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A K Antony assures armed forces of adequate fund for modernization

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi June 25 (ANI): Defence Minister A K Antony assured the top brass that funds will never be a constraint for the modernisation of the Armed Forces and their welfare.

Antony however asked them on improving efficacy and efficiency of our delivery mechanisms at all levels and sought the cooperation of all senior officials to eradicate corruption and urged them to ensure ‘impeccable honesty, integrity and transparency in all transactions’.

The defence Minister emphasized the need to achieve greater indigenisation in Defence Sector. He called for increased and better synergy between the DRDO and the Armed Forces to achieve at least 70 % indigenisation in our procurements within the next ten years.

He was addressing the inaugural day of the two-day conference of the unified commanders in New Delhi.

The Defence Minister asked the top brass of the all the three services to adopt and further strengthen the tri-services approach to security related issues, as victory in modern warfare can be achieved only through jointness.

‘The traditional approach of combating threats with individual services acting according to their own plans must be shed. Jointness seeks the development of core competence by each service and synergising these capabilities.

Furthering his point the Defence Minister said, jointness allows each service to maximise its yield by utilising its core competences to achieve a common goal. Therefore, it is our duty to resort to joint planning and develop integrated capabilities’, he said.

Referring to China Antony said, India has always tried to maintain friendly relations with that country. There is enough space for both India and China to grow into influential nations in the evolving international order. But there are complex unresolved issues between the two countries. India believes that these should be resolved through peaceful means.

On Sri Lanka, he said, for lasting peace within, Colombo needs to backup its military gains against the LTTE with a political devolution package that satisfies the aspiration of Tamils within a united Sri Lanka

Underlining the importance of the Indian ocean region Antony said, It is imperative for our armed forces to ensure that the sea lanes of communication are not dominated by any one power to the exclusion of others’.

Antony said the Government is trying its best to provide financial resources, surveillance equipment and adequate manpower to bolster Coastal Security and asked the services to make optimum use of available resources both in terms of infrastructure and manpower. He said the onus lies on security forces, intelligence agencies and coastal police stations to work in tandem. (ANI)

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New Resource Bank Appoints Vincent Siciliano as CEO

April 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Chief Executive Brings 30 Years of Banking Experience

SAN FRANCISCO–(Business Wire)–
New Resource Bank has tapped Vincent Siciliano, a longtime finance executive who
has held the top spot at several California banks, as its new chief executive
officer.

“We are pleased to have such a qualified and values-aligned CEO join the bank
and its dedicated staff,” said New Resource`s recently appointed Chairman of the
Board Mark A. Finser.

Mr. Siciliano brings a wealth of management experience to New Resource Bank. He
served as Chief Executive Officer at International Savings Bank, San Diego`s
largest local savings and loan; President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Danielson Trust, a $1.5 billion trust company providing investment management
services, and as Chief Operating Officer at First National Bank.

In 2001, he was hired as the CEO of 1st Pacific Bank of California. Under his
management, 1st Pacific was named the best-performing de novo bank in California
by The Findley Reports, a banking consulting firm.

A long-time environmentalist, Mr. Siciliano double majored in Human Biology and
Environmental Engineering at Stanford, and received a Master`s Degree in
Environmental Planning at the University of California at Berkeley. He also
worked for the California Coastal Commission and the federal equivalent program
in Washington, D.C. Mr. Siciliano and his wife Susan live in San Francisco.

As CEO of New Resource Bank, Mr. Siciliano says he will keep the bank focused on
providing high-level customer service and supporting clients engaged in green
and sustainable enterprises.

“I`ve learned through the years that a bank`s success is measured in the
achievements of its clients,” said Mr. Siciliano. “New Resource Bank has
established an impressive track record in a short period of time, funding some
of the most innovative, creative and sustainable businesses in California. I am
proud and excited to now be leading the effort to enhance New Resource Bank`s
stature as a new model of lending institution focused on a triple bottom line -
one that balances a commitment to the community and the environment as well as
economic interests for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.”

New Resource Bank opened in late 2006 as a bank built “by the people and for the
people” of their community. The founding organizers and initial shareholders
brought together an unparalleled blend of proven entrepreneurial success along
with banking expertise and community leadership.

Currently, the bank has over $170 million in assets and serves over 2,000
clients.

New Resource Bank received a “Reader`s Choice Award” by San Francisco Magazine
in 2008 and this year won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency`s
Environmental Award.

For more information, visit www.newresourcebank.com.

New Resource Bank
Rosita Nunes, 415-995-8125

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Cleaning up oil spills can be bad for fish

April 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, April 14 (ANI): A new research has shown that chemicals commonly used to clean up oil spills make oil far more toxic to fish, particularly for eggs and young fish.

According to a report by Discovery News, the research was done by Fish toxicologist Professor Peter Hodson of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and colleagues.

