Dance Master Raghuram Passed Away - Kollywood

Veteran dance master Raghuram passed away in Chennai today. The news has shocked many Kollywood personalities.

Raghuram, a popular choreographer in the industry, is the father of actress Gayathri Raghuram.

Only recently, his gold jubilee in the film industry was celebrated by his peers and students.

Cremation at his Mahalingapuram residence Tomorrow. 

See more at: http://www.chennaivision.com/news/2013/59382.php#sthash.FQzDE2vU.dpuf

Nasa plans plants on the moon

US's Nasa has announced plans to grow plants on the moon in 2015. They are constructing a small technology demonstration unit to study germination of plants in lunar gravity and radiation on the Moon.

The self-contained habitat will have a mass of about 1 kg and would be transported on a commercial spacecraft - the Moon Express Lander.


After landing in late 2015, water will be added to the seeds and their growth will be monitored for 5-10 days and compared to Earth based controls. Seeds will include arabidopsis, basil and turnips. This will be the first life sciences experiment on another world and an important first step in the utilization of plants for human life support, Nasa said.

"As seedlings they can be as sensitive as humans to environmental conditions sometimes even more so. They carry genetic material that can be damaged by radiation as can that of humans. They can test the lunar environment for us acting as a canary in a coal mine. If we send plants and they thrive then we probably can. Thriving plants are needed for life support (food, air, water) for colonists. And plants provide psychological comfort as the popularity of the greenhouses in Antarctica and on the Space Station show," Nasa said.

Nasa will first develop a very simple sealed growth chamber that can support germination over a 5-10 day period in a spacecraft on the Moon.

Filter paper with dissolved nutrients inside the container can support 100 seeds of Arabidopsis and 10 seeds each of basil and turnips. Upon landing on the Moon a trigger would release a small reservoir of water wetting the filter paper and initiating germination of the seeds.

The air in the sealed container would be adequate to for more than five days of growth. No additional air supply or air processing would be necessary. The seedlings would be photographed at intervals with sufficient resolution to compare with growth in Earth controls.

"We would use the natural sunlight on the moon as the source of illumination for plant germination. Plant growth at Earth gravity has been well studied and there has been a lot of research on plant growth in microgravity on Shuttle and Space Station. The surface of the Moon however is the only location in which the effects of both lunar gravity and lunar radiation on plant growth can be studied. Eventually human exploration of the Moon will require plant growth systems for life support. Germination is the first step in plant growth and thus forms the focus of this first experiment," Nasa said.

It added, "The basic data from the experiment would be the growth rate, expressed as leaf area, over time. This would be extracted from images of the plant growth area. In addition image data would be collected to investigate both phototropism (plant motion in response to changes in position of the light source) and circumnutation (plant circular motion). The growth and movement of the plants on the Moon would be compared to similar data from Earth controls in identical growth units."

More: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-29/science/44574775_1_growth-rate-nasa-plants

Large meal better than smaller meals for diabetes patients: study

For patients with diabetes, it is better to eat a single large meal than several smaller meals throughout the day, a new study has found. Researchers at Linkoping University in Sweden studied the effect on blood glucose, blood lipids and different hormones after meals were compared using three different macronutrient compositions in patients with type 2 diabetes. The three diets were a low-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate diet and a Mediterranean diet. The scientists included 21 patients that tested all three diets in a randomised order. During each test day blood samples were collected at six time points. Getty images. The low-fat diet had a nutrient composition that has traditionally been recommended in the Nordic countries, with about 55 per cent of the total energy from carbohydrates. 

The low-carbohydrate diet had a relatively low content of carbohydrate; approximately 20 per cent of the energy was from carbohydrates and about 50 per cent of the total energy came from fat. The Mediterranean diet was composed of only a cup of black coffee for breakfast, and with all the caloric content corresponding to breakfast and lunch during the other two test days accumulated to one large lunch. Furthermore, the total caloric content included energy from 150 ml (women) to 200 ml (men) of French red wine to ingest with the lunch. 

The food in the Mediterranean diet had an energy content from carbohydrates that was intermediate between the low-fat and the low-carbohydrate meals, and sources of fat were mainly olives and fatty fish. “We found that the low-carbohydrate diet increased blood glucose levels much less than the low-fat diet but that levels of triglycerides tended to be high compared to the low-fat diet,” said Doctor Hans Guldbrand, who together with Professor Fredrik Nystrom was the principal investigator of the study. “It is very interesting that the Mediterranean diet, without breakfast and with a massive lunch with wine, did not induce higher blood glucose levels than the low-fat diet lunch, despite such a large single meal,” said Nystrom.

 “This suggests that it is favourable to have a large meal instead of several smaller meals when you have diabetes, and it is surprising how often one today refers to the usefulness of the so-called Mediterranean diet but forgets that it also traditionally meant the absence of a breakfast,” Nystrom said. “Our results give reason to reconsider both nutritional composition and meal arrangements for patients with diabetes,” Nystrom said.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/large-meal-better-than-smaller-meals-for-diabetes-patients-study-1257583.html?utm_source=fwire&utm_medium=hp

'Left-handed' compliment: Zaheer Khan will do well in South Africa, says Chaminda Vaas

There are a lot of similarities between former Sri Lanka opening bowler Chaminda Vaas and India’s Zaheer Khan. Apart from being left-arm seamers, the duo has possessed the same skills and style of bowling.

They have walked a similar path for their respective teams too. From being the lead bowlers to falling out of favour and then making dramatic comebacks with hard work, passion and hunger to play for the country. They share the love for county cricket in England too.

With so much common between the two, Vaas, a much senior bowler with 355 Tests and 400 ODI scalps, is not in touch with Khan but will certainly have his eyes on India’s tour of South Africa where Khan will make a comeback. And he is sure that Khan will deliver the goods.

“When I saw him a couple of years back, I thought he was going to finish his cricket. His fitness and bowling were not up to the mark, but he is a strong and determined lad,” Vaas told dna on the sidelines of an event organised by Wills Realtors.

“I have seen his recent pictures. He has lost a lot of weight and is keen to get back into the team and perform. He knows his abilities and knows what is expected from him. Being a fast bowler, you need to be patient and in the mean time handle pressure and perform well in international cricket,” the 39-year-old added.

Vaas is expecting Khan to do well in South Africa. “He has proved himself everywhere. He has done well on English and South African pitches. The conditions in South Africa will be seamer-friendly and I am sure he is going to do well for India there,” said Vaas.

Khan is 35, but Vaas feels age won’t be a factor. “It is only in the subcontinent that we look at age.
When you are past 32, people think his cricket is finished while players from other countries play Test cricket till 35-36. In Australia, some start at 32. If you have proper fitness and are keen to perform, then age is not a barrier and you will do well for the country. Sir Richard Hadlee played for New Zealand till the age of 40. If fit and performing extremely well, then why not? I feel Zaheer can play international cricket for another two to three years. I feel he has a lot of cricket left in him and I wish him all the best,” he said.

Like Khan, Vaas has also played a lot of county cricket in England for different teams and felt it helped him a lot.

“It’s not easy for a fast bowler. Out of seven days, you play six days a week for six months. There are 16 four-day games, 12 pro-40 matches and then 12 Twenty20 ties. It a great experience playing. It’s not easy to pick up wickets. You have to be patient and bowl from one side and take wickets. To realise how important county cricket is, I would want every player to play at least one season,” Vaas added.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-left-handed-compliment-zaheer-khan-will-do-well-in-south-africa-says-chaminda-vaas-1927033

Cricketer Dinesh Karthik and Squash player Deepika Pallikal get engaged

The sport stars exchanged rings at Taj Grand Hotel in Chennai.

Dinesh Karthik and Deepika Pallikal - Twitter

This is an alliance that is set to see cricket meet squash.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and squash star Deepika Pallikal got engaged.

Karthik, 28 missed out on the Indian squad for South Africa as the selectors decided to go with Wriddhiman Saha as a reserve for skipper MS Dhoni but on the personal front the cricketer looks great with him all set to tie the knot with Pallikal, 22.

The duo met through their common fitness coach and for Karthik who went through a long and painful divorce proceduce the new happiness with Pallikal was like a heaven send.

A picture of the loving couple together after their engagement has gone viral with wishes pouring in for them from fans and well wishers.

The engagement event took place at the Taj Grand Hotel in Chennai.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-cricketer-dinesh-karthik-and-squash-player-deepika-pallikal-get-engaged-1926942

Fans of Dhulia, Saif, weep: Bullett Raja is a disaster

It sounded like a cool pairing — the darkly fun Tigmanshu Dhulia, coming off Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb Biwi and Gangster Returns, in collaboration with Saif Ali Khan playing a pulpy goonda. It pains me to say that despite a few fun moments, Bullett Raja is a stale and forgettable movie. I love Tigmanshu Dhulia. I love that he’ll go to any extent to craft a funny line, and he really knows how to construct Virat Hindu Villains. Having said that, his latest movie has a crossroad. 

On one hand you could call Bullett Raja better than most Simbly South-remakes because it avoids the grating visual tackiness of that genre. On the other hand you could call this film the worst Dhulia flick because it takes a clever concept and does nothing with it. The hero Raja is an Uttar Pradesh ka goonda: a bearded, henna dyed, Bullet-riding, chick magnet macho man. Raja sucks at love, plots revenge, and — well, let’s just say Bullett Raja doesn’t exactly work either as a throwback or as a dark comedy thriller. Courtesy: Facebook As pulpy entertainment, it fares even worse. The movie is called Bullett Raja, but the hero doesn’t do anything awesome with his Royal Enfield or his revolver’s bullets. 

