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Stock Building Supply Purchases Assets of National Home Centers, Inc.

April 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Acquisition Expands National Footprint, Positions Stock for Recovery in
Residential Construction
RALEIGH, N.C.–(Business Wire)–
Stock Building Supply announced today that it acquired the assets of National
Home Centers, Inc., a leading supplier of building materials in Arkansas,
continuing Stock`s strategy of strengthening and expanding operations in advance
of a housing recovery.

“We are pleased to complete this transaction and look forward to working with
our new colleagues in central and northwest Arkansas,” said Joe Appelmann,
President and CEO. “Stock transformed its operating model over the past year to
become a leaner, more focused organization. This process has allowed us to seize
significant opportunities like National Home Centers. We will continue to
explore intelligent growth options both in our core markets and elsewhere if
opportunities arise.”

Since The Gores Group, LLC acquired a majority stake in Stock in May 2009, the
company has used the downturn in new construction to restructure its operations
and strengthen its finances. Targeted acquisitions like National Home Centers
expand Stock`s national footprint, which includes 19 markets with strong
long-term growth forecasts.

Dwain Newman, former Chairman and CEO of National Home Centers, stated, “Today
is an exciting milestone for National Home Centers. We are proud to be part of a
company with a strong financial position and a promising future. Stock has a
strong record of improving its own operations despite difficult market
conditions and this transaction will allow National Home Centers to realize its
full capabilities. The partnership with Stock allows us to remain fully
committed to serving our customers with quality products and services.”

Ken Greene has been appointed Market Manager for Stock`s Arkansas operations.
Greene has served in numerous positions within Stock including key posts in
operations and sourcing.

Background

National Home Centers filed a voluntary petition for federal bankruptcy
reorganization on December 8, 2009. Stock entered into an asset purchase
agreement with National Home Centers on February 26, 2010, acting as a “stalking
horse” bidder for the purchase of substantially all of the assets of National
Home Centers pursuant to Section 363 of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
On April 2, 2010, the Bankruptcy court approved the sale of the assets to Stock,
and Stock completed the transaction on April 5, 2010.

About Stock Building Supply

Raleigh, NC-based Stock Building Supply is a leading supplier of building
materials to professional home builders and contractors in the United States.
Stock operates out of 19 markets including Washington, DC, Paradise, PA,
Richmond, VA, Raleigh-Durham, NC, Charlotte, NC, Winston-Salem/Greensboro, NC,
Greenville, SC, Columbia, SC, Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX, Amarillo, TX, Houston,
TX, Lubbock, TX, San Antonio, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Salt Lake City, UT, Southern
Utah, Northeast Idaho, and Los Angeles, CA. For more information, visit
www.stockbuildingsupply.com.

About The Gores Group, LLC

Founded in 1987, The Gores Group, LLC is a private equity firm focused on
acquiring controlling interests in mature and growing businesses which can
benefit from the firm’s operating experience and flexible capital base. The firm
combines the operational expertise and detailed due diligence capabilities of a
strategic buyer with the seasoned M&A team of a traditional financial buyer. The
Gores Group, LLC has become a leading investor having demonstrated over time a
reliable track record of creating substantial value in its portfolio companies
alongside management. The firm’s current private equity fund has committed
equity capital of $2.7 billion. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Gores Group,
LLC maintains offices in Boulder, CO, and London. For more information, visit
www.gores.com

For Stock Building Supply
Nadine Keutzer
919-431-1750
or
For The Gores Group, LLC
Frank Stefanik
310-209-3010
or
Terry Fahn
Sitrick And Company
310-788-2850

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: acquisitions, bankruptcy, construction, National Home, strategy

NASA fuels space shuttle Discovery for launch

April 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., April 5 (Reuters) – NASA fueled space shuttle Discovery for launch early on Monday, hoping to kick off a 13-day resupply flight to the International Space Station.

Liftoff was set for 6:21 a.m. EDT (1021 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

With an 80 percent chance of good weather for the launch, technicians pumped 500,000 gallons (1.9 million litres) of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the shuttle’s fuel tank for the 8.5-minute climb into orbit.

If the shuttle launches on time, it will link up with the orbiting space station on Wednesday.

The station, a $100 billion project of 16 nations, is nearing completion after more than a decade of construction 220 miles (350 km) above Earth.

After Discovery’s flight, three shuttle missions remain to finish outfitting the orbital outpost.

NASA is preparing to retire Discovery and sister ships Atlantis and Endeavour by the end of the year due to cost and safety concerns. The shuttles have been the cornerstone of the U.S. human space flight program since 1981.

“We’ve managed to do tremendous things that could never have been done without the shuttle — building the space station and working with the Hubble (space telescope),” Discovery commander Alan Poindexter said in a prelaunch interview. “It’s just been a spectacular experience.”

What will follow is uncertain. President Barack Obama’s administration is planning to ax a $108-billion program to return astronauts to the moon in the 2020s. Obama plans to visit Florida on April 15 to rally support for a revamped space program built around technology development, environmental monitoring and commercial space initiatives.

Obama’s proposals include adding $6 billion to NASA’s budget over the next five years to seed development of space taxis to ferry astronauts to and from the space station.

With the shuttle’s retirement, Russia’s Soyuz capsules will the only vehicles available for crew transport, a service that costs the United States $51 million per seat.

The only other country that has launched people into orbit is China, which is not a member of the space station partnership.

Discovery’s four-man, three-woman crew will be delivering about 10 tons of equipment and supplies to the station, including an ammonia cooling system, a washroom, experiment racks and a freezer to hold experiment samples.