Scientists already debate about how best to clean up spills. The new work makes those decisions even more complicated and controversial.

“While you can see the risk on the surface, appreciating risk under the surface is much more difficult,” said Hodson. “You’re trading off one set of risks that are fairly clear for another set of risks that are not so clear,” he added.

Oil and water don’t normally mix. So, when a truck, train, or ship accidentally dumps its cargo into a lake, stream or sea, the oil sits on top of the water and spreads across its surface.

The slick substance then flows with the currents and tides, poisoning the animals it encounters along its way.

To find out just how dangerous dispersed oil might be to fish, Hodson and colleagues performed a series of laboratory experiments with beakers that were meant to simulate contaminated lakes.

In all of the beakers, the scientists mixed water with diesel oil, then added newly hatched trout. In some beakers, the scientists added a dispersing agent.

Their analyses showed that dispersants greatly increased the amount of hydrocarbons that could affect fish.

In turn, that extra dose of exposure made the oil 100 times more toxic to the animals.

Toxicity was measured as an elevated enzyme response in the livers of the fish.

Exposure to dispersed oil doesn’t kill a lot of fish. Instead, it either kills eggs before they hatch or leads to damage or deformities in juvenile fish.

Compared to the horrifying appearance of oil-drenched birds on beaches, it can be hard to catch the attention of the public – or even of cleanup managers – with such subtle and hidden health effects.

“What he’s saying, and he’s correct, is that it could be way more fish fingerlings or eggs that are impacted than you’d ever impact birds,” said Dr Nancy Kinner, co-director of the Coastal Response Research Center at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. “It kind of adds fuel to the discussion,” she added.

Another message of the study is that, when it comes to accidents that involve oil, there are no easy answers and no happy endings. (ANI)

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Navy to hold meeting to review coastal security on Monday

April 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Visakhapatnam, Apr 12 (ANI): Naval commanders will meet in the port city of Visakhapatnam on Monday to review the coastal security situation.

The commanders are likely to talk about the special security measures laid down by the government.

The meeting in Visakhapatnam, which is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, holds a vital importance as the government has handed over the complete responsibility of the maritime security apparatus to the Navy.

The government had made this move after the Mumbai terror attacks exposed the lack of coordination among security agencies.

According to sources, the developments made in the security network and planning for the future would also form a part of the discussions in the meeting.

The meeting to be headed by the Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta is also expected to discuss Navy’s acquisition plans.

After the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the government named Coast Guard (CG) chief as the head of the newly set up Coastal Command.

Apart from authorizing the Naval commanders to act as Coastal Defence Commanders, the government also provided the Navy with a 1,000-men ‘Sagar Prahari Bal’ for securing its installations and create a new north-western region for the CG in Gujarat.

The government has also promised to increase the number of ships, aircraft, helicopters, bases and manpower for both the Navy and the CG. (ANI)

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Goa Congress objects to NCP’s Pawar-as-PM campaign

April 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Panaji, April 9 (IANS) The Congress party, which has a seat-sharing arrangement with the Nationalist Congress Party in Goa, Thursday objected to NCP workers’ statements that their party chief Sharad Pawar would be the prime minister if the coalition wins.

‘The Congress wants to make it amply clear that we do not subscribe to these views. Manmohan Singh is the only prime ministerial candidate as far as our party is concerned,’ Goa Congress spokesperson Vishnu Wagh told mediapersons here.

Pawar’s party had neither manpower nor any network in Goa and it was the Congress which was going all out to root for their consensus candidate Jitendra Deshprabhu, he said.

‘Therefore, the NCP leaders should exercise caution when they speak about a serious issue like who will lead the country if the alliance wins,’ Wagh said.

Meanwhile, Wagh, whose controversial appointment as media advisor to the Department of Information and Publicity has been terminated by the Election Commission, said he would defy the ruling and continue to attend office. The poll panel had said the appointment violated the model code of conduct.

‘The EC has paid no heed to the principle of natural justice, before pronouncing the order. I was not even asked for a say. I will continue to visit my office, unless I am specifically told not to by the administration,’ Wagh said.

The Election Commission has censured the chief minister and four ministers for assuring 2,000-odd families living in Goa’s coastal areas that the Congress-led alliance government would save their homes from demolition due to Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations.

Wagh said: ‘The EC does not know anything about CRZ violations. There is nothing wrong with a government assuring its people that their homes will not be razed due to CRZ violations.’

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BHEL upbeat on biz despite slowdown

April 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Despite the slowdown, the state-owned BHEL says it is flush with orders for supply of equipment to the power and other industrial sectors. “The order inflow has been phenomenal in spite of slowdown and we have a order book of Rs 59,687 crore,” BHEL chairman and managing director Ravi Kumar told a news conference on Thursday.