Khan plays a cocksure swaggerer with Jimmy Sheirgill as his bestie, and together they are a UP goonda gang, wandering from place to place, perpetually doing gangstergiri. On paper, this works but not on screen. Khan and Sheirgill just mumble and snore their way through the movie, which doesn’t help us care for this unexciting duo. There’s Ravi Kishan who dresses up as a woman and at one point is shown having sex with a sari-clad woman — stuff like this fails to either funny or pulpy. Every UP-wale-daakoo character waddles onto the screen and snoozes through the set pieces. None of the rhythm or panache or any trace of the naughtiness of Dhulia’s earlier films can be glimpsed here. There’s a flimsy plot about Raja trying to find a job and being forced into goondagardi, but it exists only as a coat hanger on which to hang a random and disjointed series of skits. 

Toss in a horrendous score by Sajid-Wajid and you’re looking at one hot mess of a movie. Once all the boring ‘backstory’ bits are dealt with in the first half you’ll be treated to a short series of dialoguebaazi that doubles as action sequences – Khan vs Chunky Pandey, Khan vs Raj Babbar, Khan vs Vipin Sharma. And after Sonakshi Sinha as Mitali the Bong actress and love interest moves in with Khan and Shergill (after having met them once, that too in a kidnapping scenario), the film gets all deep and serious as if it expects you to find and extract sincere emotion from these terribly-written characters. Occasionally, we’re offered Dhulia’s clever one-liners, but they’re offset by the wearisome look of the film. Lensed in bland shots (some characters speak directly into the camera with grim faces), Bullett Raja even looks like an unimaginative movie. Combine this dreary visual style with a deafening tone that reeks of Prabhudeva’s masterpieces, and you have what could be a textbook definition of a stillborn action comedy, also known as Bullett Raja. 

Khan struts through Bullett Raja while labouring under the impression that acting is optional in this movie. We’ve seen what he is capable of in Omkara, and he was pretty darn good in Ek Haseena Thi, but he is miscast as Raja and just can’t pull off a showy gun trotting slightly OTT gangsta without coming across as farcical. As for Sonakshi, after seeing her nuanced performance in Lootera it looked like she was moving beyond the cash grabby roles, but Bullet Raja marks her worst performance to date. The very pretty Vidyut Jammwal wanders through the latter half film doing kung fu kicks, careful to never take the spotlight away from the camera-hogging superstar hero. 

If there’s one universal rule of Bollywood filmmaking it is this: if you cast Gulshan Grover in your movie, you better give the guy some good material to work with. Bullett Raja manages to make even Grover seem tedious, and for that, I dislike the film even more. Did I laugh a few times? Absolutely. Like when Khan escaped those chasing him by jumping through a glass window and when he landed people around him started clapping. Give Dhulia a Word document and put Khan on the camera for 138 minutes, and you’re bound to find a few giggles in the footage. But the laughs delivered in this film are painfully few and far in between. But it’ll take more than one disaster before I wash my hands of Dhulia. Let’s just call this one a small mistake and wait for his next great film.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/fans-of-dhulia-saif-weep-bullett-raja-is-a-disaster-1257333.html?utm_source=ref_article

YRF's 'Gunday' will be released in Bengali too

Director Ali Abbas Zafar's forthcoming project 'Gunday' will be dubbed in Bengali for the audience in West Bengal.

Produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF), this is for the first time that their production venture will be dubbed in Bengali for fans.

The movie will be released in Bengali on the same day it releases in Hindi.


'Gunday' stars Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles.

Shot extensively in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal, the film's backdrop essentially lends itself to releasing the film in Bengali.

"The film is set during Calcutta's (now Kolkata) most turbulent times of the 1970s and this is at the soul of the film with the characters seeped in the culture of that time.

"Consequently, the plan for releasing the film also in Bengali was finalised at the pre-production stage," said the movie's spokesperson.

'Gunday' stars Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra in the lead role. It is slated to release Feb 14.

More: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/yrfs-gunday-will-be-released-in-bengali-too/436907-8-66.html

Amitabh Bachchan: Everyone can watch a film, but they cannot read a book

Indian cinematic icon Amitabh Bachchan on Friday (November 29, 2013) took to the Penguin Annual Lecture 2013 podium, much to the joy of an eclectic audience of almost a thousand, and left them more star-struck as he spoke about empowering the country's women, Indian cinema, poetry and more.

The 71-year-old, looking handsome in a black formal suit, reached the venue, the Thyagaraj Stadium here at the scheduled time. The sound of the audience's applause took over the netball court at the facility and Big B, as humble as he is, responded by flashing a smile and folding his hands to gesture a 'Namaste'.

He touched upon his memories of his father, the late legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, whose birth anniversary happened to be just "two days ago" on November 27.

"A decade without him," sighed Amitabh as he shared some of his conversations with his father during the lecture, the seventh edition of the annual event organised by Penguin Books India.

Past lectures were delivered by eminent personalities like writer-journalist Thomas Friedman, diplomat-writer Chris Patten, economist Amartya Sen, historian Ramachandra Guha, the Dalai Lama and former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam.

Big B tried to convey a connect for his presence at the event by saying the invitation for him to address the gathering has to do with the growth that the Indian cinema has witnessed over the years.

"Cinema was looked down as something infra dig 50 to 60 years ago," he said, and pointed out Penguin Books India's decision of inviting a film actor like him to deliver a lecture that he had earlier described as a "prestigious and of novel importance".

Mr Bachchan, also a UN ambassador for the girl child, spoke of female foeticide and infanticide, of gender bias and of the country's dismal female literacy levels.

"Everyone can watch a Hindi film, but they cannot read a book," he rued as he presented hard facts about state-wise literacy rates.

"I'll try again to build a girl's school," Big B said as he appealed to the audience that "true equality will only emerge when the whole culture embraces the importance of girl child education".

He spoke of trafficking, prostitution, acid attacks, dowry deaths, bride burning and more, questioning: "Whose blood is this?"

He ended his lecture by reciting lines of his father's poem Khoon ki chhaap (Imprints of blood). An applause followed again.

Big B also patiently answered some questions from the audience, for whom the icing on the cake was his recital of his father's most widely known work, 'Madhushala'.

For Amitabh, the experience of the event was as exciting as it was for his fans.

"What an enlightened audience, and what an honour to be with them," he posted on Twitter after the lecture.

More: http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-everyone-can-watch-a-film-but-they-cannot-read-a-book-452735

BSNL, Pantel Tech launch Bharat Phone for Rs 1,799

State-owed telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), in partnership with Pantel Technologies, has launched an entry-level feature phone for Rs 1,799 which comes bundled with 1,200 minutes of free talk time.

Called 'Bharat Phone', the device has a 3-inch display and allows Internet browsing as well as access to email, Facebook and music/video downloads.

"It gives me immense pleasure to announce the launch of Bharat Phone from Pental Technologies meant for the common man. BSNL always endeavours to serve and work for common man," said BSNL CMD RK Upadhyay.

A large number of consumers can access Internet on their phones at affordable price through this device, he added.

Three other devices were also launched which include 5- inch and 6.5-inch smartphones for Rs 6,999 and 7,999 respectively and a tablet PC for Rs 6,999. All the devices come bundled with BSNL special tariff vouchers (STVs).

"BSNL has bundled its data STVs with devices from Pantel technologies to make the bundled offers a lucrative one for different segments of society," Upadhyay said.

All the smart devices come pre-loaded with anti-malware offerings from TrustPort.

"We are affirmative that these products - bundled with attractive Internet and voice plans from BSNL, will gain quick market acceptance and saliency," Pantel Technologies Managing Director Vijender Singh said.

More: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/bsnl-pantel-tech-launch-bharat-phone-for-rs-1799/1/201062.html

Launch: At Rs 7,999, XOLO Q500 is aimed at travellers

What's new: XOLO Q500 will be the first phone to come preloaded with an X-TransPic app, a language translation tool that translates Hindi words by just pointing the app camera at any sign board, advertisement or poster. This functionality works even when the phone is not connected to the internet. There is also a ‘point and grab’ feature that lets users conveniently input detected Hindi text to an internet search or send it in SMS without having the need to type it out.

What else is there: XOLO Q500 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with 1.2 GHz quad CPUs. The phone comes with a 4-inch WVGA display with One Glass Solution technology that combines the display, the touch sensor and the glass all in one layer making the phone thinner and improving image quality. The smartphone also features a 5 MP AF rear camera with LED flash and VGA front camera allows users to capture special moments as well as use the front camera for video conferencing. The device has 1 GB RAM and 4 GB internal memory. The Micro SD can be expanded up to 32 GB.

XOLO Q500 Price: Rs 7, 999

More: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/launch-at-rs-7999-xolo-q500-is-aimed-at-travellers/1201583

Diageo plans to empower 27,000 women in India

Diageo, the world's largest spirits maker, aims to empower two million women, including 27,000 in India, under its five-year socio-economic programme in Asia Pacific region.

"Plan W aims to reach women of all socio-economic profiles through training and skills development to empower two million women in 17 countries in Asia-Pacific over five years," the company has announced.

