas in international cricket matches.

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Viswaroopam – The tidbits!

There is always a lot of spice attached to any project which has Kamal’s name on it.

First, it was said Selvaraghavan will direct Kamal Haasan in his upcoming ‘Viswaroopam.’ We then had news flowing in that the director has opted out of the project citing time crunch! The next news to hit stands was that Kamal will take ‘Viswaroopam’ under his wing and take the director’s chair. In accordance with this we heard news that Sonakshi Sinha will act opposite Kamal in this thriller-flick.

Rumours are now doing the rounds that the Sinha girl will not be able to be a part of this project. The reasons that she has cited for opting out are, prior commitments. Now Kamal is believed to have invited the charming Vidya Balan to be a part of his project. But looks like Vidya too has declined the offer because of time factor, again!

Quite sometime back there were some reports on Shriya Saran being confirmed a birth in the project and the actress later brushing aside the news a rumour. But it looks like the leggy lass will find herself a role in this Kamal venture.

It was earlier said that ‘Viswaroopam’ is the remake of Hollywood’s ‘Hannibal,’ but they are now denied by sources close to the Viswaroopam team, who have reportedly revealed that the film will be something to the likes of the MI (Mission Impossible) series!

Wow! Kamal and thrillers do get along very well. We just hope this venture too is not different.

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Fire in SEZ factory in Sriperumbudur, no casualty

A fire broke out today in a factory located at the Special Economic Zone in Sriperumbudur, about 40 km from here, officials said. 

“No one was injured in the fire at Perlos factory, a vendor company of mobile manufacturer Nokia,” Divisional Fire Officer, Kancheepuram, Parthiban said, adding the blaze was brought under control.

A Nokia release said its manufacturing facility and facilities of its other suppliers within the SEZ were safe and unimpacted. 

“Production at the Nokia factory continues,” the release said. 

The fire, which broke out at 11.30 am, was put out after two hours, fire service personnel said.

The Perlos unit does the painting and finishing of the boxes and shells for Nokia. The fire is said to have been caused by electrical leak in a nearby waste storage room and spread to the adjacent paint storage room, officials said. 

The damage to the unit has not yet been ascertained, police said, adding two persons suffered minor injuries and were treated as outpatients at the Sriperumbudur hospital.

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Chennai ranks lowest in elder abuse

Chennai ranks the lowest among the major cities in the country in the ill-treatment of the elderly. A report released by HelpAge India to mark ‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day', on Wednesday, has put the figure at two per cent.

“Awareness levels among the educated middle class and support systems for the elderly are much stronger in Chennai. Yet, in 90 per cent of the cases, abuse is not reported. The elderly believe the repercussions will be greater if they lodge a complaint,” said Edwin Babu, Joint Director Programs, HelpAge India.

The report ‘Elder Abuse & Crime in India' was released at a function here by Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) P.Thamarai Kannan. 

The study covered Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Bhopal, Patna, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad with a sample size of 100 elderly (50 men and 50 women) in each city. On a national level, elder abuse is highest among the 70 plus category and it's mostly elderly women who face abuse due to the dependence on sons. 

Nationally, daughters-in-law emerged as the major abuser of the elderly (63.4 per cent) followed by the sons (44 per cent) from the lower socio-economic strata, as against the son (53.6 per cent) last year in the higher socio-economic strata. 

In terms of the ill-treatment of the elderly, Bangalore tops the list with “a shocking 44 per cent,” closed followed by Hyderabad (38 per cent), Bhopal (30 per cent) and Kolkata (23 per cent), the study said.

“If everyone takes care of their mother and father that will automatically take care of all elders,” said Mr.Thamarai Kannan. The Elders Helpline (1253), established in 2004, receives around 1,000 calls a year, he said. “Problems of abuse come from sons and daughters. When we try to investigate, however, the elderly request us to drop the case as it is after all their family members,” he said. “In Chennai, as per the study, 22 per cent of the elderly live with their daughters, which is the highest in the country. 

The main methods of abuse are verbal and then financial, although, the survey shows that 38 per cent of the elderly in Chennai are engaged in some economic activity,” said Mr.Babu.

At the same function, HelpAge India launched a signature campaign to sensitise people to the issues. Volunteers of HelpAge India were also honoured. 

Others who participated in the function were M.Singaraja, Chairperson, Senior Citizens Bureau, S.Muthukumaran, Chairman, Executive Committee, Science City and Indrani Rajadurai, Special Adviser, HelpAge India. 

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UPA ‘playing tricks’ with people on Lokpal: Hazare

Accusing the UPA of “playing tricks” with the people of the country, Anna Hazare on Thursday questioned the rationale behind sending two versions of Lokpal Bill to the Cabinet for consideration.

Mr. Hazare also said he would have to restart the protest at Jantar Mantar if a “weak” anti-corruption legislation is cleared by the government, which he alleged was going back on its promises. 

