Thursday, June 28, 2007
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Doubts over India's Aids figures
BBC NEWS World South Asia Doubts over India's Aids figures
Doubts over India's Aids figures
India has more HIV infections than any other country, the UN saysCurrent estimates for the number of people in India with the HIV/Aids figures could be greatly exaggerated, a leading Aids worker says.
The UN says 5.7 million people in India have the HIV virus, the highest number in the world.
But Ashok Alexander, of the anti-Aids Avahan organisation says figures due out soon could be "substantially lower", the Associated Press reports.
The BBC has learned that the figure could be as low as three million.
Experts say that the discrepancy between 5.7 million and three million could only be explained by errors in the methods of calculating the numbers of people with the HIV virus.
India is about to embark on a new and expanded phase of its Aids control programme, with increased funding from the government and from international donors.
'Substantially lower'
"The actual number we've come up with in aggregate is likely to be lower, and perhaps substantially lower," Ashok Alexander, director of Avahan, the Indian programme of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Officials say the virus is spreading to low-risk groups
Mr Alexander said the new estimates were likely to be more accurate because they came from pre-natal clinics, high risk groups and from the government's National Family Health Survey.
He said that this was a far more accurate way of collating the figures than previous estimates which only relied on details provided by pre-natal clinics.
Mr Alexander declined to speculate on what the new total would be, pointing out that data is still being assessed and exact details will not be available for a few more weeks.
Backward
Last week, India health officials said they were alarmed by the growing numbers of pregnant women infected with HIV/Aids in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar.
They are among India's most backward, with huge populations but poor literacy and health services.
Officials say workers who migrate to cities in search of work bring the infection back to the states with them.
They said that unless the state governments got serious about tackling the disease, there could be an Aids epidemic.
Doubts over India's Aids figures
India has more HIV infections than any other country, the UN saysCurrent estimates for the number of people in India with the HIV/Aids figures could be greatly exaggerated, a leading Aids worker says.
The UN says 5.7 million people in India have the HIV virus, the highest number in the world.
But Ashok Alexander, of the anti-Aids Avahan organisation says figures due out soon could be "substantially lower", the Associated Press reports.
The BBC has learned that the figure could be as low as three million.
Experts say that the discrepancy between 5.7 million and three million could only be explained by errors in the methods of calculating the numbers of people with the HIV virus.
India is about to embark on a new and expanded phase of its Aids control programme, with increased funding from the government and from international donors.
'Substantially lower'
"The actual number we've come up with in aggregate is likely to be lower, and perhaps substantially lower," Ashok Alexander, director of Avahan, the Indian programme of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Officials say the virus is spreading to low-risk groups
Mr Alexander said the new estimates were likely to be more accurate because they came from pre-natal clinics, high risk groups and from the government's National Family Health Survey.
He said that this was a far more accurate way of collating the figures than previous estimates which only relied on details provided by pre-natal clinics.
Mr Alexander declined to speculate on what the new total would be, pointing out that data is still being assessed and exact details will not be available for a few more weeks.
Backward
Last week, India health officials said they were alarmed by the growing numbers of pregnant women infected with HIV/Aids in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar.
They are among India's most backward, with huge populations but poor literacy and health services.
Officials say workers who migrate to cities in search of work bring the infection back to the states with them.
They said that unless the state governments got serious about tackling the disease, there could be an Aids epidemic.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
CPM blinks on Singur too, may return land - Yahoo! India News
CPM blinks on Singur too, may return land - Yahoo! India News
CPM blinks on Singur too, may return land
By IE
Wednesday June 6, 02:34 AM Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the ruling CPI(M) indicated on Tuesday that the government is seriously considering Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's demand of returning land at Singur to farmers who are not willing to sell their holdings for Tata Motors' small-car project.
After a statement at Writers' Buildings, Bhattacharjee and Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen called on Jyoti Basu at his residence in Salt Lake. Land and Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah joined this meeting together with CPI(M) State Secretary Biman Bose.
Party sources said the CPI(M) as well as the government want an amicable solution to the lingering problems at Singur.
They said Mollah's presence indicated the government is seriously considering the demand of returning some land. "A partial return of land to unwilling farmers cannot be ruled out," a senior leader told The Indian Express.
Bhattacharjee, taking the cue from Monday's surprise meeting between Mamata and former Chief Minister Basu, told reporters at Writers' Buildings on Tuesday that the government is open to talks over realigning the land acquired to accommodate farmers who have refused to take their compensation cheques because they do not want to sell.
"The discussions with Mamata were good. I spoke to Basu this morning and will talk to him again," Bhattacharjee said. Asked if land would be returned, Bhattacharjee said this would be chalked out by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen.
As for Mamata's demand that the government return around 300 acres to 400-odd farmers who have refused to accept their cheques, the Chief Minister said: "I cannot say now whether it is 300 acres or 200 acres, I need to know the details from Sen before I speak on this."
Although the government acquired around 997 acres for the project last year, some villagers are still holding out and organising sporadic protests.
