Odisha, Boosting its air defence shield and revalidating operational efficacy, India today test fired successfully its indigenously-developed surface-to- air Akash missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, about 15 km from here. "The user-specific trial, which formed part of the country's routine air defence exercises, was successful," said a Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) official associated with the Akash missile project. To revalidate the technology and operational efficacy of the missile, defence forces conducted the trial with logistic support provided by the ITR, the official said. The Akash weapon system was inducted into the armed forces in 2008. The missile, which has a strike range of 25 km with a warhead of 60 kgs, was test fired from a mobile launcher from launch complex-III of the ITR at about 1108 hours, defence sources said. "During the trial, the missile was aimed at intercepting a floating object supported by a pilotless target aircraft, flown from launch complex-II, at a definite altitude over the sea," the sources said. Akash, an anti-aircraft defence system, can simultaneously engage several targets with Rajendra radar ...
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Hyderabad, The CBI Thursday arrested Andhra Pradesh excise minister Mopidevi Venkataramna in an illegal assets case linked to YSR Congress leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. Earlier, Minister for excise Mopidevi Venkatramna was questioned by CBI officials for over six hours at Dilkusha Guest House, the camp office of the investigating agency. The minister was questioned about the land allotments made to Vanpic company for a port project when he was minister for infrastructure and investment in the cabinet of Jaganmohan Reddy's father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. ...
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New Delhi, Tracking details of foreigners visiting India on valid travel documents, will become easier from Friday with the government inaugurating the central processing office of the Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) system which has, so far, connected as many as 60 Indian Missions and many immigration offices. Besides helping foreigners in getting visa quickly and sharing information across the concerned Indian agencies about foreign travelers, the IVFRT will also help in "software aided passenger profiling for identifying risky travelers at Missions, Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) and FRROs, and generation of automated alerts about over-stay of foreigners beyond their Visa period". The system envisages facilitation services to the travelers including on-line application forms, 24X7 on-line channel, phone support for grievance redressal and e-mail/SMS support for dissemination of information, application status and feedback. Union home minister P Chidambaram will inaugurate the central office of the IVFRT here at Delhi Information Technology Park, Shashtri Park on Friday. The new system has already been implemented and operationalised ...
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Bangalore, Microsoft today announced an innovative programme to aid ten early stage start ups by hosting them on Windows Azure and help their businesses that take advantage of the Cloud. Announcing the programme, Microsoft India (R&D) Managing Directoir Amit Chatterjee said Microsoft will neither have any stake or share IP with these ten start ups who would be provided technical and business guidance besides mentoring and connecting them with prospective investors and venture capitalists. He said these start ups who would be selected through a rigorous screening process would also have the benefit of working out of Microsoft R and D office here for four months, using resources of Microsoft's BizSpark programme and USD 60,000 in Azure credit. He said they would leverage the unlimited possibilities enabled by an open and flexible cloud platform, the metro user interface on Windows 8 and Windows phne, besides other technical inputs of Microsoft. He said over the next three years Indian tech smart entrepreneurs have a major play in the 'connected network and continued services' arena as business will flourish in the cloud environment. The start ups could be from ...
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Baghdad, Iran traded proposals with six world powers, including the US, on Wednesday in a new round of talks aimed at persuading it to curb its nuclear programme and ease concerns it wants to make atomic weapons. But divisions over sanctions complicated the discussions. The meetings opened with the so-called 5+1 group - the permanent UN Security Council members, the US, Russia, China, Britain and France, plus Germany - putting forward a proposal apparently aimed at reining in Iran's highest-level uranium enrichment. Many leaders fear the uranium, enriched to 20%, could be quickly turned into warhead-grade material . Other details of the plan were not immediately disclosed. Hours later, Iran made its move by offering a counterproposal that includes what one of its negotiating team member called "nuclear and non-nuclear issues". The official said he would not discuss details of the plan, but added that it would be discussed privately with diplomats from the EU and China, an Iranian ally. ...