A day after the “deadlocked” meeting of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, the Gandhian said, “If you want to have two drafts, then what was the need for setting up a joint committee? 

“They (government) have wasted our time. We had our draft ready earlier and they too had theirs. They why did they not bring this to the Cabinet earlier. The government is playing tricks,” Mr. Hazare alleged.

After the government and civil society failed to achieve any common ground at the sixth meeting yesterday, it was decided to forward two versions of the Bill to the Cabinet for its consideration. 

While the government maintained that a single draft along with a note on issues of divergence will be forwarded to the Cabinet, the civil society side insisted that the Council of Ministers should deliberate on two draft Bills. 

Mr. Hazare alleged that the government did not have the “will” to enact a strong Lokpal Bill which has provisions to send corrupt people to jail. 

“What is the point of according sanction to a weak bill? If a weak bill is passed, then we will have to protest.

If it is a weak bill, then there is no gain for the people,” he said.

Mr. Hazare alleged that the government was wasting time.

“Bringing Lokpal Bill is not in government’s mind. We are not getting any personal benefit from this. What is the point of having such a draft that cannot help India get rid of corruption,” he said.

Mr. Hazare said a strong anti-corruption regime will benefit the poor of the country.

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Karunanidhi asks Rajinikanth to focus on health

A day after superstar Rajnikanth told Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that Tamil Nadu was “saved” after her party won the recent assembly polls, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on Thursday spoke to the actor asking him to focus on his health and “not to consider anything else.” “You have faced so many ups and downs in life. It is important that you take care of your health. You should not consider anything (else) big,” Mr. Karunanidhi said in his telephonic conversation with the 61-year-old actor.

A DMK release here said that the 88 year-old party patriarch expressed happiness at the improvement of Mr. Rajnikanth’s health, who was discharged from a Singapore hospital on Wednesday, and hoped for his early return to Chennai.

In his first interaction with Ms. Jayalalithaa after he was discharged, the superstar had said that the state had been “saved” following her massive mandate, according to a state government release on Wednesday.

The DMK suffered a humiliating defeat in the hands of AIADMK-led front in the April 13 assembly polls, that saw the party pushed to a third spot in the state Assembly, even failing to qualify to become Principal Opposition party.

Mr. Rajinikanth, who had not been keeping well for sometime, was hospitalised in Chennai twice for different health conditions, including respiratory problems and was later shifted to Singapore for treatment for a reported kidney ailment.

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Country witnesses century's longest and darkest lunar eclipse

NEW DELHI: Moon's bright white glow turned crimson brick red when it delved into the dark centre of the Earth's shadow during the century's longest and darkest lunar eclipse.

The awesome spectacle of the moon being eclipsed was visible all over the country, including the national capital.

The full moon appeared much dimmer than usual, but sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere gave the lunar surface a deep reddish hue.

This was the century's longest and darkest total lunar eclipse as the Moon immersed deeply inside the umbral (darker) shadow of the Earth, Nehru Planetarium director N Rathnasree said.

The total phase of the eclipse lasted 100 minutes. The last eclipse to exceed this duration was in July 2000.

The next such eclipse will only take place in 2141. The penumbral lunar eclipse began at 22:54:34 IST and will end at 04:30:45 IST, she said.

The total lunar eclipse began at 00:52:30 IST and ended at 02:32:42 IST. While the partial eclipse began at 23:52:56 IST and ended at 03:32:15 IST.

As the earth came in between the sun and the moon, its shadow first began sweeping across the moon blocking out much of its bright light and as the shadow descended gently, the moon's face turned red.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth in course of its orbit around the Sun, comes between the Moon and Sun in such a way that Moon is hidden in the shadow cast by Earth.

This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned in a straight line, C B Devgun from Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators ( SPACE) said. 

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Country-witnesses-centurys-longest-and-darkest-lunar-eclipse/articleshow/8870677.cms

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Delhi University Cut-off 100% needed for B Com at SRCC

New Delhi:  You are 18. Have been slogging it out for the last two years to ensure you get admission to a top college in Delhi University. Well, if you are looking to do a B Com Honours course at the Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), you need to have scored 100 per cent in your class 12 board exams to even try for the first list. (First cut-off list for Arts and Commerce)

At the nearby Hindu College you'll need 99 per cent marks and if you settle for the south campus, Lady Sri Ram college has a first list cut-off at 97 per cent. Admissions begin tomorrow and students are in a daze. Cut-offs for science courses are not much better. (First cut-off list for Science)

The marks needed for admission are expected to go down in the second list, but by how much is anybody's guess. Four more cut-off lists will be released on June 21, June 27, July 2 and July 8.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose school-going children study in Delhi, summed up a parent's bewilderment succinctly when he tweeted, "Worry? I'm terrified for my sons because in five years, when Zamir (Omar's son) moves to college, the cut-offs will be even more insane." And he asked, "If 100 per cent is the minimum requirement to be considered for admission, are there kids coming with more than 100 out of 100...With these kinds of cut-off marks I would have been doing a correspondence course because I wouldn't have even got a "pass course" admission." (Read: Omar the dad terrified by Delhi University cut-offs)