Bhattacharjee said he would take the issue further after getting to know the details of the Basu-Mamata meeting and her specific demands.
He said the Singur move would also further the peace process at Nandigram, where violent opposition by farmers since January has forced the government to drop plans to acquire a much larger area of 10,000 acres for a chemical hub and a special economic zone (SEZ).
The Chief Minister stated that he was open to talks.
Meanwhile, in Kalighat, Mamata was keeping tabs on the fallout of her talks with Basu.
When contacted by The Indian Express, she said: "A process is under way and I shall not comment now. Wait till tomorrow."
CPM blinks on Singur too, may return land
By IE
Wednesday June 6, 02:34 AM Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the ruling CPI(M) indicated on Tuesday that the government is seriously considering Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's demand of returning land at Singur to farmers who are not willing to sell their holdings for Tata Motors' small-car project.
After a statement at Writers' Buildings, Bhattacharjee and Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen called on Jyoti Basu at his residence in Salt Lake. Land and Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah joined this meeting together with CPI(M) State Secretary Biman Bose.
Party sources said the CPI(M) as well as the government want an amicable solution to the lingering problems at Singur.
They said Mollah's presence indicated the government is seriously considering the demand of returning some land. "A partial return of land to unwilling farmers cannot be ruled out," a senior leader told The Indian Express.
Bhattacharjee, taking the cue from Monday's surprise meeting between Mamata and former Chief Minister Basu, told reporters at Writers' Buildings on Tuesday that the government is open to talks over realigning the land acquired to accommodate farmers who have refused to take their compensation cheques because they do not want to sell.
"The discussions with Mamata were good. I spoke to Basu this morning and will talk to him again," Bhattacharjee said. Asked if land would be returned, Bhattacharjee said this would be chalked out by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen.
As for Mamata's demand that the government return around 300 acres to 400-odd farmers who have refused to accept their cheques, the Chief Minister said: "I cannot say now whether it is 300 acres or 200 acres, I need to know the details from Sen before I speak on this."
Although the government acquired around 997 acres for the project last year, some villagers are still holding out and organising sporadic protests.
Bhattacharjee said he would take the issue further after getting to know the details of the Basu-Mamata meeting and her specific demands.
He said the Singur move would also further the peace process at Nandigram, where violent opposition by farmers since January has forced the government to drop plans to acquire a much larger area of 10,000 acres for a chemical hub and a special economic zone (SEZ).
The Chief Minister stated that he was open to talks.
Meanwhile, in Kalighat, Mamata was keeping tabs on the fallout of her talks with Basu.
When contacted by The Indian Express, she said: "A process is under way and I shall not comment now. Wait till tomorrow."
Welcome to ClubSymantec - Symantec Corp.
Welcome to ClubSymantec - Symantec Corp.
hishing scams are the easiest way for criminals to steal your identity and your confidential data. Learn to protect yourself with these easy steps..Phishing attacks are hugely popular amongst cyber-criminals. And it's easy to see why. They are the easiest and most effective way to fool internet users into handing over their identity details and other confidential data. Every day, thousands of new - fake - phishing websites come and go: it's a booming business! Fortunately, protection is readily available and close at hand.Phishing scams operate via e-mail and, more recently, instant messaging (IM). Whatever the means, the purpose is always the same: to make victims click on a link, believing that it’ll lead them to a legitimate website with whom they're doing business, like a bank, a retailer, a government agency, or a credit card company.Whether it arrived within an e-mail or instant message, the fake link actually leads to a fake website that looks just like the real one. When you get to that site, you are asked to divulge personal information for some made-up reason explained in the e-mail or IM you received (including alleged security or technical problems). Scammers usually ask for login account information, passwords and PIN numbers, etc...All this information, of course, is then stored on that fake server and used subsequently by phishing scammers to steal your identity and drain your bank account. Recently, a variety of phishing, spear phishing, has becoming increasingly sophisticated and common. Spear phishers target a specific group of people. They’ve even targeted MySpace, a social networking site. A spear-phishing message targets a smaller audience but works harder to make it look real. It looks as if it came from your employer, a co-worker, or a friend. Think about it. We’re more likely to be tricked by a phishing e-mail if it contains targeted information about us, like “Hey Tom, it’s Jake. We’re mates from High-school”. Or: “Welcome to our team Yolanda Juarez”. Or even just an e-mail, allegedly from the IT Department, urging you to “install these new updates by January 30”.