The plan has supported 15,000 women in Asia Pacific after it was launched last year.

Diageo announced two initiatives on Friday. The "Women in hospitality and tourism in Asia" conference, which aims to provide a platform for engagement and sharing of best practices for an audience committed to the cause of women's empowerment through learning. It would be held on March 7, 2014 in Singapore to celebrate International Women Day.

The second initiative would be the "Women's empowerment (WE) journalism awards", which aims to recognise and honour outstanding achievements in the reporting on women's issues across Asia Pacific, said Diageo, which has taken Hilton Hotel as a partner in the programmes.

"To date, we have launched 32 initiatives, in 12 markets, working with 17 partners and created a positive ripple effect that has reached 75,000 beneficiaries of these women," said Diageo's president for the Asia Pacific, Gilbert Ghostine.

In India, Diageo is working with the British Council Young Women Social Entrepreneurship Development programme, which was launched in September this year.

The training program aims to build skills and capacity of 20 master trainers to train others, starting from Delhi.

Diageo's second programme is Udygoni - a pilot project to build capacity NGOs to support women to develop micro-enterprises. It aims to build capacity of 7 NGOs in Delhi, to help women develop micro-enterprises by sharing business skills and training on starting and growing micro-enterprises.

Diageo's third programme is Samarthanam Trust, which aims to up-scale an existing all-women call centre in Bangalore, to improve productivity and reach by training beneficiaries on technical skills and providing career counselling and placement support.

The first batch of 316 women has completed training. Most of these women are visually impaired or have physical disabilities. Enrolment for the second batch is in progress. The six month programme, which began in September, aims to train 1,050 women.

Diageo's partner in Udyogini and Samarthanam is Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India.

More: http://profit.ndtv.com/news/corporates/article-diageo-plans-to-empower-27-000-women-in-india-373648

Here's Why Nano's 'Cheapest' Car Tag Hurting Tata

Widely touted as the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano has been a disappointment of sorts for the company. The car has failed to live up to its expectations with subpar sales performance. Now the company is looking for alternatives including launching the vehicle in other emerging markets, including Indonesia.

In an interview to CNBC, Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata admitted that it was a mistake to position the Tata Nano as the cheapest car.

“Maybe Nano gets launched in another country like Indonesia, where it doesn’t have the stigma and the new image comes back to India. Or maybe as a changed product that gets marketed in Europe. There’s a lot of interest in Nano outside India,” he said.

We bring you our perspective on what Tata could have missed out on:

1. The car should have been targeted at the urban middle-class and positioned as an alternative to two-wheeler. The Nano was primarily aimed at the two-wheeler segment and should have been promoted as a safe and a better option for people who could afford the 1.5 lakh car.
2. Despite its size, the Nano is one of the safer cars in India. It has cleared the European front- and side-impact crash tests. It had passed the Euro NCAP with a high safety rating. Tata should have promoted the ‘safety’ aspect of the car rather than promoting it as a cheap four-wheeler.
3. The Tata Nano should not have been built to a cost. In a bid to provide a 1.5 lakh car, the company was forced to reduce equipment level and space. If the promise had been to provide the best VFM (Value for Money) car and Tata had included more creature comforts, the product would have been more marketable.
4. In India, size and style does matter.
5. A diesel variant, priced at Rs 2.5 lakh, may be?

There’s not denying that the Tata Nano is one of India’s finest engineering feats but with the ever evolving nature of the auto industry, Tata would have done better to take a more realistic and practical approach to the Indian market.

More: http://newindianexpress.com/auto/Heres-Why-Nanos-Cheapest-Car-Tag-Hurting-Tata/2013/11/30/article1919995.ece

RBI allows banks to pay interest more frequently

Triggering a potential deposit war among banks, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday gave commercial banks the option of paying interest on savings and term deposits at intervals less than three months. The RBI move, announced in a notification, is expected to make banks woo depositors more aggressively with a little extra interest payment.

Interest calculated with shorter periodicity will yield a little higher sum in absolute term for savings account and term deposit holders. Public ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/26599650.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

HC asks Vodafone to move DRP in transfer pricing case

The Bombay High Court asked Vodafone India Services to move the Disputes Resolution Panel (DRP) of the Income Tax Department to resolve its Rs 1,300 crore transfer pricing case, leading to tax liability of Rs 400 crore, reports PTI.

The court, disposing of the petition, asked DRP to hear the case in two months, and gave Vodafone two weeks to approach it.
The case relates to FY-2010 when Vodafone India issued shares to its Mauritius-based arm for Rs 246.38 crore, which according to IT Department were grossly undervalued. Hearing Vodafone India’s petition challenging the transfer pricing by IT Department, Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha asked the telecom major to move the DRP for raising a preliminary objection as to whether the transaction comes within the purview of international taxation.

More: http://freepressjournal.in/hc-asks-vodafone-to-move-drp-in-transfer-pricing-case/

North Korea Accuses Captive U.S. Veteran of War Crimes

North Korea accused a captive American military veteran of war crimes, saying he was involved in the killing of innocent civilians during the Korean War, state news media reported on Saturday.

The veteran, Merrill E. Newman, 85, of Palo Alto, Calif., has been detained in North Korea since Oct. 26, when he was taken off a flight as he was about to leave the country. He had been visiting on a tourist visa.

The Korean Central News Agency said on Saturday that Mr. Newman had “admitted his crimes” and apologized for his actions during the war, which lasted from 1950 until 1953.

Mr. Newman, who is a retired technology executive, served as an infantryman during the war and had long wanted to revisit the country.

Mr. Newman’s son, Jeff Newman, had said that the day before his father was to leave North Korea, he had a meeting with his tour guide during which the Korean War was discussed.

The news agency said Mr. Newman had “masterminded espionage and subversive activities against the D.P.R.K., and in this course he was involved in killings of service personnel of the Korean People’s Army and innocent civilians.” The D.P.R.K. stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

KCNA also published what it said was Mr. Newman’s apology, a statement in often stilted English that described actions during the war. It also released a video in which Mr. Newman was seen reading excerpts from the statement.

‘‘During the Korean War, I have been guilty of a long list of indelible crimes against DPRK government and Korean people as advisor of the Kuwol Unit of the U.N. Korea 6th Partisan Regiment part of the Intelligence Bureau of the Far East Command,’’ it said.

Relatives had appealed to the North Korean government to release Mr. Newman, with Jeff Newman calling the situation a “misunderstanding.” He said his father has a heart condition and a bad back and was on several medications.

Mr. Newman’s relatives were not immediately available to comment on his arrest.

The detention of Mr. Newman led the United States to issue a travel warning about visiting North Korea, saying, “U.S. citizens crossing into North Korea, even accidentally, have been subject to arbitrary arrest and long-term detention.”

North Korea continues to hold Kenneth Bae, 44, a Christian missionary who was sentenced in May to 15 years of hard labor for committing “hostile acts” against the North.Mr. Bae’s mother was recently allowed to visit him in a hospital, where he was being treated after becoming ill after working at a labor camp.

Mr. Newman was detained at the end of a nine-day trip he made to North Korea with a companion from his California retirement village. The friend, Bob Hamrdla, said Mr. Newman’s talk with the tour guide the day before his planned departure had not gone well and had left him upset.

His flight was about to take off from Pyongyang to Beijing when he was pulled off the plane.

The State Department had no immediate comment on the North Korean report.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/30/world/asia/north-korea-accuses-captive-us-veteran-of-war-crimes.html?_r=0

Iraqi police find 18 men shot in head and seven decapitated

Police discovered the bodies of 18 men who had been abducted and shot in the head near Baghdad on Friday, and the decapitated corpses of seven men killed in a separate attack in northern Iraq.

The 18 bodies were found together in an orchard in Meshahda, a predominantly Sunni Muslim area around 30 km (20 miles) north of Baghdad. A senior police source blamed al Qaeda.

Such killings are on the rise in Iraq, alongside a growing insurgent campaign of bomb and gun attacks on security forces and civilians.

The victims in Meshahda were taken from their homes early on Friday by men wearing military uniforms and driving six SUVs, police sources said.

Among them were a police officer, an army official, the headmaster of a school, a Sunni tribal sheikh and his son.

"It is definitely al Qaeda because this is the area where they are operating," a senior official in Iraq's federal police said, declining to be named.

The victims may have been chosen because they were seen as supporting Iraq's Shi'ite-led government, the source added.

Abductors dressed as soldiers have often carried out such killings in the area.

AL QAEDA TARGETS

Although al Qaeda-linked militants in Iraq mainly carry out attacks on Shi'ites, they also target fellow Sunnis through kidnappings, killings and extortion.

Security officials, government employees from both sects and government-backed Sunni Sahwa militia members are all seen as prime targets for the Islamist group.

The goal of such attacks "is to weaken the relationship between the people and the security forces", Ali al-Haidari, an Iraqi security expert, told Reuters.

In the attack further north, police found the beheaded corpses of seven male laborers, two police sources said.

They had been dumped in a yard in a northern neighborhood of Tikrit, a city 150 km (90 miles) north of Baghdad. The victims, believed to be Sunnis, were all under 30 and had been working on the construction site of a stadium.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the violence, but security officials have described the area as being another stronghold of al Qaeda.

This year has been Iraq's most violent since 2006-7, when tens of thousands of people died at the height of sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shi'ites.