The company, he said, has secured orders worth Rs 10,254 crore in 2008-09 in captive power, transportation, power transmission, oil and amp; gas and other industrial segments. BHEL also received bulk orders for 40 transformers from Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd, a Tata Power special purpose vehicle, for executing the 4,000 MW ultra mega power project at Mundra.

BHEL’s profit after tax (PAT) increased 6.29 per cent in the financial year ended March 31, 2009, to Rs 3,039 crore over the corresponding period a year ago. The company had a PAT of Rs 2,859 crore in 2007-08.

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Rising CO2 may benefit world’s coastal wetlands

March 24, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, March 24 (ANI): In a paradoxical finding, scientists have discovered that an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) may ironically counterbalance some of its negative effects on coastal wetlands, which are the planet’s most valuable ecosystems.

The team conducted their study for two years (2006 – 2007), during which they focused on the role that organic matter, both growing and decaying, plays on soil elevation in wetlands and the effect CO2 has on this process.

Coastal wetlands must build upward through the accumulation of mineral and organic matter to maintain a constant elevation relative to water levels; otherwise, they will drown and disappear.

Climate change, however, is causing acceleration in the rise of sea level, which would seemingly put wetlands at risk of excessive flooding.

“Our findings show that elevated CO2 stimulates plant productivity, particularly below ground, thereby boosting marsh surface elevation,” said Adam Langley, the research paper’s lead author, who is the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland.

According to Patrick Megonigal, the paper’s corresponding author, “We found that by stimulating root growth, thus raising a marsh’s soil elevation, elevated CO2 may also increase the capacity for coastal wetlands to tolerate relative rises in sea level.”

These findings bear particular importance given the threat of accelerating sea-level rise to coastal wetlands worldwide.

To examine how CO2 may interact with other factors that will accompany sea-level rise, the authors also manipulated CO2, salinity and flooding in a companion greenhouse study.

The team of scientists from the Smithsonian Institution and the US Geological Survey added CO2 gas to a tidal marsh at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

The gas flowed continuously from the bottom upward through the top of large (two-meter diameter) cylinders surrounding marsh plots.

Half of the plots also received added soil nitrogen, simulating increasing water pollution, which tended to diminish the positive effects of elevated CO2 on marsh surface elevation.

Changes in elevation were measured with an instrument developed by the US Geological Survey that can detect changes in elevation as little as one millimeter.

According to Langley, “Elevated CO2 doubled the short-term rate of elevation gain in our marsh. Our next step is to determine whether this will continue in the long-term and in the face of actual sea-level rise and other climatic changes.” (ANI)

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ISI could infiltrate through Sri Lanka: Chidambaram

February 25, 2009 By Dinesh Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The government is alive to the threat of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) attempting to infiltrate its operatives into south India via Sri Lanka and has taken steps to counter this, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday.

‘There is no specific report of an infiltration attempt via Sri Lanka but we cannot rule this out,’ Chidambaram said during question hour in the Rajya Sabha. ‘We are aware that the ISI has a rather long arm and can reach out to other countries in south Asia.’

In this context, he noted that all applications made in Sri Lanka for an Indian visa were being put through ‘greater scrutiny’.

This apart, coastal vigilance had been ‘significantly strengthened’ in Tamil Nadu and Kerala post the Mumbai terror attacks, Chidambaram said.

He was responding to a supplementary from D. Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) whether the government was aware that with the growing cooperation between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, ‘the ISI could become active and target the southern coast’.
Indo Asian News Service

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Coastal security being strengthened, says government

February 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Feb.18 (ANI): Coastal security across the country is being strengthened through a series of measures, the government revealed on Wednesday.

Radhika V. Selvi, Minister of State of Home, told members of the Rajya Sabha that several meetings have been held in the ministries of Home, Defence, Shipping, Road Transport and Highways and Agriculture to review, upgrade and strengthen the coastal security of the country.

The following major decisions have been taken:

The task of guarding the Indian coastline right from the shoreline (High Tide Line) has been entrusted to the Coast Guard. However, the responsibility of overall maritime security rests with the Indian Navy.

Coastal States/UTs have been directed to expedite the implementation of the approved Coastal Security Scheme such as early completion of construction of coastal police stations, check posts, out-posts and barracks apart from sanctioning, recruitment and training of executive and technical manpower.

The coastal States and UTs have been directed to immediately start coastal patrolling by locally hired fishing boats/trawlers, charges being reimbursable by MHA.

The coastal States/UTs have been directed to carry out vulnerability/gap analysis on their coasts in consultation with Coast Guard, and furnish their additional requirements for formulation of a comprehensive proposal for further approval of the Government of India.

Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways has been directed to streamline the process of registration of all types of vessels, i.e., fishing as well as non-fishing vessels, and also to ensure fitting/provision of navigational and communication equipments on these boats.

Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairies and Fisheries is taking steps to issue ID cards to all the fishermen. The Registrar General of India (RGI) is also issuing ID cards under Multi-purpose National Identity Card (MNICs) Scheme to all the population in the coastal villages including fishermen. (ANI)

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Chidambaram to visit Kerala, Maharashtra on Monday

February 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Feb 6 (ANI): Home Minister P. Chidambaram will visit Kerala and Maharashtra on Monday.

He will inaugurate a Coastal Police Station at Neendakara near Kollam in Kerala.

Later, he will hold discussions with Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and senior State Government officers on security-related issues, particularly those specific to the State.

In the evening, the Union Home Minister will have similar discussions with Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and senior officers of the State Government in Mumbai. (ANI)

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Boy, 16, becomes third to die of bird flu in China this year

January 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Beijing – A 16-year-old boy died Tuesday of bird flu, becoming the third person in China in a little more than two weeks to succumb to the disease.

The boy died of H5N1 in Huaihua in the central province of Hunan, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing provincial health officials. They said he had contact with poultry, it reported.

Earlier, a senior government virus expert warned of an “epidemic” and said more human infections were expected.

Shu Yuelong, vice director of virus control and prevention with the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said prevention measures must be improved and called on China’s people to avoid contact with poultry, especially sick or dead birds.

A 27-year-old woman died Saturday of avian flu in the eastern coastal province of Shandong while a 19-year-old woman died January 5 in Beijing.

A 2-year-old girl is also in critical condition with the disease in a hospital in the northern province of Shanxi.

Before China reported its three deaths this year, the UN’s World Health Organization had confirmed 248 human bird-flu fatalities from 394 infections in 15 Asian and African countries. China’s recent deaths brought its bird-flu fatalities to 23 from 34 infections.

The latest victim was only identified by his family name, Wu. Xinhua said he become sick on January 8 in the south-western province of Guizhou and was transferred to a Huaihua hospital Friday.

Most people who have contracted bird flu have come in close contact with infected poultry, but experts said they fear that the virus could mutate into a form that could be easily passed from human to human, resulting in a worldwide pandemic. (dpa)

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Pair rescued after drifting in polystyrene box

January 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Sydney – Two sailors from Myanmar rescued by an Australian coastal patrol boat claim they had drifted for 25 days in a polystyrene box without food and water, news reports said Tuesday.

Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins said the men were on a 12-metre Thai fishing boat with 18 others that it sank in rough seas December 23.

“That’s the story that we’ve been given by the two survivors,” Jiggins told national broadcaster ABC. “Both of them have been very adamant about their story, so we can only take their story on face value and follow through on the information they have provided to us.”

The pair, who were picked up on Saturday in the Torres Strait, are hospitalized on Thursday Island in far-north Queensland for treatment of dehydration. (dpa)

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Government reviews coastal security

December 29, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Dec. 29 : The Government on Monday held a high-level meeting on coastal security and took stock of the measures to plug loopholes in this route, as a step to tighten security at the sea-front.

Attending the meeting the National Security Adviser (NSA) M. K. Narayanan, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta, BSF Director General M. L. Kumawat and representatives of Navy and Coast Guards, had a detailed discussion on the situation along the coastline and the steps being taken to beef up security in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes.

The 10 terrorists, who stormed Mumbai on November 26 had come from Karachi via the sea route.

“The Home Ministry reviewed the coordination among central security agencies, state police, the navy and the coast guard. The meeting had a threadbare discussion about the security requirements, including fast-moving vessels and sophisticated naval equipment to protect Indian waters,” said a Home Ministry official.

The government has been giving top priority to coastal security, considering the vulnerability of the 7,516 km-long Indian coastline, and is trying to plug all loopholes on this front in view of repeated intelligence inputs of security threats.

Besides, the Centre is giving emphasis on speedy implementation of the coastal security scheme being implemented since 2005-06.

The Union Home Ministry had launched a coastal security scheme over two years ago and sanctioned 73 police stations in nine coastal states and four Union Territories.
(ANI)

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Four killed, three missing in Egypt-Gaza tunnel collapse

November 3, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Cairo – Four people were killed and three went missing in the collapse of an underground tunnel Sunday north of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, security sources said.

Sources from the militant group Hamas informed Egyptian authorities of the incident.

Egypt is still searching for the missing people inside the tunnel, the source said.

The identities of the dead and missing were not immediately known, the source said.

Four Palestinians were injured and hospitalized earlier Sunday after the collapse of another tunnel, according to Palestinian medical sources.

Tunnels on the Egyptian border have become common ways to get food and fuel into the Gaza Strip, which Israel blockaded after Hamas took over the coastal territory last year.

Israel has demanded that Egypt do more to prevent smuggling into Gaza, and Egypt publicizes its efforts to close the tunnels. (dpa)

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