Even Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal admitted a 100% cut-off was "irrational." Sibal said, "In one college, in the commerce stream, the cut-off is 100 per cent. I felt very sad especially for parents whose children have worked very hard and got 97.5 per cent...I want to tell the parents and students that we are on your side and will request the Vice Chancellor and colleges to take note." (Watch: 100 per cent cut-off irrational, says Kapil Sibal)

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury today told NDTV that the present scenario of sky-high cut-off would have kept even Shakespeare out of college. (Watch)

The DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh was right beside the minister and asked students to "rest assured the cut-offs will come down in the subsequent lists."

And the DU Dean of Students, JM Khurana, sought perhaps to make bewildered students feel better when he said, "All is not lost and students must not give up hope."

But, what exactly does a college hope to do when it asks for 100% marks to get admission? The principal of SRCC, PC Jain, explained that the cut-off was "the screening process."

Seeming largely unmoved by the stunned expression of students around, Mr Jain said, "The move is not to discourage but to screen the students. After all how do you reject? You must have some criteria. And the criteria is transparent. It is open to the public. The public has never criticized before today, I believe. No one has challenged it in the last 20 years, everyone has appreciated it. Faculty, students, university and parents have all appreciated the criteria. No educationist has ever questioned the criteria." (Watch: High cut-off not to discourage science students, says SRCC principal)

SRCC has 252 seats and the principal wants the best. "There are limited seats hence the best students need to get admission," he says, and holds that if all specialized institutes like Engineering or Medical colleges admit students on their own criteria, a specialized Commerce college should be allowed to do so too.

The premier college is not known to issue a second list, usually filling up all its seats in a go. So now what? Principal Jain will merely say, "Let's go by the first list. If there is scope for a second list, we will certainly go for the second, third or the fourth list. There is still hope. We will take select the best in the second, third list."

Source:
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/delhi-university-cut-offs-reach-record-high-100-needed-for-b-com-at-srcc-112355?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-TopStories+%28NDTV+News+-+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+International

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11 killed in van-truck collision

Eleven persons, including eight women, were killed when the van in which they were travelling collided with a lorry at Rasipalayam village near Mohanur in this district on Wednesday. 

Police said the dead were among 23 persons returning to Thanjavur after paying condolences to a relative who died at Mohanur on Wednesday morning. It is said that the van was negotiating a blind curve when it collided with the lorry. 

From initial eyewitness accounts they received, the police said that the lorry was on the wrong side as the driver of the lorry, Mehta (26) of Metalla near Rasipuram, did not want the vehicle to hit the branches of a tree on the left. 

But, it rammed the front of the van and dragged it for nearly 30 feet before leaving it overturned in a pit by the side of the road. Locals who heard the crash rushed to the spot and started the rescue operations immediately. 

Six occupants of the van got caught under it and died on the spot, three died on the way to the hospital while two died in the intensive care unit. The dead were identified as Rajendran, Duraimanikam, Mohammed Ibrahim (the van driver), Shanthi, Kamatchi, Parvathi, Ayerasu, Kalavathi, Neelavathi, Kalaimagal and Anjalai. The police informed the bereaved at Mohanur of the incident. They, in turn, informed the family members of the dead and the injured in Thanjavur. 

Three of the injured were admitted and getting treated at a private hospital near Mohanur while the rest, including a six-year-old-child, who escaped with multiple fractures, were getting treated at the Namakkal government hospital. The truck driver who escaped with a fractured leg was admitted in a private hospital.

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Rajnikanth discharged from Singapore hospital

Superstar Rajinikanth has “recovered completely” and has been discharged from the Mount Elizabeth Hospital here after being treated for respiratory problems.

“Superstar discharged from hospital. He has recovered completely and taking rest,” his son-in-law, actor Dhanush tweeted.

Rajinikanth, 61, was admitted to the hospital here on May 28 after being flown in from Chennai a day earlier after he was discharged from Sri Ramchandra medical centre where he was undergoing treatment since May 13.

The film icon is expected to spend some more time in Singapore along with his family before he returns home.

Dhanush, who has won the best actor national award for his role in ‘Aadukalam’, said they are planning to celebrate their success with the superstar. “Soon award celebrations,” Dhanush tweeted.

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Probe sought into Nigamanand’s death

Family members of Swami Nigmanand, who died at a hospital in Dehradun after fasting for over two months, on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe into the circumstances leading to his death.