On Wednesday, police found the bodies of 13 people around Baghdad, the apparent victims of execution-style shootings.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/29/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE9AS07020131129

Anti-Government Protesters Continue to Rock Bangkok

Thai police tightened security in Bangkok Saturday, as anti-government protesters moved on state-run telecommunications offices in their latest bid to topple the government.

Capital city police said the protesters also plan to surround the headquarters of the national and city police, Government House and even a zoo.

More than 1,000 protesters briefly stormed into army headquarters Friday in an attempt to convince the military to join their efforts to topple the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. They left the compound peacefully after about two hours.

Army Commander General Prayuth Chan-ocha later urged protesters not to force the army to take sides.

Opposition leaders say Sunday will be their "victory day" and have called for supporters to besiege the prime minister's office. They vow to take over every ministry until Prime Minister Yingluck resigns.

She survived a no-confidence vote in parliament Thursday. The prime minister refuses to step down and has called for dialogue to resolve the situation. She vows not to use violence to stop the protests.

The protesters have taken over parts of the finance and foreign ministries and surrounded the interior ministry. On Thursday they pulled down electrical cables outside police headquarters and an adjacent hospital, forcing them to use backup power.

The street protests are the largest in Thailand since 2010, when more than 90 people were killed in a military crackdown on an opposition protest.

The latest demonstrations were triggered several weeks ago by an amnesty bill that would have allowed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra - Ms. Yingluck's brother - to return home and avoid a two-year jail term for corruption. The Senate rejected the bill, but protests have continued.

Prime Minister Yingluck was elected in 2011. Her brother was toppled by a military coup in 2006 and later convicted of corruption. He has lived in exile to escape the charges, which he says were politically motivated.

More: http://www.voanews.com/content/antigovernment-protesters-continue-to-rock-bangkok/1800750.html

US Airlines Advised to Comply with New Chinese Flight Zone

The United States has advised American commercial airlines to notify Beijing of flight plans over China's newly-declared air defense identification zone, although U.S. officials say the compliance does not indicate U.S. government acceptance of China's requirements.

The Chinese Defense Ministry declared last week that all aircraft in the zone must identify themselves and obey Chinese orders.

Japan, the United States and South Korea have refused to recognize the Chinese-declared air zone. All three have challenged the zone by sending in military aircraft. The United States, which is obligated by treaty to defend Japan and South Korea, sought to underscore its position by flying two B-52 bombers over the islands this week.

China said Friday it had sent two fighter jets to monitor U.S. and Japanese aircraft that flew into its newly declared air defense zone over the East China Sea.

China's official Xinhua news agency quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Shen Jinke Friday as saying the fighter jets identified two U.S. and 10 Japanese aircraft during their flights over disputed islands controlled by Tokyo and claimed by Beijing.

The report made no mention of any communication or other engagement between the Chinese planes and the U.S. and Japanese aircraft. Washington and Tokyo have not yet commented on the report.

Beijing said Thursday it had sent warplanes into the region on a monitoring mission, but Friday marked the first time officials have reported the monitoring of specific foreign aircraft.

The Chinese response raises the stakes in an international standoff over the the uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Chinese officials reacted calmly to the U.S. overflights by simply acknowledging them and saying the Chinese military had monitored them without taking action. But that measured response ignited criticism on Chinese micro-blogging sites and in some state media.

The festering dispute with Japan is one of several maritime controversies pitting China against Asian nations, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.

Beijing has indicated a willingness to negotiate the disputes, but so far has rejected calls for multilateral negotiations. It has sought separate talks with each country.

More: http://www.voanews.com/content/us-airlines-advised-to-comply-with-new-chinese-flight-zone/1800745.html

Farmers' suicide: HC seeks reply from banks, govt

In the matter of suicides by farmers of Bundelkhand region in UP, theAllahabad high court has asked banks and other financial authorities to inform it about the steps taken to give relief to the farmers in pursuance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.

Fixing January 6 for further hearing, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud and Justice Dilip Gupta asked the State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and the Central and state governments to file their respective replies (counter affidavit) in the matter within four weeks.

The court also asked whether any scheme to provide relief to the farmers has been prepared or not in pursuance of guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued in July 2010 and on July 1, 2013.

The plight of farmers of Bundelkhand region came to limelight through various newspaper reports. In astonishing revelations, some newspaper reports published that the farmers in Bundelkhand region are committing suicide on failure of payment of bank loan. This region had been worst affected due to frequent draught and economic backwardness.

Earlier, at one stage, the court had taken suo moto cognizance of the plight of farmers of Bundelkhand region of UP. Taking a serious note of the plight of farmers, the court had also stayed the recovery of loan from farmers in the area by its earlier order dated July 13, 2011.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/Farmers-suicide-HC-seeks-reply-from-banks-govt/articleshow/26614445.cms

Congestion, poor roads and sewerage key concerns for Malviya Nagar

The bustling market of Malviya Nagar might be doing great business but residents are cribbing about cramped spaces, sewage problems, broken roads, lack of footpaths and parking areas.

With widespread disgruntlement among residents over performance of sitting MLA and Education Minister Kiran Walia, BJP's nominee Arti Mehra appears to be in an advantageous position in the constituency. The AAP has fielded Somnath Bharti in the seat where a total of 16 candidates are in the fray.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/26622290.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Cobrapost stings Narendra Modi again, alleges 'misuse' of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter

Investigative website Cobrapost today alleged that IT companies are misusing social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to artificially boost politicians popularity and malign their rivals, with many firms claiming to be working for BJP and Narendra Modi.

The sting, Operation Blue Virus, claims to have exposed about two dozen little known IT firms across the country, which in the garb of providing reputation management services on social media, also offer fake fan following and posting defamatory content using IP addresses of others by hacking into them.

"An undercover operation by Cobrapost exposes how IT companies across the country are using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to help politicians artificially boost their popularity and malign their opponents," Cobrapost Editor Aniruddha Bahal told a press conference.

The website said it has uncovered about two dozen such firms, which are running this "shady" online reputation management business offering clients fake fan-following on Facebook and Twitter and are doing negative publicity against a political leader or a party, or a corporate house, at the behest of their opposite camp, all for money.

Bahal said Cobrapost Associate Editor Syed Masroor Hasan approached over two dozen IT companies asking them that his master (referred to as Netaji) wants to launch a campaign on social media before coming assembly elections and his rival's reputation has to be destroyed with negative publicity.

All the firms that Hasan visited offered to create a fan following (not necessarily genuine) on Facebook and Twitter, in lakhs to destroy the reputation of a political opponent of the politician, Hasan was supposedly representing, with negative publicity, Bahal claimed.

"Operation Blue Virus also reveals BJP is leading from the front in its social media campaign, if the claims of the companies exposed are to be believed. So is its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, with scores of companies working overtime for him," Cobrapost said in a release.

When asked about the reasons behind the name of only Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi figuring in conversations and not that of any other politician, Bahal said that his name cropped up in around 5-6 of the total stings that were conducted.

"Lots of people asked me if we are targeting certain people. We are not doing that. It is not a fishing expedition also. But, we believe that if somebody is doing it than we should come out with it. There is no guarantee that these firms are not working for any other party," he told reporters.

The services that these companies offered Hasan include generating fake following by creating fake profiles or buying likes from the community of netizens, create a good fan following on Twitter, by buying packages of followers and deleting negative comments.

They also offered negative publicity against "Netaji's" opponent, employing methods not necessarily ethical or legal.

They would post negative content online from countries like the US or Korea, to avoid detection of its source, use assembled computers for negative campaign and destroy them after the project is over and use proxy codes in a way that their locations change every hour, making detection difficult.

These firm also claimed to create fake profiles of Muslims to engage Muslims and change their views about Netaji and his party and offered to make the promotional videos go viral on YouTube, Bahal said.

Many of these malpractices violate various laws, such as the Information Technology Act 2000, the Representation of the People Act 1951 and the Income Tax Act 1961, and are as such punishable under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Bahal said.

More: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/cobrapost-stings-narendra-modi-again-alleges-misuse-of-facebook-youtube-twitter/1201271/0

Why is 'Saheb' silent on snooping issue, asks Gujarat Mahila Congress

Raising a question mark over Chief Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the alleged illegal surveillance of a young woman architect in the state, Gujarat Mahila Congress on Saturday sought to know as to why the entire state machinery was "misused".

"BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate always targets Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) for his silence on important issues.

But why is "Saheb" silent on such a serious surveillance issue?," Gujarat Pradesh Mahila Congress president Sonal Patel asked.

"If the woman was being harassed, why was an FIR not registered against the accused and why was the person not sent to jail. Instead of providing security to the woman, an illegal surveillance was ordered on her. We want to know as to why the entire state machinery was misused," she told reporters here.

Terming the illegal surveillance of a woman as "sexual harassment", Patel said they would gherao the state Assembly during its next session.

Two investigative news portals, Cobrapost.com and Gulail.com had claimed on November 15 that Modi's close aide Amit Shah had ordered illegal surveillance of a woman at the behest of one "Saheb".

They had released the taped conversations between Shah and IPS officer G L Singhal to support their claim, but said that its authenticity could not be confirmed.

Civil society organisations and opposition Congress had raised a furore over the alleged snooping incident and demanded a CBI inquiry or investigation by a sitting apex court judge.