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Mumbai, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari today told the visiting Pakistani journalist delegation that if the BJP-led NDA came to power in the next general elections, they would continue with the policies adopted by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee while dealing with Pakistan. 'We will continue the same policies which were in use from 1998 till 2004 but were backtracked by the UPA in last eight years,' Mr Bhandari told the delegation of journalists during an interaction. The 17-strong media delegation from Pakistan, made up of representatives of various main line newspaper and TV channels inlcuding Dawn, Jung, ARY TV and Geo TV, are visiting Mumbai and Pune between May 21 and 27. The visit by the Pakistan delegation reciprocates a visit of 23 Mumbai Press Club members to Karachi in November, last year. ...
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New Delhi, The government on Wednesday claimed that political parties were in the know of the move to refer the Lokpal bill to a select committee and that leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley was consulted on its composition. "The committee was drawn up after consultation," parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal said. The government claimed that there might have been a gap in communication within BJP as party MPs protested the move while Jaitley sat without intervening. Jaitley contested the government's suggestion that he was on board, saying that he had only been informed about the move to refer the bill to a select committee. "I was not consulted, the ministers merely told me about the government's plan," he said. He also said that when Bansal met him, he had told the minister that he intended to "raise objections with relation to the incompetent amendment to refer the bill to a select committee". He pointed out that in the House, he had asked the government to be upfront about its intent rather than getting a Samajwadi Party MP to move the amendment. Speaking to the media, Bansal said all parties were consulted over the composition of the ...
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New Delhi, Reacting to the steep petrol price hike, the main opposition party BJP demanded an immediate rollback of what it described as a cruel joke on the people. Spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the hike was "atrocious and unbelievable" and announced that his party would launch a stir against the government decision. "We condemn the petrol price hike and seek its rollback. We will not allow it to happen. A strong democratic agitation is on the cards," Javadekar said. Strongly opposing the move, the Left parties called upon their units to immediately launch protests all over the country. "It is a cruel blow on people who are already suffering from severe price rise. The Left parties have called upon all party units to immediately organize powerful protest actions," CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said. His colleague Sitaram Yechury said the move was a "criminal additional burden" on people's livelihood. Leaders of the CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc also opposed the move, with CPI leader D Raja saying this was a "prelude to hike the prices of diesel and other petroleum products". "It is a disaster. It will further push up inflation to the skies, dampen ...
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New Delhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has expressed herself against MPs' demand to sport red beacons atop their cars in Delhi. In a meeting of Congress parliamentary party executive, Gandhi made it clear that more red beacons in Delhi would create problems. However, she said it should be left to states to take a decision on the issue in their jurisdiction. The Congress president stated this when senior party MP P C Chacko raised the issue during the meeting seeking her view on the matter, sources said. Her remarks came close on the heels of a debate in the Lok Sabha last week which saw MPs from across the political spectrum making a strong demand for being given the right to sport red beacons atop their vehicle and said they would approach the Prime Minister in this regard. They had said that the privileges committee of the Lok Sabha had made recommendation to the effect and sought to know why the government was delaying the measure. Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi had also yesterday come out against red beacon lights on the cars of lawmakers saying in the current climate of cynicism, it could become the "butt of ridicule and derision" "The current climate of ...
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New Delhi, As UPA completes three years in office, BJP on Tuesday claimed the government may fall anytime as coalition partners were unhappy and were not even ready to break bread together. During a discussion on the issue at the party's Parliamentary Party meeting here, BJP while referring to Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee refusal to attend a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said the three years of UPA regime would be written in "black letters." "Its allies are not happy with it. A leader of the ally party does not even want to eat food together. You can imagine the state of affairs... The UPA is not even in a position of eating snacks. "I wonder what would be the flavour of the dinner hosted to celebrate the three years of completion of government," said BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain after the party's meeting. He said, "The completion of three years of UPA regime will be written in black letters." Hussain said, "This government can anytime...(fall). The government claims to have a total majority of 272, but the actual figure seems 227 as even its allies are not happy with it." The party also discussed the "failures" of the present ...