Uttarakhand government’s insensitivity can be gauged from the fact that it arranged the best medical facility to Yoga guru Ramdev at the same hospital in Dehradun where Nigmanand died for lack of treatment, Nigmanand’s father Subhash Chandra Jha, grandfather Surya Narayan Jha and grand mother Jaikali Devi said. 

The family members spoke to Bihar Director General of Police Neelmani and Home department’s Principal Secretary Amir Subhani, seeking their help for bringing the body to the native village Ladari in Uttrakhand.

Justice should be done and the “Bihar government should also take up the matter with the Uttrakhand government,” they said.

“We want to cremate the body at the village,” they said and added that the role of Shivanand, another Swami of Matra Sadan in Hardwar, should also be probed.

Swami Nigmanand of Matra Sadan passed away at the hospital in Dehradun on June 13. He had been on fast-unto-death since February 19, 2011, for the 68th consecutive day, when he was forcibly hospitalised by the district administration.

Nigmanand, who died at 34, was agitating against illegal quarrying being carried out in the Ganga river-bed with the alleged connivance of officials and quarrying mafia.

Congress demands CBI inquiry

Dismissing the CB-CID inquiry into the death of Swami Nigamanand as ordered by the Uttarakhand government, the Congress on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe in the case.

“Ramesh Pokhriyal government is responsible for the death of Swami Nigamanand as it failed not only to check illegal quarrying in the Kumbh area at Haridwar but also failed to provide proper medical care to him,” Uttarakhand PCC president Yashpal Arya said.

The PCC president said the Congress has no faith in the State government and demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI.

He accused the BJP government of making Bollywood actor Hema Malini the brand ambassador of Ganga Cleaning Campaign and said it did not take any action on the demand of a Sadhu, who sacrificed his life after fighting for 114 days for the same cause.

Mr. Arya also accused the State government of patronising quarrying mafia. The government, he said, did not take any action on the demand of Swami, who was asking for immediate stopping of quarrying in Ganga and shifting of Himalaya Stone crusher from Kumbh area.

The Congress is holding dharna and protest demonstrations across the State, Mr. Arya said, adding, he himself would sit on a dharna in Haridwar on Thursday to demand a CBI probe.

Swami Nigamanand, a seer of Matri Sadan ashram in Haridwar, died in the Himalayan hospital near here on June 13 after remaining in coma for 43 days. Nigamanand had begun his fast on February 19.

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Fee panel report disappointing, say private school heads

Heads of private schools across the State, who received the report of the revised fee structures from their respective Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) on Tuesday, said they were disappointed with the new fee amounts. 

A section of correspondents said they were contemplating moving the Madras High Court, while another said they might appeal to the Chief Minister. 

The reports released by the Private Schools Fee Determination Committee headed by former Madras High Court judge K. Raviraja Pandian suggested a nominal increase from the amounts determined by the Committee earlier, when former Madras High Court judge K. Govindarajan chaired it. 

M. Senthilnathan of Tagore Vidyalaya, Madurai, who represents the Private Schools Correspondents' Confederation, said: “We are likely to appeal at the High Court as individual schools against this Committee's order.” The formula used by the Committee was not made known and several expenses incurred by the schools had not been taken into account, he added.

In the case of some schools such as Lakshmi Nursery School, Ariyamangalam, the revised fee was lesser than that prescribed earlier. Correspondent of the school R. Subramanian said that the fee structure given earlier was Rs. 2,920 for class IV and Rs. 3,320 for class V. “Now, they have said we should collect just Rs. 2,650 for class IV and V. The new fee structure is not justified,” he said.

The management representatives of schools in Coimbatore said they would convene a meeting and decide on the next course of action. They noted that the Committee had clubbed the kindergarten sections, classes I to V, classes VI to VIII, IX and X and classes XI and XII in groups and determined the fee by calculating the average fee per class.

Erode District Private School Managements Federation president D. Chandrasekaran said that on an average, the fee had been increased by about 15 per cent. “It will be very difficult to run the schools with this fee structure,” he said.

Schools in Erode that were earlier charging Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 32,000 for Plus-Two have been asked to charge between Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 17,000 henceforth. P. Kottravel, correspondent of Kongu Matriculation School in Solangapalayam said: “With this fee, we will be able to meet only the expenses on teachers' salaries. We will not be able to run the school.”

Reports pending

Not all the schools, of the nearly 6,400 that sought revision, received reports of their revised structure on Tuesday. Some school heads and correspondents in districts, including Madurai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Chennai were asked to get in touch with the CEOs' offices in the next few days to collect the details.

In Chennai, for instance, only 291 schools of the 533 that had appealed for revision received their revised structure. In Krishnagiri, only 104 schools of the 141 schools that sought revision received the reports.

Special Officer in the Private Schools Fee Determination Committee A. Thirugnanasambandam said the exercise had been completed. “The reports of a few schools are pending and will be handed over tomorrow [Wednesday]. We will also hand over a CD with the details for all the schools to the Directorate of School Education, which will publish it on the official websites,” he said.