The Gujarat government has set up a two-member Commission comprising retired High Court Justice Sugnya Bhatt and former IAS officer K C Kapoor to investigate the entire alleged illegal surveillance of the woman. It has asked the inquiry panel to complete the probe within three months.

Congress has termed the Commission as "Save Modi Commission".


Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/why-is-saheb-silent-on-snooping-issue-asks-congress/1/327167.html

Sexual harassment: Former SC judge AK Ganguly denies charges, TMC demands resignation

Retired Justice AK Ganguly, accused by a young woman intern of sexually harassing her, is now facing the ire of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, which has demanded his resignation. The former Supreme Court judge is the Chairman of state human rights panel.

"He has no moral right to continue as the chief of the human rights panel. What he did is a big blot to the judicial system of the country and a person who himself is an accused should not be allowed to determine about others' rights," said Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee.

TMC’s demand comes after Justice Ganguly’s name was made public on Friday by an official of the apex court. He disclosed that the panel set up by the top court had recorded statements of the intern as well as the retired judge.

A three-member panel that probed the charge of sexual harassment of a young lawyer by a Supreme Court judge, now retired, has identified Ganguly as the judge.

The Mamata Banerjee-led state government and the rights panel do not share a cordial relationship. Besides making several recommendations against it, Ganguly has been vociferous in deriding the Banerjee regime over several issues including the rising crime chart.

As soon as the name became public, Justice Ganguly, who now heads the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, expressed "shock" over the allegation and said he was "shattered".

"I am denying everything. I have told the committee that all the allegations levelled by the intern are wrong. I don't know how such allegations have been levelled against me," he told a news agency.

"I totally deny the allegations. I am a victim of situations," he told television channels.

"I am not ashamed of anything," he said in reply to a question in regard to the alleged episode which came out in public domain after the intern spoke about in a legal portal earlier this month.

He said the charges against him were totally wrong. The girl had not raised any sexual harassment issue with him, he said, adding that he had not done any physical harm to her.

The former judge said the intern worked with him though she was not officially allocated to him. She came in the place of another intern who had gone abroad after marriage. "I never put up a poster. She came on her own."

He said the girl had come to his house on a number of occasions in connection with the work.

More: http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/sexual-harassment-former-sc-judge-ak-ganguly-denies-charges-tmc-guns-for-head_893335.html

Bigg Boss 7: Kushaal-Gauahar profess love for each other on prime time, Ajaz left heartbroken

What started as a task turned out to be a serious affair when Kushaal took the opportunity to bare his heart.

Bigg Boss fans on Friday were in for a pleasant surprise when Kushaal poured his heart out to Gauahar and proposed to her on national TV.

It all started when Bigg Boss assigned a new task to Kushaal and Ajaz and asked them to woo Gauahar to win a dinner date with the lady. The two contestants went through four rounds to prove their mettle. The task was supervised by Andy.

What started as a task turned out to be a serious affair when Kushaal took the opportunity to bare his heart.

While Kushaal and Gauahar's liking for each other has never been a secret, the two had never declared their love for each other, until now.

Ajaz, who has also been quite forthcoming in expressing his fondness for the lady, scored some brownie points when he sang a song for Gauahar in the first round, but Kushaal emerged as the clear winner when he surprised all by professing his love for the lady.

While Kushaal's unexpected confession left everyone speechless, Gauahar was moved to tears when he sweetly said, “I love you and want to grow old with you."

Though Ajaz tried his best, he was quick to realise that he didn't stand a chance in front of Kushaal and wished the lovebirds a happy life together.

After the last round, Gauahar quickly thanked Ajaz for understanding her as a human being and wasted no time in professing her love for Kushaal.

Replying to Kushaal's proposal, she said, "Bigg Boss 7 will be remembered as a show where two people met and actually fell in love."

Gauahar's confession invited cheers from the housemates.

Once the task was over, the lovebirds sat together and expressed surprise at their own confessions, while a heartbroken Ajaz indulged in some drama and tried to distract himself by seeking Sofia's attention.

By and large the Bigg Boss house was full of love on Friday, but the moods here change faster than mercury.

And with Ajaz's heartbreak, some sparks are bound to fly in the coming days. We just have to wait and watch.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-bigg-boss-7-kushaal-gauahar-profess-love-for-each-other-on-prime-time-ajaz-left-heartbroken-1927143

Countdown begins for Mars Orbiter Mission to leave earth's gravity at 12.49am

The count down has begun. Tonight is the night Isro's scientists are eagerly waiting for. Not with their fingers crossed but with the confidence that they can get on the feeling that they have done their job right. It's not going to be a nail-biting time but an hour and time that they are looking for to.

India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will leave earth's gravity at 12.49 am tonight (past midnight on Novevmber 30). This would make it 00.49 hrs on Sunday morning (December 1).

"Everything is ready. The team of scientists is on the job," an Isro spokesperson said explaining the different stages that are to take place operationally.

With 'MOM' fans looking forward to the time when the spacecraft will leave the earth's gravity tonight, they are flooding Isro scientists with questions.

"While the Mars Orbiter Mission leaves the cradle of Earth, we need to rely on Sun's gravity and laws of the universe to deliver it to Mars at the right epoch," Isro scientists explained.

'Attitude and Orbit Control thrusters' and the liquid engine on board will be used for keeping the MOM on course. This is Isro's first ever experience of hurling a spacecraft beyond Earth's sphere of influence.

"This trans-Mars injection will herald a new era of interplanetary missions for India," Isro said.
Isro had explained that the two doughnut shaped blankets that shroud the Earth with highly charged plasma particles comprising of electrons, protons and nuclei are called Van Allen Radiation belts and that MOM has successfully sustained several passes of these lethal radiation belts speculated to have been formed by furious solar winds and harmful cosmic rays. Scientists had explained that these belts are a part of Earth's inner magnetosphere and stretch from an altitude of 1000 km to 60,000 km above Earth. They had also said prolonged exposure to these belts poses a significant threat to various sensitive components of a spacecraft. ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft is designed with sufficient safeguards against such fatal particles.

The question now is: Does Mars also has similar radiation belt(s)? Responding to the query by Arun K Desai, Isro replied that scientists think that Mars had a global magnetic field like that of Earth, which disappeared billions of years ago. Without the protection of this magnetic field, most of the water and atmosphere escaped from Mars. In the absence of Magnetic field, radiation belts also won't sustain.

To another question by Madhuri J Madhuri, scientists said MOM has to survive the radiation belt while moving at the natural velocity of the orbit. MOM fires its liquid engine only for making orbit changes.

It has also been clarified to MOM fans that the spacecraft does not take a longer time to reach Mars because of the extra burn as a result of the fifth orbit raising manoeuvre .

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Countdown-begins-for-Mars-Orbiter-Mission-to-leave-earths-gravity-at-12-49am/articleshow/26615267.cms

Congress should be removed from the political map: Narendra Modi

Holding Congress responsible of making the life of common man painful, Narendra Modi on Friday asked people to erase that party from the political map of the country.

"...if the country has to be kept united, Congress should be removed from the political map. Congress' departure will be the real tribute to Mahatama Gandhi," Modi said.

Accusing Congress of betraying the downtrodden sections, he challenged its claims of working for the welfare of the poor and said, "Congress leaders just humiliate the poor and do nothing for them...

"They enjoy talking about the poor, but do not take interest in their uplift," he said at BJP rallies in Sumerpur (Pali), Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, the home turf of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Friday was the last day of campaigning for the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly. Polling will be held on December 1 in 199 constituencies as voting in Churu has been postponed to December 13 following death of BSP candidate.

In Jaisalmer, Modi said, "Congress has spread the poison of casteism and communalism....had Congress done politics of development, youth of the country would not have to face unemployment."

Claiming a wave in BJP's favour, Modi said Congress will bite the dust and asked people to vote BJP to rid the country of Congress.

In Sumerpur (Pali), Modi accused Congress of working on divide and rule policy by creating rift among states over the issue of water distribution.

"There are confrontations among states over water sharing issue and this is all because of the Centre. Congress makes brothers, castes, communities and states fight against each other because it follows divide and rule policy," he said.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-congress-should-be-removed-from-the-political-map-narendra-modi-1926972

Scottish police helicopter pub crash causes numerous casualties

A police helicopter smashed through the roof of a crowded pub in the Scottish city of Glasgow, causing numerous casualties including probable deaths and leaving several people trapped in the rubble, officials said Saturday. Emergency services said they had been in contact with an unknown

number of people inside the wreckage of the Clutha Pub, where more than 100 revellers had been listening to a band before the freak accident on Friday night.

Witnesses said they saw the chopper dropping like a stone from the sky, while people inside the pub heard a whooshing sound before the roof caved in and the air filled with dust and screams.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond confirmed that a police helicopter had been involved in the "tragic accident", adding: "Given an incident of this scale we must all prepare ourselves for the likelihood of fatalities."

Police officers and firefighters inspect the damage of a helicopter crash, at a pub in Glasgow. AP Photo

Police said there were two police officers and a civilian pilot on board the Eurocopter EC135 helicopter but did not give details of their condition, and said it was too early to say what caused the crash.

Fire brigade officer Lewis Ramsay told reporters that "fire crews have been in contact with people trapped within Clutha bar and have also rescued numerous casualties".