It’s Your Identity. Keep it safe.Don’t click on links within e-mails or IMs that ask you to provide personal information. If you follow the instructions, and enter your personal information on the website you’re led to, you’ll deliver that information directly into the hands of identity thieves. Always go directly to the official website by typing the address yourself, or by using a bookmark (although some Trojan horses have been known to change bookmarked addresses.)Beware of pharming. With pharming, when you type in the address of a legitimate website, you’re taken to a fake copy of the site without realizing it. It all takes place at the server level. The risks are the same as with phishing, but it’s up to your ISP or IT department to prevent pharming.Only open e-mail attachments if you’re expecting them and know what they contain. To be especially safe, use a good antispam filter to limit your exposure to spam e-mail from phishers.Know the sender's identity before you provide any personal information. Legitimate credit card issuers and other companies will never ask for your personal information in an e-mail. Ask for the sender's name, the name of the agency or company, the telephone number, and the address. Then find out if they’re legitimate. Don’t be afraid to make a phone call instead of answering an e-mail.Watch out for job seekers pretending to be potential employers, especially if they ask for your social security number or other personal information. If you think you've provided account numbers, PINs, or passwords to a phisher, notify the companies with whom you have these accounts immediately. To find out how to place a fraud alert, contact the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Clearinghouse, www.consumer.gov/idtheft or call 877-438-4338, TDD 202-326-2502.
ConclusionThere is no need to be afraid of e-mail and IM! But knowing how they are used by scammers can help you to avoid falling prey to these phishers. It’s simple: never, ever, follow a link from an e-mail or IM to an “official” website to enter personal information. Just don’t do it, and you’ll be safe. Then, keep yourself informed of the latest trends in scamming, and consider using security tools like Norton Confidential and Norton Internet Security to reduce your risk and prevent personal information from leaving your PC
hishing scams are the easiest way for criminals to steal your identity and your confidential data. Learn to protect yourself with these easy steps..Phishing attacks are hugely popular amongst cyber-criminals. And it's easy to see why. They are the easiest and most effective way to fool internet users into handing over their identity details and other confidential data. Every day, thousands of new - fake - phishing websites come and go: it's a booming business! Fortunately, protection is readily available and close at hand.Phishing scams operate via e-mail and, more recently, instant messaging (IM). Whatever the means, the purpose is always the same: to make victims click on a link, believing that it’ll lead them to a legitimate website with whom they're doing business, like a bank, a retailer, a government agency, or a credit card company.Whether it arrived within an e-mail or instant message, the fake link actually leads to a fake website that looks just like the real one. When you get to that site, you are asked to divulge personal information for some made-up reason explained in the e-mail or IM you received (including alleged security or technical problems). Scammers usually ask for login account information, passwords and PIN numbers, etc...All this information, of course, is then stored on that fake server and used subsequently by phishing scammers to steal your identity and drain your bank account. Recently, a variety of phishing, spear phishing, has becoming increasingly sophisticated and common. Spear phishers target a specific group of people. They’ve even targeted MySpace, a social networking site. A spear-phishing message targets a smaller audience but works harder to make it look real. It looks as if it came from your employer, a co-worker, or a friend. Think about it. We’re more likely to be tricked by a phishing e-mail if it contains targeted information about us, like “Hey Tom, it’s Jake. We’re mates from High-school”. Or: “Welcome to our team Yolanda Juarez”. Or even just an e-mail, allegedly from the IT Department, urging you to “install these new updates by January 30”.
It’s Your Identity. Keep it safe.Don’t click on links within e-mails or IMs that ask you to provide personal information. If you follow the instructions, and enter your personal information on the website you’re led to, you’ll deliver that information directly into the hands of identity thieves. Always go directly to the official website by typing the address yourself, or by using a bookmark (although some Trojan horses have been known to change bookmarked addresses.)Beware of pharming. With pharming, when you type in the address of a legitimate website, you’re taken to a fake copy of the site without realizing it. It all takes place at the server level. The risks are the same as with phishing, but it’s up to your ISP or IT department to prevent pharming.Only open e-mail attachments if you’re expecting them and know what they contain. To be especially safe, use a good antispam filter to limit your exposure to spam e-mail from phishers.Know the sender's identity before you provide any personal information. Legitimate credit card issuers and other companies will never ask for your personal information in an e-mail. Ask for the sender's name, the name of the agency or company, the telephone number, and the address. Then find out if they’re legitimate. Don’t be afraid to make a phone call instead of answering an e-mail.Watch out for job seekers pretending to be potential employers, especially if they ask for your social security number or other personal information. If you think you've provided account numbers, PINs, or passwords to a phisher, notify the companies with whom you have these accounts immediately. To find out how to place a fraud alert, contact the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Clearinghouse, www.consumer.gov/idtheft or call 877-438-4338, TDD 202-326-2502.
ConclusionThere is no need to be afraid of e-mail and IM! But knowing how they are used by scammers can help you to avoid falling prey to these phishers. It’s simple: never, ever, follow a link from an e-mail or IM to an “official” website to enter personal information. Just don’t do it, and you’ll be safe. Then, keep yourself informed of the latest trends in scamming, and consider using security tools like Norton Confidential and Norton Internet Security to reduce your risk and prevent personal information from leaving your PC
Monday, June 4, 2007
Mars Pictures Gallery - Pictures of Mars - The Red Planet
Mars Pictures Gallery - Pictures of Mars - The Red Planet
Named for the Roman god of War, Mars probably got this name due to its red color. It is sometimes referred to as the Red Planet. The name of the month March derives from Mars. Known since prehistoric times, Mars is still a favorite of choice for human exploration. The density of Mars is about 30 percent less than that of Earth (3.94 g/cm3 vs. 5.52 g/cm3). Its core is probably similar to Earth's, mostly iron, with small amounts of nickel, but spacecraft mapping of its gravity field seem to indicate that its iron-rich core and mantle are a smaller portion of its volume than on Earth. Also, its smaller magnetic field than Earth, indicates a solid, rather than liquid core.