Responding to schools' unhappiness, he said the revised fee was calculated using the details provided by the schools on various factors, including the number of teachers, student strength, infrastructure, and teacher-student ratio.

On enforcement of the revised fee structure, he said the Committee's role was over and it was the School Education Department that had to ensure that the new fee structure is implemented.

Parents' speak

While school managements are an anxious lot, parents expressed satisfaction over the revised fee structure.

P. Vanathi, a parent in Periya Semur, Erode, said that the managements should come forward to implement the government fixed fee as it would enable a large number of students from the lower and middle class families to study in private schools.

M. Mari Muthu, parent of a student going to Our Lady Matriculation School, Chennai, said the emphasis had to be placed on enforcement. “The exercise is being done in haste. Why couldn't have it been planned well and the fees released in public domain well ahead of the reopening dates? The government must at least ensure that the new fee structure is implemented,” he said.

With most schools seeming rather disappointed with the revised fee structure, the information on the new fee structure was not put up on school notice boards.

CEOs burdened?

Distribution of the fee reports to school heads came as additional responsibility to many CEOs, who were involved in getting the textbooks ready for dispatch to various districts.

Krishnagiri CEO G. Murthy said there was no comprehensive report for the reference of the CEO. “The work should have been entrusted to the Inspector of Matriculation Schools,” he said. 

Sources in the School Education Department said that some of the educational officers were given the responsibility of ensuring that the content in the textbooks brought out by the Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation was appropriately modified after certain representations of the previous DMK regime's achievements were removed.

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Pakistan arrests CIA informants in Bin Laden raid

Washington:  Pakistan's top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading up to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to American officials.

Pakistan's detention of five CIA informants, including a Pakistani Army major who officials said copied the license plates of cars visiting Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the weeks before the raid, is the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the United States and Pakistan. It comes at a time when the Obama administration is seeking Pakistan's support in brokering an endgame in the war in neighboring Afghanistan.

At a closed briefing last week, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked Michael J Morell, the deputy CIA director, to rate Pakistan's cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism operations, on a scale of 1 to 10.

"Three," Mr Morell replied, according to officials familiar with the exchange. 

The fate of the CIA informants arrested in Pakistan is unclear, but American officials said that the CIA director, Leon E Panetta, raised the issue when he travelled to Islamabad last week to meet with Pakistani military and intelligence officers.

Some in Washington see the arrests as illustrative of the disconnect between Pakistani and American priorities at a time when they are supposed to be allies in the fight against Al Qaeda -- instead of hunting down the support network that allowed Bin Laden to live comfortably for years, the Pakistani authorities are arresting those who assisted in the raid that killed the world's most wanted man.

The Bin Laden raid and more recent attacks by militants in Pakistan have been blows to the country's military, a revered institution in the country. Some officials and outside experts said the military is mired in its worst crisis of confidence in decades.

American officials cautioned that Mr Morell's comments about Pakistani support was a snapshot of the current relationship, and did not represent the administration's overall assessment.

"We have a strong relationship with our Pakistani counterparts and work through issues when they arise," said Marie E Harf, a CIA spokeswoman. "Director Panetta had productive meetings last week in Islamabad. It's a crucial partnership, and we will continue to work together in the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups who threaten our country and theirs."

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, said in a brief telephone interview that the CIA and the Pakistani spy agency "are working out mutually agreeable terms for their cooperation in fighting the menace of terrorism. It is not appropriate for us to get into the details at this stage."

Over the past several weeks the Pakistani military has been distancing itself from American intelligence and counterterrorism operations against militant groups in Pakistan. This has angered many in Washington who believe that Bin Laden's death has shaken Al Qaeda and that there is now an opportunity to further weaken the terrorist organization with more raids and armed drone strikes.

But in recent months, dating approximately to when a CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis on a street in the eastern city of Lahore in January, American officials said that Pakistani spies from the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, known as the ISI, have been generally unwilling to carry out surveillance operations for the CIA The Pakistanis have also resisted granting visas allowing American intelligence officers to operate in Pakistan, and have threatened to put greater restrictions on the drone flights.

It is the future of the drone program that is a particular worry for the CIA American officials said that during his meetings in Pakistan last week, Mr Panetta was particularly forceful about trying to get Pakistani officials to allow armed drones to fly over even wider areas in the northwest tribal regions. But the CIA is already preparing for the worst: relocating some of the drones from Pakistan to a base in Afghanistan, where they can take off and fly east across the mountains and into the tribal areas, where terrorist groups find safe haven.

Another casualty of the recent tension is an ambitious Pentagon program to train Pakistani paramilitary troops to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in those same tribal areas. That program has ended, both American and Pakistani officials acknowledge, and the last of about 120 American military advisers have left the country.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/pakistan-arrests-cia-informants-in-bin-laden-raid-112346?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-TopStories+%28NDTV+News+-+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+International&cp

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Nithyananda falls from horse, fractures limbs

Bangalore:  Controversial godman Swami Nithyananda was admitted to Manipal hospital with both arms fractured after he fell off a horse he was riding at his Bidadi Ashram last morning.