There were "multiple types of injuries" among those who had been rescued, he said.

Ramsay said that 125 firefighters were "working to make sure the building is safe to get people out" and that the building was "very unsafe".

An AFP photographer at the scene said the helicopter appeared to have smashed through the top of the single-storey pub on the banks of the River Clyde, with a rotor blade sticking out of the roof.

Dozens of firefighters and paramedics were swarming around the scene, with emergency services also apparently securing the building with cables and a cherry-picker.

Police officer Rose Fitzgerald said it was too early to say why the helicopter crashed.

"I can confirm there are a number of casualties but it is too early at this stage to provide further details. We will provide further updates at the appropriate time," she said.

Witnesses told of confusion, terror and then bravery after the accident.

Grace MacLean, who was inside the pub at the time of the crash, told BBC News that the revellers were listening to a Ska band at the time.

"We were all just having a nice time and then there was like a 'whoosh' noise -- there was no bang, there was no explosion," she said.

"And then there was some smoke, what seemed like smoke. The band were laughing and we were all joking that the band had made the roof come down.

"They carried on playing and then it started to come down more and someone started screaming and then the whole pub just filled with dust. You couldn't see anything, you couldn't breathe."

The band, Esperanza, later said on their Facebook page that they were all well.

Jim Murphy, a Labour party member of parliament and spokesman for international development, told the BBC he was driving through the area shortly after the incident.

"I jumped out and tried to help. There were people with injuries. Bad gashes to the head. Some were unconscious. I don't know how many," he said.

He said he and other people formed a human chain to get survivors out of the pub.

"The helicopter was inside the pub. It's a mess. I could only get a yard or two inside. I helped carry people out."

Gordon Smart, editor of the the Scottish edition of Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper, said he saw the helicopter coming down.

"It was just such a surreal moment. It looked like it was dropping from a great height at a great speed. I'm about 80 percent sure that it was a police helicopter," he told Sky News.

"There was no fireball and I did not hear an explosion. It fell like a stone. The engine seemed to be spluttering."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "My thoughts are with everyone affected by the helicopter crash in Glasgow - and the emergency services working tonight."

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/scottish-police-helicopter-pub-crash-causes-numerous-casualties/article1-1157387.aspx

Tehelka case LIVE: Order on Tarun Tejpal's bail plea at 4:30 pm

11:53 am: 'CCTV footage confirms sexual assault'

In Goa court, Public Prosecutor Saresh Lotlikar argues that CCTV footage confirms sexual assault charge against Tejpal to a certain extent.

11:48 am: Did we insert a demon into Tarun Tejpal, asks Balbir Punj

Bharatiya Janata Party vice president Balbir Punj hits out at social activist Medha Patekar, asking did BJP insert a demon into Tarun Tejpal to sexually harass a young girl. On Friday, Patkar had accused the BJP of settling scores with Tejpal for the magazine's earlier sting operations against the party.

11:40 am: Prosecution denies embellishments

All versions of journalist's statement are similar, no embellishments of any sort, says prosecution. The defence counsel had yesterday accused the victim of fabricating the complaint. “Journalists can write well with embellishments,” the defence had argued.

Arguing that while Tejpal is changing colours like a chameleon, the prosecution says victim's versions are consistent. "The accused has been changing colours like a chameleon through different statements," he says, adding the victim has been consistent in her statements. If the lady were to react during the fest, there could have been possible commotion, says the public prosecutor. The lady journalist is the sole bread-winner of the family, notes the prosecutor. Prosecution also gives Goa court an assessment of CCTV footage, on paper.

Tejpal's lawyer's arguments are such 'that he thought the trial had started', says public prosecutor. Calling it a prima facie case, prosecution tells court that the Goa Police wants Tejpal to be arrested for custodial interrogation.

11:36 am: Why was Tejpal running away from law, asks Kirti Azad

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former cricketer Kirti Azad claimed that Tehelka magazine founder editor Tarun Tejpal was looking for ways to evade the law in connection with his role in a sexual harassment and assault case filed against him earlier this month, and asked why he was doing so.

"The first thing is that why was Tarun Tejpal running away. There is something called culture which we still abide by and maintain in India. And due to this, girls generally do not come out with these kind of complaints. And, if she (the victim) did it, is very good and much appreciated," said Azad.

11:30 am: Prosecution begins arguments

Tarun Tejpal's lawyer finishes arguments. Prosecution begins arguments.

11:29 am: Delhi Police politically prosecuting me, says Jolly

A day after giving a clarification on his black paint protest outside the residence of former Tehelka managing editor Shoma Chaudhury, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vijay Jolly said that police in Delhi were politically prosecuting and persecuting him at the behest of the ruling Congress Party.

"They (Delhi Police) are using the tactics of pressurising me. I believe that it is a case of political prosecution by Delhi Police under instructions from the Congress. It is a conspiracy to keep me away from the election (December 4 state Assembly polls). I totally condemn this," said Jolly.

10:54 am: Tejpal ready to stay in Goa, says lawyer

Tarun Tejpal is ready to stay in Goa or wherever the court wants, or seize passport if needed, says lawyer. The editor's lawyers plead for extension of interim protection, say arrest should be the last option. "There should not be any fear that he (Tejpal) will tamper with witnesses or evidence," the defence lawyer says.

10:28 am: Tejpal reaches Goa court

After visiting the Crime Branch office, Tarun Tejpal reaches Goa court which is hearing his anticipatory bail plea.

10:20 am: 14-day custody of Tejpal sought

Prosecution seeks 14-day custody of Tarun Tejpal.

10:12 am: Tejpal's anticipatory bail hearing resumes

Tarun Tejpal's anticipatory bail hearing resumes. His wife and sister are also present in court.

10:08 am: Tarun Tejpal's lawyers arrive in court

Tarun Tejpal's lawyers arrive in Goa court ahead of his bail hearing.

10:00 am: Crime branch team in Goa court

The Crime Branch team reaches Goa Sessions Court before the hearing begins.

9:33 am: High security outside Goa court

Security has been tightened outside the North Goa District and Sessions court ahead of bail plea hearing of Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal, who faces allegations of sexual assault.

9:28 am: Tejpal leaves Crime Branch office

Tarun Tejpal leaves Goa Crime Branch office. Police sources said Tejpal was not quizzed and stayed for 10 minutes. Outside the office, Tejpal tells reporters that he would do whatever his lawyers deem fit. He further vowed to cooperate in investigation. The magazine editor adds that he does not need to make an appearance in the court. "I just need to join the crime branch investigation, which I have done," says Tejpal.

9:15 am: Tejpal reaches Goa Crime Branch office

Tarun Tejpal reaches Goa Crime Branch office. He is accompanied by three people, which included his brother Minty Tejpal and members of his legal team.

9:00 am: Crime Branch personnel outside Goa hotel

A team of Crime Branch is outside the hotel where Tarun Tejpal is staying with his family.

7:40 am: Tejpal's interim bail ends at 10 am

Accused of rape and of dodging the Goa Police, Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal's interim bail ends at 10 am on Saturday.

Tejpal arrived in Panaji on Friday, which saw rapid developments across New Delhi and Goa, packed with action, suspense and legal battles.

An elusive Tejpal kept both the media and police in Goa and Delhi guessing for most of the Friday morning before surfacing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport around noon to board an IndiGo airline flight.

A pale-looking Tejpal, wearing a black shirt and his trademark pony tail, was accompanied by his wife Geetan, sister Neena, brother Minty and others. He made a short but agitated statement to the media.

"I got the summons yesterday. I said I am going to Goa. And I am going to Goa," Tejpal had said, before boarding at 2.30 pm a flight also ferrying media crew and Goa Police officials.

When he landed in Goa, it was to a chorus of protests orchestrated by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists who raised slogans against the veteran journalist known for sting operations.

He was escorted out of the airport through a less conspicuous exit. Tejpal was taken to the Crime Branch office where he was questioned by the investigating officer, Inspector Sunita Sawant.

His legal team was present all through the session.

About 35 km away in Panaji, while granting interim bail to Tejpal, North Goa District and Sessions Judge Anuja Prabhudessai heard the anticipatory bail plea for nearly an hour and a half, listening to arguments put forth by the prosecution and defense lawyers.

While the prosecution pressed for custodial interrogation, the defence raised a spectrum of points ranging from Tejpal's alleged political victimisation to accusing the victim of fabricating the rape case, even calling the new anti-rape law "draconian".

During the proceedings, the judge blasted the defence counsel for reading out the name of the victim from the FIR.

7:30 am: BJP's Vijay Jolly to appear before police

The Delhi Police on Friday interrogated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Jolly and asked him to again appear on Saturday to record his statement for defacing the name plate of Tehelka's former managing editor Shoma Chaudhury's residence.

Replying to a question if Jolly will be arrested, a police officer said: "We have registered a case against him and if needed, he will be arrested."

A case under the IPC and the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act was registered against Jolly at the police station on Thursday evening.

Officials said policemen have been deployed outside Chaudhury's house and one has been deputed for her security.

Around 50 BJP members, led by Jolly, reached Chaudhury's house in Saket on Thursday and raised slogans against her. Jolly painted the name plate black and also wrote a word with black paint. He also poured black paint outside Chaudhary's house.