Mars' atmosphere is 95 percent carbon dioxide, nearly 3 percent nitrogen, and nearly 2 percent argon with trace quantities of oxygen, carbon monoxide, water vapor, ozone, and other trace gases.
Graphic Index Text Index
Start Here
Named for the Roman god of War, Mars probably got this name due to its red color. It is sometimes referred to as the Red Planet. The name of the month March derives from Mars. Known since prehistoric times, Mars is still a favorite of choice for human exploration. The density of Mars is about 30 percent less than that of Earth (3.94 g/cm3 vs. 5.52 g/cm3). Its core is probably similar to Earth's, mostly iron, with small amounts of nickel, but spacecraft mapping of its gravity field seem to indicate that its iron-rich core and mantle are a smaller portion of its volume than on Earth. Also, its smaller magnetic field than Earth, indicates a solid, rather than liquid core.
Mars' atmosphere is 95 percent carbon dioxide, nearly 3 percent nitrogen, and nearly 2 percent argon with trace quantities of oxygen, carbon monoxide, water vapor, ozone, and other trace gases.
Graphic Index Text Index
Start Here
Device turns heat into sound, then electricity - Yahoo! India News
Device turns heat into sound, then electricity - Yahoo! India News
Device turns heat into sound, then electricity
By IANS
Monday June 4, 02:22 PM
Washington, June 4 (IANS) Physicists in US have developed a small device that they claim can turn heat into sound and then into electricity.
The device, developed by University of Utah physicists, may be used to cool electronics, harness solar energy in a new way, and conserve energy by changing waste heat into electric power.
The device could be used within two years as an alternative to photovoltaic cells for converting sunlight into electricity, reported Newswise wire.
The device could be used to cool laptop and other computers that generate more heat.
Email to friend Most emailed
Device turns heat into sound, then electricity
By IANS
Monday June 4, 02:22 PM
Washington, June 4 (IANS) Physicists in US have developed a small device that they claim can turn heat into sound and then into electricity.
The device, developed by University of Utah physicists, may be used to cool electronics, harness solar energy in a new way, and conserve energy by changing waste heat into electric power.
The device could be used within two years as an alternative to photovoltaic cells for converting sunlight into electricity, reported Newswise wire.
The device could be used to cool laptop and other computers that generate more heat.
Email to friend Most emailed
History
History The Origins of the Gujjars
It can be said that the furthest point in history that relates to Gujjars goes clear back to the days of Ishmail and Isaac, that is if you speak to a Gujjar of Himachal Pradesh, India. They will tell you of their legend that they are descendents of Isaac. This alone is interesting in that Muslims, and the vast majority of Gujjars are Muslims, trace their descendents to Ishmail. However, the story is related in this way.
Ishaque (Isaac) told his sons that the one who fed him kabobs from goat meat would succeed him as prophet. His son's, Ash and Yaqub, (Esau and Jacob) went their separate ways to find the goat meat for the kabobs.
While Ash went in to the forest in search for the goat Yaqub got some help from his mother who apparently had her own goats and helped her son prepare them. Having eaten the Kabobs prepared by Yaqub, Hazrat Ishaque blessed Yaqub and appointed him as his heir to the birth right. On his return, Ash found out that he had been cheated out of his birth right by Yaqub and his mother. Disappointed he returned to the forest. Where he rested and soon fell asleep. Allah spoke to him in a dream. He said to worship him with a pure heart and to spend his life in the forest. If he did so, he would attain an even higher status than Yaqub. Ash did just this and he later became a great saint. It is in the lineage of Ash that the Gujjars (of Himachal Pradesh) trace their lineage and this is the reason that even today you find the Gujjars in the forest where it is said they feel closer to God.
There is much confusion as to the origin of the Gujjar people. Most research goes around in circles. One author quotes another till no one know where the original source is anymore. W. Crooke, Castes and Tribes of North Western India, Vol. 2 seems to be a favorite as well. Vincient A. Smith, The Early History of India says that the Gujjars were early immigrants to the Indian Sub-continent. Possibly "allied in blood" to the Huns. The Huns were divided into two main groups, the Red Huns and the White Huns. The Red Huns invaded Europe while the White Huns went down in to the Oxus Valley and attacked the Kishan Kingdom of Kabul and then poured into India.