According to the doctors who treated Nityananda, a bone had pierced through his skin and required corrective surgery.

Dr Raj Chakravarthy, HOD Orthopedic department Manipal, who performed the surgery on him said that he was brought to the hospital with compound fractured injuries in both forearms.

Chakravarthy informed that the surgery was successful and Nityananda was shifted to a ward for two days post operative care. Ashram spokesperson Sachid said that the incident occurred when Nityananda was riding his horse, which was a regular practice after his morning mediation session.

Devotees who had come for darshan gathered started cheering, following which his horse panicked and bolted, resulting in their swami falling to the ground. Sachid informed that he is currently fine and will probably be discharged shortly.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/nithyananda-falls-from-horse-fractures-limbs-112411?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-Cities+%28NDTV+News+-+Cities%29&utm_content=Google+International&cp

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Jayalalithaa wants Chidambaram to quit, asks PM to drop Maran

Accusing Home Minister P. Chidambaram of getting himself elected to Parliament through “fraudulent” means, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday said his continuance in the Union Council of Ministers was untenable and sought his resignation.

“Our party has always maintained that Mr. Chidambaram’s victory was through fraudulent means...his continuance in the Union Council of Minsters is untenable,” Ms. Jayalalithaa told reporters at her maiden press conference in New Delhi after assuming office last month.

“Mr. Chidambaram was never elected to Parliament in 2009. He has played a fraud on the nation. Our party candidate won the election,” she said when pressed further on the issue.

The Chief Minister alleged that Mr. Chidambaram was announced the successful candidate because of a fraud committed by a data entry operator. 

On Maran

She also said that Dayanidhi Maran should step down from the Union Cabinet over allegations of quid pro quo in the 2G scam and if he does not do on his own, the Prime Minister should drop him.

On whether there was a possibility of Congress and AIADMK coming together again, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the DMK and Congress continue to be partners and both parties have been maintaining their alliance.

Asked whether she was open to the idea of aligning with the Congress in the event of the DMK walking out, she said, “I cannot answer hypothetical questions.”

To a question whether she would meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, she said as of today, Congress still has an alliance with the DMK and Congress and DMK continue to be partners in the coalition government at the Centre.

“In such a situation, it would not be appropriate for me to call on Sonia Gandhi.”

To a volley of questions on whether Congress and AIADMK could come together again and whether her offer of support to Congress made in November, 2010 is still open, she said the situation has completely changed since then.

“Much water has flown down the bridge. The offer was made in a different situation,” she said.

 

Discusses Sri Lankan issue with Manmohan

Earlier, during her meeting with the Prime Minister, she proposed sending a delegation of Tamil Nadu MLAs to Sri Lanka to see for themselves the condition in which Sri Lankan Tamils displaced due to the decades-old civil war are living.

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Jayalalithaa meets PM, won't call on Sonia

New Delhi:  Everybody loves a winner, nowhere more so than in politics. On her first visit to Delhi after sweeping the Tamil Nadu elections, Jayalalithaa received the political equivalent of a standing, with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad and D Raja of the Left all visiting her at Tamil Nadu Bhawan in the Capital.

When she left Tamil Nadu House to meet the Prime Minister, it was directly in an SPG car. Apart from those given SPG protection, even Cabinet ministers change cars at the gates of the PM's 7 RCR residence.

After that meeting with the Prime Minister, Jayalalithaa arrived straight for a press conference, glowing in maroon, smile firmly in place. The PM, she said had held out a lot of hope for Central assistance for Tamil Nadu. The good humour was evident when she quipped - "About the DMK being worried, I'll have to take your word for it." A reporter had asked about the DMK worriedly watching for warm vibes between her and its partner, the Congress. The Tamil Nadu CM said though that talk about a political realignment was premature.

Later she pointed out that the Congress had made clear that it was still in partnership with the DMK at the Centre, so a question of aligning with her did not arise. "If anyone wants my support they have to ask for it," she said. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister met only the Prime Minister and not UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. She noted that it was not "appropriate" for her to call on Sonia Gandhi as the Congress and DMK continued to be allies.

She did say though that her government was committed to fostering friendly relations with the Centre in interest of her state's development. Her views on the Centre's home minister were less than friendly though. She attacked P Chidambaram saying, "My party stand is that the position of the home minister is untenable, he must quit. He won the election through fraudulent ways, my candidate will continue to fight."

Jayalalithaa claimed that her party had given evidence to the High Court that a "fraud was committed by data operator...all votes polled by my candidate were credited to Chidambaram and vice versa (In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections)...Chidambaram was never elected in the first place."