More: http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/tehelka-case-live-tarun-tejpal-changing-colours-like-a-chameleon_893326.html

Wasim Akram to get award for long fight against diabetes in Melbourne

Akram said that he had fought against diabetes because of his discipline and hard work and the young leader's award would be a just reward for his discipline.

Legendary paceman Wasim Akram is set to receive the first-ever young leader's award in sports for his fight against diabetes in a congress in Melbourne.

According to The Express Tribune, the 47-year-old, renowned for his left-arm pace bowling, has been fighting against the disease since 1997.

Akram said that he had fought against diabetes because of his discipline and hard work and the young leader's award would be a just reward for his discipline.

Wasim will get the award during the World Diabetes Congress to be held in Melbourne, Australia from December 2-6, the report said.

The International Diabetic Foundation will be organising the congress, the report added.

Wasim, who took 414 Tests and 502 one-day wickets, will also deliver a lecture to help create awareness on diabetes, according to the report.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-wasim-akram-to-get-award-for-long-fight-against-diabetes-in-melbourne-1926621

Hope still for 'dead' Comet Ison

Comet Ison, or some part of it, may have survived its encounter with the Sun, say scientists.

The giant ball of ice and dust was initially declared dead when it failed to re-emerge from behind the star with the expected brightness.

All that could be seen was a dull smudge in space telescope images - its nucleus and tail assumed destroyed.

But recent pictures have indicated a brightening of what may be a small fragment of the comet.

Astronomers admit to being surprised and delighted, but now caution that anything could happen in the coming hours and days.

This remnant of Ison could continue to brighten, or it could simply fizzle out altogether.

"We've been following this comet for a year now and all the way it has been surprising us and confusing us," said astrophysicist Karl Battams, who operates the US space agency-funded Sungrazing Comets Project.

"It's just typical that right at the end, when we said, 'yes, it has faded out, it's died, we've lost it in the Sun', that a couple of hours later it should pop right back up again," he told BBC News.

The European Space Agency, too, which had been among the first organisations to call the death of Ison, has had to re-assess the situation. A small part of the nucleus may be intact, its experts say.

Vaporised rapidly

How much of the once 2km-wide hunk of dirty ice could have survived is impossible to say.

Passing just 1.2 million km above the surface of the Sun would have severely disrupted Ison. Its ices would have vaporized rapidly in temperatures over 2,000C. And the immense gravity of the star would also have pulled and squeezed on the object as it tumbled end over end.

Karl Battams said: "We would like people to give us a couple of days, just to look at more images as they come from the spacecraft, and that will allow us to assess the brightness of the object that we're seeing now, and how that brightness changes.

"That will give us an idea of maybe what the object is composed of and what it might do in the coming days and weeks."

Whatever happens next, comets are going to be a big feature in the news over the next year.

In 11 months' time, Comet Siding Spring will breeze past Mars at a distance of little more than 100,000km. And then in November 2014, the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission will attempt to place a probe on the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25143861

Kareena Kapoor spills Ranbir and Katrina's secret

Kareena Kapoor may have inadvertently ruined the good work her cousin Ranbir and his rumoured girlfriend Katrina Kaif have put in keeping their relationship under wraps. After being outed by a sharp-eyed photographer while on holiday in Spain a few months ago, Ranbir and Kat have now been undone by someone closer home.

Kareena, who is Ranbir's first cousin, was reportedly overheard joking with her husband Saif about practicing dance steps to Chikni Chameli and Sheila Ki Jawaani for Ranbir and Katrina's sangeetnight.

Oopsie?

Kareena and Ranbir have been frequently spotted out together recently, often with Katrina. Their friendship marks a thaw in Kapoor relations, breaking the ice between Kareena's mother Babita and Ranbir's mother Neetu. The former actresses have reportedly long been daggers drawn, and did not attend the weddings of each other's elder daughters Karisma and Riddhima.

Despite the frost between their wives, brothers Randhir and Rishi Kapoor have always been friends and publicly so. That cordiality is now reflected between their children, Bebo and Ranbir.

However, Ranbir might just have something to say about Kareena's big mouth. Just joking!

More: http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/kareena-kapoor-spills-ranbir-and-katrina-s-secret-452413

'Kal Ho Naa Ho' completes a decade, film's team gets nostalgic

As romantic-drama Kal Ho Naa Ho turned 10 today, the film's starcast including Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and producer Karan Johar recalled memories of filming the movie.

Johar took to twitter to express his "indelible memories" by quoting the 2003 released film's title track.

"Kal Ho Naa Hocompletes a decade... Har pal yaha Jee bhar jeeyo, jo hai sama, Kal ho naa ho... Indelible memories...," Johar posted.

Shah Rukh thanked his co-stars Saif Ali Khan and Preity.

"10 yrs of Kal Ho Naa Ho. Thanks Hiroo, Nikhil Karan Preity, Saif and the whole team of KHNH. And Yash Johar (Tom uncle)... You were most special. Miss you," Shah Rukh wrote.

For Preity, the film is very close to her heart.

"There a good films, bad films and then there are films that are magical and Kal Ho Na Ho is one of them. It made me laugh, cry and touched my heart," she posted.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-kal-ho-naa-ho-completes-a-decade-film-s-team-gets-nostalgic-1926317

Lodha buys Canada's London embassy building for Rs. 3300 crore

Canada has sold a large embassy building in London's luxury Mayfair district to Indian developer Lodha Dwellers Pvt Ltd for $530 million (or around Rs. 3,300 crore at 62 rupee per US dollar), the Canadian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Canada wanted to dispose of the large six-storey building in Grosvenor Square because it plans to consolidate all diplomatic activities in another official Canadian property on Trafalgar Square. Canada was advised by Savills PLC.

Foreign embassies are abandoning London's premier addresses such as Mayfair and Kensington as the world of diplomacy changes in the face of security risks and new technology.

The sale also reflects the Conservative government's desire to put the Canadian foreign service on a more business-oriented footing, in part by disposing of its more opulent buildings.

Canada disposed of its mansion-like residence in Dublin in 2008 and is trying to sell the ambassador's house in Rome.

The government on Wednesday said it wanted the foreign service to focus on what Ottawa called "economic diplomacy" - boosting business for Canada, particularly in emerging markets such as China, South Africa and Brazil.

More: http://profit.ndtv.com/news/corporates/article-lodha-buys-canadas-london-embassy-building-for-rs-3300-crore-373543

85 people injured in Hong Kong high-speed ferry accident

The night-time crash, which took place on a popular tourist route, comes at a time of heightened public concern over the safety of maritime transport in Hong Kong's harbour, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Last month, the city marked the one-year anniversary of a ferry collision that claimed 39 lives, Hong Kong's worst maritime disaster for over 40 years.

In the latest incident, the double-deck hydrofoil “Madeira”, carrying 105 passengers and 10 crew, “collided with an unidentifiable object” around 1.15am local time today near one of Hong Kong's small outlying islands, boat operator TurboJet said.

Passengers described being hurled out of their seats by the force of the collision.

“There was suddenly a loud bang. The ferry was thrown upwards. Then many passengers were thrown out from their seats,” a passenger identified as Wong was quoted as saying by Hong Kong's Apple Daily.

Multiple passengers were stretchered into ambulances by emergency services staff, some wrapped in neck braces and breathing through oxygen masks. The walking wounded limped away in bandages after treatment at the scene.

One passenger told Hong Kong television that the crash felt like a heavy collision.

“Big, very big, I could hear the sound 'bang',” he said.

Three fireboats were scrambled to search the scene, but failed to find any object in the water, fire officials said.

Of those hospitalised, three were still being treated for serious injuries.

“As of 6am this morning we know 85 people were injured, three of whom are in a serious condition,” a Hong Kong government spokeswoman said.

She added that 25 men and 21 women were now in a stable or satisfactory condition and that health officials were still in the process of compiling the condition of the other 36 people injured in the crash.

Japan's foreign ministry said three Japanese nationals were hurt in the ferry accident, one of whom sustained head injuries and was still in hospital.

City authorities were unable to give further information on the nationalities of the injured, but the route between Hong Kong and the gambling haven of Macau is popular with both international and domestic tourists - particularly from the Chinese mainland.

Broadcaster RTHK quoted TurboJet spokesman, Wong Man-chung, as saying that the high number of injured was due to passengers not wearing their seatbelts.

Wong added that he was sure the boat had not been speeding and had sustained no major damage.

After the accident, the vessel returned to Hong Kong Island's downtown Sheung Wan terminal where a dozen ambulances were waiting to tend to the injured, a government spokesman said.

The safety of Hong Kong's waters was called into question after the fatal October 1, 2012 crash which saw the Lamma IV launch - carrying more than 120 people - collide with the high-speed Sea Smooth ferry near Lamma Island.

The launch was carrying employees of the Hong Kong Electric utility and their family members and friends, on a pleasure cruise to watch a fireworks display marking China's national day.

A subsequent inquiry found a “litany of errors” contributed to the accident.

It described how the bow of the Sea Smooth crashed into the main passenger cabin on the Lamma IV, crushing people as water rushed in. The launch partially sank within two minutes.

The two captains have each been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and are awaiting trial.

- See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/people-injured-in-hong-kong-highspeed-ferry-accident/story-e6frg6so-1226771281916#sthash.c4OSyFSO.dpuf

IAEA needs more money to help implement Iran nuclear deal

The UN atomic watchdog will probably need more money to verify the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, its chief said on Thursday, and it would take some time to prepare for the task.