Another theory is that the Gujjars are related to the Rajputs and that Mughal Emperor Aurangzed made an agreement that if the Rajput lost in the wars with the Mughals that they would have a portion of them convert to Islam. The Rajupts did lose and the group that converted became known as Gujjars.
The first reference to a separate Gujjar Kingdom is around fifth century AD. There is mention of a Gujjar Kingdom in Rajasthan with Bhilmal as the Capital.
In his book "Geography of Jammu & Kashmir State" Majid Husain says that before their arrival in the sub-continent they were the inhabitants of Georgia (Gurjia) a territory situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Soviet Union. They left that area and migrated through central Asia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, crossed the Khyber Pass and entered the Sub-continent of India. In the Sub-continent, making a southward march through Baluchistan,- they reached Gujrat, most probably in the 5th and 6th century A.D. While in Gujrat they were plagued by a series of serious droughts so they moved out of the plains area and entered the green pastures of the Siwaliks and the Himalayas. Having their place of origin as Georgia and moving towards the Sub-continent of India they named several settlements after their name, e.g. Gujar (Central Asia), Juzrs (Gurjara), Gujrabad, Gujru, Gujristan, Gujrabas, Gujdar-Kotta, Gujar-Garh, Gujarkhan, Gujranwala in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenia, Pakistan and India. Cunningham (1970) is, however, of the opinion that the Gujjars are the descendents of Kusham and Yachi Tribes which are considered to be the tribes of Eastern Tartars (U.S.S.R.).
It can be said that the furthest point in history that relates to Gujjars goes clear back to the days of Ishmail and Isaac, that is if you speak to a Gujjar of Himachal Pradesh, India. They will tell you of their legend that they are descendents of Isaac. This alone is interesting in that Muslims, and the vast majority of Gujjars are Muslims, trace their descendents to Ishmail. However, the story is related in this way.
Ishaque (Isaac) told his sons that the one who fed him kabobs from goat meat would succeed him as prophet. His son's, Ash and Yaqub, (Esau and Jacob) went their separate ways to find the goat meat for the kabobs.
While Ash went in to the forest in search for the goat Yaqub got some help from his mother who apparently had her own goats and helped her son prepare them. Having eaten the Kabobs prepared by Yaqub, Hazrat Ishaque blessed Yaqub and appointed him as his heir to the birth right. On his return, Ash found out that he had been cheated out of his birth right by Yaqub and his mother. Disappointed he returned to the forest. Where he rested and soon fell asleep. Allah spoke to him in a dream. He said to worship him with a pure heart and to spend his life in the forest. If he did so, he would attain an even higher status than Yaqub. Ash did just this and he later became a great saint. It is in the lineage of Ash that the Gujjars (of Himachal Pradesh) trace their lineage and this is the reason that even today you find the Gujjars in the forest where it is said they feel closer to God.
There is much confusion as to the origin of the Gujjar people. Most research goes around in circles. One author quotes another till no one know where the original source is anymore. W. Crooke, Castes and Tribes of North Western India, Vol. 2 seems to be a favorite as well. Vincient A. Smith, The Early History of India says that the Gujjars were early immigrants to the Indian Sub-continent. Possibly "allied in blood" to the Huns. The Huns were divided into two main groups, the Red Huns and the White Huns. The Red Huns invaded Europe while the White Huns went down in to the Oxus Valley and attacked the Kishan Kingdom of Kabul and then poured into India.
Another theory is that the Gujjars are related to the Rajputs and that Mughal Emperor Aurangzed made an agreement that if the Rajput lost in the wars with the Mughals that they would have a portion of them convert to Islam. The Rajupts did lose and the group that converted became known as Gujjars.
The first reference to a separate Gujjar Kingdom is around fifth century AD. There is mention of a Gujjar Kingdom in Rajasthan with Bhilmal as the Capital.
In his book "Geography of Jammu & Kashmir State" Majid Husain says that before their arrival in the sub-continent they were the inhabitants of Georgia (Gurjia) a territory situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Soviet Union. They left that area and migrated through central Asia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, crossed the Khyber Pass and entered the Sub-continent of India. In the Sub-continent, making a southward march through Baluchistan,- they reached Gujrat, most probably in the 5th and 6th century A.D. While in Gujrat they were plagued by a series of serious droughts so they moved out of the plains area and entered the green pastures of the Siwaliks and the Himalayas. Having their place of origin as Georgia and moving towards the Sub-continent of India they named several settlements after their name, e.g. Gujar (Central Asia), Juzrs (Gurjara), Gujrabad, Gujru, Gujristan, Gujrabas, Gujdar-Kotta, Gujar-Garh, Gujarkhan, Gujranwala in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenia, Pakistan and India. Cunningham (1970) is, however, of the opinion that the Gujjars are the descendents of Kusham and Yachi Tribes which are considered to be the tribes of Eastern Tartars (U.S.S.R.).
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
The Telegraph - Indian Newspapers in English Language from Kolkatta (Calcutta) India.
The Telegraph - Indian Newspapers in English Language from Kolkatta (Calcutta) India.