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New Delhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader P.A. Sangma, whose name has been proposed for president by the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Tuesday said he would urge parties to "respond to the call of conscience" and choose a tribal for the post. Sangma, who met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to thank him for backing his presidential candidature, told reporters: "We hope that other political parties, including those in the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) and the NDA (National Democratic Alliance), respond to the call of conscience in the nation by the tribal people and support us in the coming presidential election." Marching ahead in the presidential race after being backed by BJD leader Patnaik and AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa, Sangma is making attempts to get support from major parties. Sangma, who was accompanied by other tribal lead­ers from different political parties, said: "We belong from different political parties but we are fighting a common cause of projecting a tribal as a presidential candidate." Thanking Patnaik and Jayalalithaa, he said: "Indeed it is time, a distinguished tribal leader needs to be the 'rashtrapati' of this great ...
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Chicago, U.S. President Barack Obama, during the NATO Summit in Chicago, made clear his frustration over Pakistan's adamancy over the reopening of NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. Obama expressed his frustration by publicly thanking Russia and other Central Asian countries for providing "critical transit" of war supplies into Afghanistan in the six months since Pakistan closed its ground routes following U.S. air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, reports the Los Angeles Times. Obama chose to ignore Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who sat only a few feet away from him, and pointedly did not mention Pakistan and had initially refused to meet him one-on-one, the paper states. He also made no attempt to downplay the strained relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan which has been unstable since the U.S. raided the military garrison town of Abbottabad last May to kill Osama Bin Laden. "We need to work through some of the tensions (with Pakistan). I don't want to paper over real challenges," Obama was quoted, as saying. Obama said his staff members had known before they arrived in Chicago for the Summit that the dispute over access to supply lines would ...
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New Delhi, Army Chief General V.K. Singh has still not consented to attending the official farewell tea party hosted by the Ministry of Defence in order to avoid his brief profile being read out, including the controversial date of birth in front of Defence Minister A.K. Antony and other top officials. The organisers have contacted the Army Chief's office several times for his consent and are worried that delay is being done to avoid the official function that will start with mention of personal details, including the date of birth of General Singh on which he has been at loggerheads with the Ministry of Defence. The Joint Secretary (Establishment) as per the norms will read out General Singh's profile, provided by his office. It is followed by speeches from the Defence Minister, the Defence Secretary and other top officials of the ministry. The event used to end with the handing over of a plaque. The Army Chief claims that he was born on May 10, 1951, whereas the Ministry of Defence considers his year of birth to be 1950. The organisers are worried that the official farewell tea party to be held on General Singh's retirement date could be used by the Army Chief to ...
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New Delhi, With the government sending the controversial Lokpal Bill to a Rajya Sabha select committee for further scrutiny and discussion on Monday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has accused the former of not being sincere in its efforts to pass anti-graft proposal. "This has become quiet clear, that the intentions of the government over bringing the Ombudsman (Bill) were not correct since the very beginning. The government has once again exposed its corrupt face protecting corrupt people," Naqvi told media here. Expressing displeasure over sending the bill to a select committee, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Any search proposal for select committee can come only and only by the minister in charge who is in possession of the entire proposal. It could not have come from anyone else." "This kind of procedure was most unwarranted. We deeply regret it, and also condemn it. The present consideration is also permissible in terms of Article 252 of the Constitution, where such considerations are permissible only when two state assemblies empower the Rajya Sabha to consider such a proposal," he added. Communist Party of India (CPI) ...
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New Delhi, The crisis in Air India continued as pilots' strike entered its fifteenth day on Tuesday. The national carrier had on Monday sacked 30 more of its striking pilots, taking the number of pilots who have lost jobs so far up to 101. Earlier, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has sought support of all Air India unions to restore the airline's financial health and its past glory. In a meeting with leaders of Air India unions, Singh said the recommendations of the Dharmadhikari Committee, which went into all issues like pay parity and career progression, would be implemented only after all the unions are consulted. Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Air India Engineering Association, Pradeep Bhogale, said that the minister had appraised the unions about the government's intentions for a turnaround plan to improve the ailing national carrier's sagging position. "He (Singh) informed us about the 30,000 crore rupees equity infusion by the government of India. He informed that with this equity infusion, there is a turnaround plan, and that there are milestones (which) we have to cross, and we have to bring back the glory (that) was with Air India," Bhogale ...