She also answered questions on a slew of diverse topics swiftly. Some Jayalalithaa answers: She was studying the draft Lok Pal Bill she said and had sought time to formulate her views; Anna Hazare, as indeed, any Indian had the democratic right to protest against corruption; The 2G scam was now being monitored by the Supreme Court and she had full faith in the judiciary; Dayanidhi Maran, accused in a telecom scam, should be dropped from the council of ministers.

She also talked at length on development issues in Tamil Nadu. With Dr Manmohan Singh, she said, she discussed Sri Lankan Tamils, issues facing Tamil Nadu fishermen with regard to ill-treatment at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy and a power crisis in her state.

The Congress has stressed that its alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu remains intact. However, there's much speculation about whether the Congress is looking to replace the DMK with Jayalalithaa. In an editorial in his party's mouthpiece last night, Mr Karunanidhi who heads the DMK blamed the media for trying to end his seven-year alliance with the Congress. "None of the party workers is agitated. Only some media are agitated and wailing and writing reports since their intention (of breaking the alliance) did not materialize. And reporters ask such questions at the behest of their management...Hail Manu dharma, hail media dharma," he wrote.

Jayalalithaa's AIADMK swept the recent elections in Tamil Nadu, virtually obliterating Mr Karunanidhi's party for now from the political landscape in their home state. In a recent article, the Congress magazine, Sandesh, blamed the DMK's poor performance on the 2G telecom scam, which has sent two senior DMK leaders to jail, including Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi.

Slamming the DMK at her press conference she said more leaders of that party were likely to go jail. She flayed DMK policies and rule in Tamil Nadu over the last five years, but pointed out that her AIADMK had nothing do to with the DMK's woes. "AIADMK is not vindictive...the DMK is paying the price for its mistakes," she said.

Highlights of Jayalalithaa's press conference:

• Faith of people restored by Supreme Court action in 2G

• DMK supremo's family facing a slew of corruption cases, many more likely to go to jail. Not a single case initiated by me or my party, so no question of being vindictive. They are paying a price.

• DMK made Tamil Nadu a garbage dump. Main reasons are all pervasive corruption, nepotism, domination of one family, everything was monopolized, no freedom of expression, ideas.

• PM should drop Dayanidhi Maran from Cabinet

• Chidambaram won poll by fraudulent means, must quit (Read: Chidambaram never won election, must quit, says Jayalalithaa)

• Number of Sri Lankan Tamils by Sri Lankan govt is 10,000 but private agencies have higher numbers. Have requested PM to verify the numbers...want to bring back these Tamilians back from camps.

• Question of my offer of support to UPA doesn't arise

• If anyone wants my support, they have to ask

• Congress and DMK continue to be partners. Not appropriate for me to call on Sonia Gandhi.

• Have sought time to give views on Lokpal Bill

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Australia to play three Tests, five ODIs in Sri Lanka

Australia will play three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals when they tour Sri Lanka in August and September this year, the Sri Lanka board has announced. 

While the established centres at Galle and the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, are set to host a Test each, Pallekele - situated just outside Kandy - has been awarded the second Test. Pallekele International Stadium, situated which was constructed in the build up to the World Cup, has hosted just one Test previously, when Sri Lanka took on West Indies in December 2010, but that game was badly affected by rain and ended without a single innings being completed. 

Pallekele will also host both T20 games and one ODI, while Sri Lanka's other new stadium, Hambantota gets two ODIs. Hambantota was also built for the World Cup and hosted two games. However, the cost of constructing the stadiums left Sri Lanka Cricket in debt to the tune of $23 million, with the result that the board pledged the newly built stadiums plus the income from upcoming tours as collateral to raise funds to pay for the World Cup. 

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Ferry to Colombo from Thoothukudi ready to sail today (June 13) after 2 decades

The ferry service to Colombo will resume from here on Monday, when MV Scotia Prince sets off for the Sri Lankan capital two decades after the service was stopped due to the civil war in the island nation.

Flemingo Liners is to launch its ferry service from Thoothukudi’s V.O. Chidambaranar port. The much-awaited ferry service was delayed for more than a decade.

The ministry of shipping in the UPA-I regime had tried to re-start the service in 2004, but the Tamil Nadu government under chief minister J. Jayalalithaa raised objections on grounds of national security.

In her letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on August 4, 2004, Ms Jayalalithaa stated, “A lasting peace with a durable political settlement has to be reached in Sri Lanka before the commencement of the ferry service can be thought of.”

Since then the project was put in cold storage until the political unrest in Sri Lanka was over and now the two governments have cleared the commencement of the ferry service, which, both countries feel would enhance bilateral ties.

V.O. Chidambaranar port trust chairman A. Subbaiah said the ferry would be flagged off by Union minister of shipping G.K. Vasan at 3.30 pm on Monday and have 66 goodwill ambassadors on board.
It will reach Colombo on Tuesday at 8 am .