House stunned by ‘starvation’ truth
SUBRAT DAS
In session
Bhubaneswar, June 1: The Orissa Assembly was thrown out of gear in the morning when Opposition members stormed the Well of the House, forcing several adjournments, over reports of villagers eating stones due to lack of food.
However, by late evening, before the budget was presented, the tables turned for the enraged Opposition, as revenue minister Manmohan Samal told a stunned Assembly of how two television journalists — Puturam Sunani and Meghnad Kharsel — belonging to a local channel had “tutored” the footage as well as the locals “to eat stones before camera”.
“The reports are totally false and motivated. The locals said the journalists told them to eat the stones, as those were ‘medically beneficial’ and like panacea for joint pains, headache and stomach-aches,” Samal told those gathered.
“The said villages are covered under Western Orissa Rural Livelihood Programme. The people there have vehemently denied the allegations that they eat stones as food. They stated (before our officials) that they eat rice, ragi and dal as food,” the minister added.
Samal further added that the revenue department officials checked the Antoday Anna Yojana card of Barusingh Pahadia, who was shown eating the stones. “The person received 70 kg of rice on March 17 and another 70 kg on May 5 this year,” he said.
Samal also added that a criminal case has been lodged against the reporters Puturam Sunani and Meghnad Kharsel of the TV channel at the Sinapali police station under Sections 124 (A), 417 and 34 of IPC.
The circle inspector of Khariar is investigating the case. “I welcome a probe by a Assembly committee into the ‘starvation’ issue, as well as an inquiry into the role of the media in this matter,” the minister fumed.
In the morning, as soon as the Question Hour began, leader of Opposition, J.B. Patnaik drew the House’s attention to the media reports, which said that people of Sinapali block of Nuapada were forced to “consume” stones when hungry.
He demanded that the matter be taken up for discussion, suspending all other businesses listed for the day. All bench members in the Opposition rose to support the demand.
However, Speaker Maheswar Mohanty expressed his inability to discuss the matter today, saying that he received the Opposition’s notice for it only this morning.
House stunned by ‘starvation’ truth
SUBRAT DAS
In session
Bhubaneswar, June 1: The Orissa Assembly was thrown out of gear in the morning when Opposition members stormed the Well of the House, forcing several adjournments, over reports of villagers eating stones due to lack of food.
However, by late evening, before the budget was presented, the tables turned for the enraged Opposition, as revenue minister Manmohan Samal told a stunned Assembly of how two television journalists — Puturam Sunani and Meghnad Kharsel — belonging to a local channel had “tutored” the footage as well as the locals “to eat stones before camera”.
“The reports are totally false and motivated. The locals said the journalists told them to eat the stones, as those were ‘medically beneficial’ and like panacea for joint pains, headache and stomach-aches,” Samal told those gathered.
“The said villages are covered under Western Orissa Rural Livelihood Programme. The people there have vehemently denied the allegations that they eat stones as food. They stated (before our officials) that they eat rice, ragi and dal as food,” the minister added.
Samal further added that the revenue department officials checked the Antoday Anna Yojana card of Barusingh Pahadia, who was shown eating the stones. “The person received 70 kg of rice on March 17 and another 70 kg on May 5 this year,” he said.
Samal also added that a criminal case has been lodged against the reporters Puturam Sunani and Meghnad Kharsel of the TV channel at the Sinapali police station under Sections 124 (A), 417 and 34 of IPC.
The circle inspector of Khariar is investigating the case. “I welcome a probe by a Assembly committee into the ‘starvation’ issue, as well as an inquiry into the role of the media in this matter,” the minister fumed.
In the morning, as soon as the Question Hour began, leader of Opposition, J.B. Patnaik drew the House’s attention to the media reports, which said that people of Sinapali block of Nuapada were forced to “consume” stones when hungry.
He demanded that the matter be taken up for discussion, suspending all other businesses listed for the day. All bench members in the Opposition rose to support the demand.
However, Speaker Maheswar Mohanty expressed his inability to discuss the matter today, saying that he received the Opposition’s notice for it only this morning.
The Hindu News Update Service
The Hindu News Update Service
India's richest man builds 60-storey high home
By Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi
Guardian News Service: GBP500m Mumbai tower for family of six and 600 staff - New era of high-rise and 'new vulgarity' dawns.
In the most conspicuous sign yet of India's unprecedented prosperity, the country's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is building a new home in the financial hub of Mumbai: a 60-storey high palace with helipad, health club and six floors of car parking.
The building, named Antilla after a mythical island, will have a total floor area greater than Versailles and be home for Mr Ambani, his mother, wife, three children and 600 full-time staff.
Draped in hanging gardens, the building will have a floor for a home theatre, a glass-fronted apartment for guests, and a two-storey health club. As the ceilings are three times as high as a normal building's, the 173m tower will only have 27 floors.
With property prices rocketing, the building is already worth more than GBP500m. It is expected to be ready for the Ambanis to move in next year. The family currently live in a 14-storey building, Sea Wind.