Yukiya Amano also said Iran has invited the agency to visit the Arak heavy-water production plant on December 8, the first concrete step under a new cooperation pact aimed at clarifying concerns about the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.

Both agreements indicate how Iran is acting quickly to address fears about its nuclear program after the election in June of a relative moderate, Hassan Rouhani, as new president on a platform to smooth its troubled relations with the world.

The International Atomic Energy Agency can mobilize expertise and staff from within the organization for an increased workload in checking whether Iran is complying with the interim accord with the major powers to curb its nuclear program, IAEA Director General Amano told a news conference.

But its budget is very tight, he added: "Naturally this requires a significant amount of money and manpower ... I don't think we can cover everything by our own budget."

The Arak facility produces heavy water intended for use in a nearby research reactor that is under construction. The West is concerned that the reactor, which Iran has said could start up next year, could yield plutonium as fuel for atomic bombs once operational. Iran says it will make medical isotopes only.

As part of its agreement with the powers, Iran is to halt installation work at the reactor and stop making fuel for it.

The IAEA will need to expand monitoring of Iran's uranium enrichment plants and other sites under the November 24 breakthrough deal reached after marathon talks between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain.

The IAEA was studying how to put into practice the agreement with respect to its inspectors' role in checking compliance and this would take "some time," Amano said, adding it was a complicated task that needed proper preparations.

"This (analysis) will include the implications for funding and staffing," he separately told the IAEA's 35-nation board.

More: http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/iaea-needs-more-money-to-help-implement-iran-nuclear-deal_893124.html

PM has betrayed the people: Hazare

Social crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of telling lies and betraying him as well as the people of the country by giving false promises regarding passing of the Lokpal bill, bringing all government officials under the Lokpal ambit, citizens' charter and setting up a Lokayukta in each state.

"I never imagined that for the sake of power you will speak a lie," Hazare said in a letter sent to Singh on Thursday. The letter stated that he would go on an indefinite fast at the Yadavbaba temple in Ralegan Siddhi from December 10.

Hazare recalled several promises made by the Prime Minister after he started an indefinite fast at Ramlila ground in New Delhi in 2011 and the subsequent letters reiterating the government's commitment to passing the Lokpal bill. However, matters have not progressed in the last two years, he rued. He said that whenever he raised the Lokpal issue, the Prime Minister gave him false assurances.

"Today, I feel that you made false promises to betray me and the people of India, as you just wanted to silence me and the people who participated in the Janlokpal movement. I always considered you a noble man and had a very good image. Many times I have publicly said that Prime Minister is a good man, but I never imagined that for the sake of power you will ever speak a lie," Hazare said in his letter. Had I known that Singh was betraying the people of the country I would never have ended the fast, he added.

Referring to the letters, Singh sent him on August 23 and August 27, 2011, Hazare said: "Now I assume that you won't remember what you had written in letters dated August 23 and 27. You must have forgotten them, therefore I am sending copies of your letters so that you can recall it. After reading them you will definitely feel that you have made a mistake. The lust for power is such that it makes one unconscious," Hazare said, adding, "From your office, I received many letters written by V Narayanasamy. Every time, he praised you and gave me assurances on your behalf. I am also attaching copy of one such letter dated 3/09/2013."

Hazare said he was worried about the future of the country if Singh's government includes people who bluntly lie. He pointed that the country will never prosper if it was ruled by liars. "I am surprised to see how come so many liars have come together in your government who level false allegations against me also," he said.

Hazare said Singh was doing injustice to the people by not bringing the Lokpal bill and this has forced him to go on an indefinite fast a day prior to the beginning of the winter session in Parliament. Hazare said the venue has been changed from Ramlila ground to Yadavbaba temple at Ralegan Siddhi due to health reasons.

'Verbal violence'

Anna Hazare acknowledged in his letter that he has committed 'verbal violence'. "In my life I have always followed the principle of non-violence and never committed any violence. But in this letter, I have made verbal violence. I know it but the government is responsible. Any such verbal violence which is for the benefit of society is not a sin," Hazare said in the letter.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/PM-has-betrayed-the-people-Hazare/articleshow/26544516.cms

Gujarat Confidential: Party platform

Party platform

A birthday party in the state gave Congress leaders an opportunity to come down heavily on Chief Minister Narendra Modi. On November 26, senior Congress leader and Union Minister of State Bharatsinh Solanki celebrated his 61st birthday in Anand in the presence of Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela and workers, among others. The occasion provided a good platform to Solanki and Vaghela to launch a tirade against Modi. They targeted the CM and the BJP on a range of issues, like allegedly selling off the government land to industrial houses, illegal snooping on a young woman, construction of Statue of Unity, 2002 riots, fake encounters and Modi’s alleged attempts to hijack and claim the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Solanki and Vaghela even garlanded a statue of Patel in Anand on the occasion. The local Congress workers also did not miss a chance: they claimed to have enrolled 1,000 youths in the Congress party and gave the enrolment forms as a birthday gift to Solanki.

Critically, yours

At the first “User’s Meet and Awareness Programme”, organised by Ahmedabad’s Meteorological Department recently, participants from various state organisations shared their suggestions and experiences. However, one of the participants left the panel tongue-tied when he stated that the weather forecast of a 90-year-old man, based on astrology, was more accurate and reliable than the scientific forecast by the Met Department. The audience guffawed at the remark and also nodded in agreement, which left the panel even more embarrassed. Taking control of the situation, the regional director of Met Department, Jayanta Sarkar, sportingly responded, “We accept criticism gracefully.”

Gujarati cut

The makers of an upcoming Gujarati film have announced a special press meet to launch their film. The meet will be addressed solely by the director of the film, a popular city-based radio jockey-turned filmmaker. He is credited with bringing back the comedy genre in the Gujarati film industry. He tasted success with his very first film, that explored the eternal Gujarati dream of going to the US. With the buzz around his second film, it surely looks like the director has a lot riding on his upcoming production. Interestingly, Gujarati film budgets recently crossed the “one crore club”. Gujarati cinema is the flavour of the season with The Good Road having made it to Oscars as India’s official entry. It will be interesting to see if the latest Gujarati flick can be a game-changer for the industry.

Shale Shock
The “dedication ceremony” of the country’s first shale gas-exploratory well in Jambusar in South Gujarat was surprisingly a low-key affair. The event, presided over by none other than Union Petroleum minister M Veerappa Moily and attended by a select group of very senior ONGC officials, saw Moily give a speech on “economic independence” through shale gas discoveries to an audience that comprised employees from Ankleshwar asset of the ONGC. The locals were kept away from this event of national importance. Moily himself acknowledged the “humbleness” of the event that was meant to kickstart the search of a huge quantum of oil & gas trapped in shale formations across the country that could meet the country’s energy demand for 26 long years. Not too keen to grab headlines, Moily even dismissed a question posed by a mediaperson on “snooping scandal”, involving former Gujarat Home Minister. “No political questions please,” he quipped.

SU ethics panel gets DCGI registration

RAJKOT: The ethics committee, formed by Saurashtra University for overseeing clinical research, has been granted registration by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), New Delhi, making it the only committee of its kind set up by an educational institute in the state. The committee has been formed by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DoPS) of SU. It had applied with the DCGI in February, seeking registration for conducting clinical research to test the efficacy and safety of modified drugs. The DCGI, which controls drug standards in the country, granted application of DoPS last week and issued registration to the committee for three years. While the clinical trial is conducted to test the efficacy and effects of a newly discovered drug molecule, clinical research is required to test the effectiveness of change in formulation of the drug, like turning a suspension into tablet.

Around 600 ceramic making units shut down indefinitely

RAJKOT: Wheels of around 600 manufacturing units of ceramic products in Morbi came to a grinding halt as the industry associations started their indefinite shut-down in protest against “high” gas prices and taxes.

Even as GSPC Gas, a state-owned firm that supplies piped natural gas to ceramic industry in Morbi reduced gas prices by Rs 2 per standard cubic metre, the industry associations went ahead with their decision to enforce a shut-down from the wee hours of Thursday, terming the reduction “too little”.

The 412 large units and around 200 small units remained shut throughout the day with around 2 lakh workers finding themselves jobless. Members of the four industry associations held a meeting late in the evening and decided to continue their strike until the government fulfils their demands. “Members of the associations have decided to continue with the strike until their five-point demand is met. They have decided that dispatch of ceramic products will also be discontinued from December 3 onwards,” Hitesh Patel, a spokesperson for the associations said.

The associations are demanding PNG at Rs 25 per SCM. They are also seeking permission to operate coal gasification plants that meet pollution norms. Their third demand is that VAT should be reduced to five per cent instead of the current rate of 15 per cent. They are also demanding the excise duty to be brought down from 12.36 per cent to 6 per cent to bring ceramic products at par with other construction material. They are also demanding re-imposition of 150 per cent anti-dumping duty on ceramic products imported from China, which the Centre had abolished six months ago.

HC serves notice to GPCB

AHMEDABAD: The HC on Thursday issued notice to Gujarat Pollution Control Board, while acting on a PIL that sought contempt of court proceedings against it for not dismantling ceramic industry units in Morbi-Wankaner region of Saurashtra that are allegedly running on prohibited coal-based gasifiers despite an HC order last month.

More: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/gujarat-confidential-party-platform/1201037/0