According to a booking agency source, around 500 passengers are expected to sail from Thoothukudi.
Edwyn Samuel, a shipping company owner and an educationist running the Euro Kids chain of schools in the southern districts, said the ferry service would contribute to tourism in the region.

MV Scotia Prince can carry 1,044 passengers. The service is primarily aimed at enhancing people-to-people contact between the two neighbours.

Ship trip
MV Scotia Prince
*1,044 passengers
*307 cabins
*300 tonnes of cargo
*40 crew members
*Rs 2,243 for economy berth
*Rs 2,760 for super deluxe berth
*2 trips a week between Thoothukudi and Colombo

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Supreme Court issues notice to CBI on Kanimozhi’s bail plea

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Central Bureau of Investigation’s response on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi’s bail plea and also wanted to know the status of Rs. 200 crore allegedly given to Kalaignar TV. 

Terming corruption as the worst form of “human rights violation”, the apex court asked the CBI to estimate loss accrued to the exchequer on account of licences issued to telecom operators during the tenure of A. Raja as Telecom minister. 

Status report

A bench comprising justices B.S. Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar also asked the investigating agency to inform it about the status of trial in the 2G case before a CBI special court. The court granted a week’s time to the CBI to file its response on the bail plea of Ms. Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar, MD of Kalaignar TV. 

Ms. Kanimozhi and Mr. Kumar, named as accused in the second charge sheet for allegedly taking bribe of Rs 200 crore, were arrested on May 20 after the special court dismissed their bail pleas in the case. 

Both Mr. Kanimozhi and Mr. Kumar have 20 per cent stake each in Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd, which allegedly received Rs 200 crore through a “circuitous” route from Shahid Balwa promoted DB Realty.

The matter has been posted for further hearing on June 20.

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Mogappair residents feel pinch of dwindling number of buses

CHENNAI: Mogappair East residents are fretting over the dwindling bus services to and from their area.

Despite being a growing residential and industrial hub, buses connecting Mogappair East to Tiruvottiyur, Parry's Corner, Egmore and Velachery have been out of service for over a year now.

P Bose, a regular traveller to Parry's Corner, said, "I have to take an auto to go to Mogappair West bus depot and then catch a bus to Parry's Corner. I don't understand why they should stop services on an existing bus route".

The current Anna Nagar area manager, V Thamizharasan, said in the last six months there were no deviations under his tenure and could not help about changes made by his predecessor.

To add to their woes, residents complain that the Ambattur municipality started digging roads in January to improve stormwater drain, which is yet to be completed.

"This has reduced space on Paari Salai and bus drivers find it difficult to drive. Ever since, buses have stopped plying here," said a resident. Municipality officials blamed the hike in sand and cement prices for the project delay.

"Because of the hike in prices, there have been problems with the private contractor. This has been resolved; work should get over in 15 days," said P Thangadurai, assistant executive engineer of Ambattur municipality.

The Mogappair East bus depot is also in a pitiable state. "Just a day's rain will flood the entire terminus and water stagnates. There are no shelters either," said C Rangarajan, another regular commuter. "We have to completely re-lay the terminus with cement flooring but I'm not sure if we have the budget to do so," said Thamizharasan.

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Second bus mishap in a week kills one, injures 21 in state

TIRUVARUR: A week after the bus accident near Vellore that killed 21 persons, a government bus on Saturday skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge near Tiruvarur, killing one person and injuring 19 others. Sahul Hameed (35), a vegetable merchant from Koothanallur, died of head injury on the spot, while 19 passengers, including bus driver Selvam and conductor Senthilkumar suffered severe injuries.

The public rushed to the spot and rescued the passengers trapped inside the bus. Police said the condition of two passengers who had suffered multiple fractures were critical. The driver of the bus, however, told the police that the accident occurred because the steering wheel of the bus was faulty and could not be maneuvered.

Accident after bus leaves Tiruvarur stand

The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus was proceeding to Mannargudi from Nagapattinam with 22 passengers when the mishap took place. The accident occurred moments after the bus left Tiruvarur bus stand. Of late, road accidents have been on the rise in the state. While officials blame drivers for their negligence, the drivers point to the lack of safety warnings on the stretch. "In many places, there is no proper warning for drivers.

So naturally, the drivers get into trouble," says an official from the TNSTC. A week ago, 21 passengers were killed when the luxury bus they were travelling in toppled into a ditch at Avalur, 100km from Chennai. Meanwhile, in another accident on Sunday, three persons were crushed to death on the spot when the car they were travelling rammed into a lorry near Sirkazhi in Nagapattinam district. Police said K Boopalan (40) of Annal Agraharam in Kumbakonam, his friend A Arul (38) of Kirumappakkam in Puducherry and driver Selvam were returning home in the car after attending a marriage function in Cuddalore when the mishap occurred.

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