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Group is India's largest private company, with interests in oil, retail and biotechnology. The 50-year-old became the country's first rupee trillionaire this week, taking his net worth to GBP14bn.
The Indian economy is soaring: yesterday it posted annual growth of 9.4%. Friends of the Ambanis said that the billionaire's new home was "comparable to those owned by friends such as Lakshmi Mittal". The UK-based steel tycoon bought the most expensive house in London last year, paying GBP60m for a place in Kensington Palace Gardens.
Urban planners say Mr Mukesh's home is part of a global rush for tall buildings that has seen skyscrapers spring up in Dubai, Shanghai and Seoul. In India, planning rules and a historic antipathy to unrestrained materialism has meant that this race to touch the sky has largely bypassed the cities, which are more notable for their shantytowns and dilapidated housing. But experts say the next wave of skyscraper proposals could come in India.
"Our wealthiest citizens used to hide their money," said Hafeez Contractor, a Mumbai-based architect. "They would not drive their Mercedes, they lived in small apartments. Even Mr Ambani's father lived in a small block of flats. They were afraid of the taxman. But that attitude has gone; Mukesh has made his money, and good for him if he wants to flaunt it."
Mr Contractor said it is only a matter of time before Mumbai was littered with high-rises: "We have to find homes for people, and in a small area that means building skyscrapers."
While some idolise the riches and glamour of India's "Jazz Age", others are uncomfortable with the "new vulgarity". Only last week India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, called on business leaders to "eschew conspicuous consumption" and "be role models of moderation".
Praful Bidwai, a newspaper columnist, said the divide between rich and poor was becoming obscene. "Mr Ambani is building an edifice to his own ego," he said.
"It will not go down well with the public and there is a growing tide of anger about such absurd spending."
India's richest man builds 60-storey high home
By Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi
Guardian News Service: GBP500m Mumbai tower for family of six and 600 staff - New era of high-rise and 'new vulgarity' dawns.
In the most conspicuous sign yet of India's unprecedented prosperity, the country's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is building a new home in the financial hub of Mumbai: a 60-storey high palace with helipad, health club and six floors of car parking.
The building, named Antilla after a mythical island, will have a total floor area greater than Versailles and be home for Mr Ambani, his mother, wife, three children and 600 full-time staff.
Draped in hanging gardens, the building will have a floor for a home theatre, a glass-fronted apartment for guests, and a two-storey health club. As the ceilings are three times as high as a normal building's, the 173m tower will only have 27 floors.
With property prices rocketing, the building is already worth more than GBP500m. It is expected to be ready for the Ambanis to move in next year. The family currently live in a 14-storey building, Sea Wind.
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Group is India's largest private company, with interests in oil, retail and biotechnology. The 50-year-old became the country's first rupee trillionaire this week, taking his net worth to GBP14bn.
The Indian economy is soaring: yesterday it posted annual growth of 9.4%. Friends of the Ambanis said that the billionaire's new home was "comparable to those owned by friends such as Lakshmi Mittal". The UK-based steel tycoon bought the most expensive house in London last year, paying GBP60m for a place in Kensington Palace Gardens.
Urban planners say Mr Mukesh's home is part of a global rush for tall buildings that has seen skyscrapers spring up in Dubai, Shanghai and Seoul. In India, planning rules and a historic antipathy to unrestrained materialism has meant that this race to touch the sky has largely bypassed the cities, which are more notable for their shantytowns and dilapidated housing. But experts say the next wave of skyscraper proposals could come in India.
"Our wealthiest citizens used to hide their money," said Hafeez Contractor, a Mumbai-based architect. "They would not drive their Mercedes, they lived in small apartments. Even Mr Ambani's father lived in a small block of flats. They were afraid of the taxman. But that attitude has gone; Mukesh has made his money, and good for him if he wants to flaunt it."
Mr Contractor said it is only a matter of time before Mumbai was littered with high-rises: "We have to find homes for people, and in a small area that means building skyscrapers."
While some idolise the riches and glamour of India's "Jazz Age", others are uncomfortable with the "new vulgarity". Only last week India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, called on business leaders to "eschew conspicuous consumption" and "be role models of moderation".
Praful Bidwai, a newspaper columnist, said the divide between rich and poor was becoming obscene. "Mr Ambani is building an edifice to his own ego," he said.
"It will not go down well with the public and there is a growing tide of anger about such absurd spending."
The Hindu News Update Service
The Hindu News Update Service
NASA's FUSE satellite catches collision of titans
Using NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite and ground-based telescopes, astronomers have determined, for the first time, the properties of a rare, extremely massive, and young binary star system.
According to Eurekalert, the news service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the system, known as LH54-425, is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. The binary consists of two O-stars, the most massive and luminous types of stars in the Universe.