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Ingredients: nonstick cooking spray 2 eggs 2 tbsp. skim milk 1 tbsp. onion, chopped 2 tbsp. red tomato, diced 1 tbsp. cheddar cheese Utensils: stove (you'll need help from your adult assistant) skillet bowl whisk or fork spatula Directions: Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat the skillet on low heat. Whisk eggs and milk until they start to foam, approximately 3 minutes. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and cover the pan. Cook over medium-low heat for about 4 minutes, until bottom is golden brown and top is set. Sprinkle cheese, onions, and tomato over the top. Fold omelet in half with a spatula. Cook for about 1 more minute. Remove from skillet and ...
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Washington, In a rebuff to Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, US president Barack Obama did not meet him on the margins of the NATO Summit in Chicago as the two countries failed to strike a deal on reopening the NATO supply lines to Afghanistan. Zardari, who flew to Chicago with hopes of lifting his stature with a meeting with Obama, was preparing to leave empty-handed as the two countries continued to feel the repercussions of a NATO air strike last November that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, an incident for which the US President has offered condolences but no apology. As the two-day NATO summit opened in Chicago last evening, Obama remained at loggerheads with Zardari, refusing even to meet him without a deal on the supply routes, which officials in both sides acknowledged would not be coming soon, US media reported on Monday. But White House deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes said that Obama could not meet Zardari as he had a "full slate of summit meetings to attend." "The two bilateral meetings, really, that he did, or President (Hamid) Karzai for obvious reasons given the focus on Afghanistan here, and the Secretary General of NATO given that it's ...
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New Delhi, In yet another twist, the controversial Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill was on Monday referred to the select committee of Rajya Sabha, further delaying the setting up of the anti-graft ombudsman which has been hanging fire for 42 years. The bill, on which debate had remained inconclusive in the Rajya Sabha during the last winter session, was referred to the select committee through a motion soon after minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy moved it for consideration and passage. Interestingly, the motion for referring the bill to the select committee was moved initially by Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal. This was strongly objected to by BJP, Left parties and BSP, with their members arguing that only the minister concerned could move such a motion and accusing the ruling coalition of "using the shoulder" of "friendly opposition" party. After high drama marked by arguments and counter-arguments over whether rules permitted any other member to move such a motion, the government yielded and the motion was moved by Narayanasamy which was immediately passed by voice vote. He said the 15-member committee would have to submit its report by the first day of ...
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New Delhi, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the complaints of money laundering against Indian Premier League (IPL), Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha Monday. Speaking during question hour, Mukherjee said: "There are certain irregularities which are being looked into, particularly relating to some complaints received that there are foreign investments in IPL." "Those are being looked into by the Enforcement Directorate because those are the criminal activities like money laundering," he said. Mukherjee said the IPL is a body of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) and till 2006, the BCCI enjoyed income tax exemptions. He said the BCCI lost exemption registration in 2006 following the verdict of the Allahabad High Court and since then, it is subject to tax. "Tax demands were raised for the assessment years 2007-08 and 2008-09 amounting to Rs.118 crore and Rs.257 crore respectively. As much as Rs.249 crore has already been recovered from the BCCI," he said. The matter was also raised in the Lok Sabha and replying to queries, Sports Minister Ajay Maken said that the ministry has written to the ED to look into the money ...
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New Delhi, The government Monday released the much-awaited white paper on black money, which makes a strong pitch for setting up the Lokpal and Lokayuktas but carries no official estimate of the illicit money stashed by Indians abroad. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee tabled the white paper in the Lok Sabha. The paper carries no estimates on the quantum of money stashed abroad, but quotes figures released by different agencies. "There are no reliable estimates of black money generation or accumulation, neither is there an accurate well-accepted methodology for making such estimation," the paper said. It pointed out that among the estimates made so far, there is no uniformity, unanimity, or consensus about the best methodology or approach to be used for this purpose. "There have also been wide variations in the figures reported, which further serves to highlight the limitations of the different methods adopted." The paper made a strong pitch for setting up the Lokpal and Lokayuktas to effectively deal with the menace of black money and other corrupt practices. In the foreword to the report, Mukherjee pointed out that in this past year the government has ...
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