Spectra obtained by Georgia State University astronomer Stephen Williams at the 1.5-meter (4.9 foot) telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile show that the two stars contain about 62 and 37 times the mass of our Sun. "The stars are so close to each other -- about one-sixth the average Earth-Sun distance -- that they orbit around a common center of mass every 2.25 days," says Williams' colleague Douglas Gies of Georgia State University, Atlanta. With a combined mass of about 100 suns, the system is one the most extreme binaries known. The stars are probably less than 3 million years old.
Each star blows off a powerful stellar wind, and FUSE's observations have provided the first details of what happens when the two supersonic winds collide. The wind collision zone wraps around the smaller star and produces a curved surface of superheated gases that emit X-rays and far-ultraviolet radiation. FUSE is ideal for these measurements because the lines that best indicate the properties of stellar winds show up in the far ultraviolet part of the spectrum, where FUSE is most sensitive.
FUSE project scientist George Sonneborn of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., is presenting these results today in a poster at the spring 2007 American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The more massive star is shedding material at a rate of 500 trillion tons per second (about 400 times greater than the rate the sun loses mass through the solar wind), with a speed of 5.4 million miles per hour. The smaller star is ejecting mass at about one-tenth the rate of its sibling. The mass loss rate of both stars is consistent with other single stars having the same temperature and luminosity.
As the stars age and swell in size, they will begin to transfer substantial amounts of mass to each other. This process could begin in a million years. The stars are orbiting so close to each other that they are likely to merge as they evolve, producing a single extremely massive star like the more massive member of the Eta Carinae binary system. Eta Carinae is one of the most massive and luminous stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, with perhaps 100 solar masses.
"The merger of two massive stars to make a single super star of over 80 suns could lead to an object like Eta Carinae, which might have looked like LH54-425 one million years ago," says Sonneborn. "Finding stars this massive so early in their life is very rare. These results expand our understanding of the nature of very massive binaries, which was not well understood. The system will eventually produce a very energetic supernova."
"These stars are evolving in the blink of an eye compared to the sun, which has looked pretty much the same for over 4 billion years," adds Rosina Iping of the Catholic University, Washington and NASA Goddard, leader of the team that observed LH54-425 with FUSE. "But this binary looks totally different from Eta Carinae even though there is maybe only one million years difference in age. These massive stars zoom through their life cycle really fast. Will this binary system produce something like Eta Carinae" We don't know."
NASA's FUSE satellite catches collision of titans
Using NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite and ground-based telescopes, astronomers have determined, for the first time, the properties of a rare, extremely massive, and young binary star system.
According to Eurekalert, the news service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the system, known as LH54-425, is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. The binary consists of two O-stars, the most massive and luminous types of stars in the Universe.
Spectra obtained by Georgia State University astronomer Stephen Williams at the 1.5-meter (4.9 foot) telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile show that the two stars contain about 62 and 37 times the mass of our Sun. "The stars are so close to each other -- about one-sixth the average Earth-Sun distance -- that they orbit around a common center of mass every 2.25 days," says Williams' colleague Douglas Gies of Georgia State University, Atlanta. With a combined mass of about 100 suns, the system is one the most extreme binaries known. The stars are probably less than 3 million years old.
Each star blows off a powerful stellar wind, and FUSE's observations have provided the first details of what happens when the two supersonic winds collide. The wind collision zone wraps around the smaller star and produces a curved surface of superheated gases that emit X-rays and far-ultraviolet radiation. FUSE is ideal for these measurements because the lines that best indicate the properties of stellar winds show up in the far ultraviolet part of the spectrum, where FUSE is most sensitive.
FUSE project scientist George Sonneborn of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., is presenting these results today in a poster at the spring 2007 American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The more massive star is shedding material at a rate of 500 trillion tons per second (about 400 times greater than the rate the sun loses mass through the solar wind), with a speed of 5.4 million miles per hour. The smaller star is ejecting mass at about one-tenth the rate of its sibling. The mass loss rate of both stars is consistent with other single stars having the same temperature and luminosity.
As the stars age and swell in size, they will begin to transfer substantial amounts of mass to each other. This process could begin in a million years. The stars are orbiting so close to each other that they are likely to merge as they evolve, producing a single extremely massive star like the more massive member of the Eta Carinae binary system. Eta Carinae is one of the most massive and luminous stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, with perhaps 100 solar masses.
"The merger of two massive stars to make a single super star of over 80 suns could lead to an object like Eta Carinae, which might have looked like LH54-425 one million years ago," says Sonneborn. "Finding stars this massive so early in their life is very rare. These results expand our understanding of the nature of very massive binaries, which was not well understood. The system will eventually produce a very energetic supernova."
"These stars are evolving in the blink of an eye compared to the sun, which has looked pretty much the same for over 4 billion years," adds Rosina Iping of the Catholic University, Washington and NASA Goddard, leader of the team that observed LH54-425 with FUSE. "But this binary looks totally different from Eta Carinae even though there is maybe only one million years difference in age. These massive stars zoom through their life cycle really fast. Will this binary system produce something like Eta Carinae" We don't know."
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