In addition to Poindexter, the crew includes pilot James Dutton, spacewalkers Rick Mastracchio and Clay Anderson, flight engineer Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, mission specialist Stephanie Wilson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki. (Editing by Tom Brown and Chris Wilson)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Barack Obama, construction, discovery, Florida, retirement, Soyuz capsules

Over-50s are now Britian’s biggest drinkers

April 5, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, April 5 (ANI): A survey has found that Britons over 50 are a generation of regular drinkers, with 44 percent of them enjoying a drink a few times a week, compared to just 32 percent of those in their 20s.

The survey found that men were more frequent drinkers than women, with 48 percent drinking often compared to 33 percent of the opposite sex.

And the thirstiest region is the northwest of England where 45 per cent of all people say they drink frequently.

“This really explodes the stereotype of the younger generations being heavier drinkers. Actually, the over-50s enjoy drinking more regularly,” the Daily Express quoted James Endersby of Opinium Research, which conducted the survey, as saying.

According to experts, middle-class and middle-aged drinkers have more disposable income to spend on wine and beer as well as more leisure time in which to drink.

But high prices in pubs have led to many over-50s opting to drink at home where they are tempted to finish a bottle of wine at night.

Occupation gives a clue to drinking habits, the research found, with nearly six in ten people working in media, publishing and entertainment drinking frequently.

More than half of those in the construction trade also drink regularly. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: construction, James Endersby, occupation, Opinium Research, survey

Shin-Etsu to build $1.1 bln PVC material plant

April 5, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

TOKYO, April 5 (Reuters) – Japan’s Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd (4063.T) said it plans to spend about 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) to build a new plant to produce vinyl chloride monomer, material for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production.

Basic Materials

Shin-Etsu is the world’s largest maker of PVC, widely used to make pipes and construction materials.

Shin-Etsu, also the world’s No.1 maker of silicon wafers, plans to build the new vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) factory at its manufacturing site in the U.S. state of Louisiana by 2011, a company spokesman said.

The new plant will have a capacity to make 800,000 tonnes of VCM a year, and Shin-Etsu will use its own fund to finance the construction, he said.

Shares in Shin-Etsu were up 3.3 percent at 5,670 yen, outperforming the Nikkei average .N225, which gained 0.5 percent.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: construction, monomer, polyvinyl chloride, Shin-Etsu, spokesman

Ethiopia denies huge dam will leave 200,000 hungry

April 3, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

* Government says experts have surveyed area

* Group says dam will disrupt fishing and farming

By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA, April 2 (Reuters) – Ethiopia rejected allegations that building one of Africa’s biggest hydropower dams would leave 200,000 self-sufficient people reliant on aid.

Rights group Survival International (SI) said last week the dam would disrupt fishing and farming for tribal people, among them the Kwegu and Hamar tribes, and a group of charities have launched an online petition against the dam.

“We have made an extensive survey,” government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said late on Thursday.

“Highly renowned, independent experts have assured that the construction of the dam in no way causes concern for people living around there,” he said. He did not name the experts involved in the survey.

An SI researcher who did not want to be named told Reuters last week the dam would ruin the economy of those living near it.

“It will end the annual flooding some rely on to make the land they farm fertile, and for tribes who rely on fishing, it will deplete stocks. They will need aid.”

Shimeles said the project had the backing of neighbouring Kenya, despite SI claims its construction could threaten the livelihoods of 300,000 people there.

The dam is being built on the Omo river, the main source for Kenya’s Lake Turkana.

“Various concerned bodies, including the Kenyan parliament, have endorsed the Ethiopian government’s plans and have openly criticised the position pursued by these NGOs to prevent the construction of the Gibe III dam,” Shimeles said.

Salini Costruttori, the Italian firm building the dam, this week also dismissed the accusations of rights groups saying the project would not cause drought or block the flow of water to the river, but merely redistribute it during the year.

Ethiopia is building the 1.4 billion euro ($1.9 billion) dam as part of a campaign to beat chronic power shortages and become a power exporter.

The dam is expected to generate 1,800 MW, almost doubling the country’s current capacity of just under 2,000 MW.

The Horn of Africa nation is negotiating further funding for Gibe III, whose construction began in 2006, with the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and the Italian government. (Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Myra MacDonald)

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405th installation anniversary of Sri Guru Granth Sahib

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Agra, Sep 19(ANI): People of all religions and communities gathered to celebrate the 405th anniversary of the installation of the Sikh holy scriptures, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, at Gurudwara Maithan in Agra.

This was a significant landmark for the Sikhs, as the 275-year-old handwritten scripture, whose front pages are written with gold, was put on display for the devotees.

“The Guru Granth Sahib has the preaching or ‘bani’ of famous poets like Kabir ji, Guru Ravidas ji and Baba Farid ji. It is symbol of humanity and so people of all the religions have gathered here to celebrate the ‘Prakash Parv’, the installation ceremony together,” said Kanwldeep Singh, President of Sri Gursikh Sabha.

Also on display was a miniature scripture of Guru Granth Sahib, which has been preserved at the Gurudwara Maithan for the past 15 years.

“We have Guru Granth sahib of 1 X 1 inches long. The British for the convenience of Sikh soldiers especially designed the holy book during the First World War, as they could not carry a normal sized book in the battlefield. The miniature Guru Granth Sahib was printed in Germany. It was kept in a silver box,” said Gyani Kashmir Singh, head Granthi of Gurudwara Maithan.

To mark the anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib, special prayers were also held in the Gurudwara premises, which once the house of Mai jassi that was visited by Guru Sri Tegh Bahadur.he gurudwara is currently undergoing renovation and will be expanded to facilitate the large number of devotees visiting the shrine.

A total of 20 million dollars will be spent on renovation and construction of new Gurudwara, a 100-bed hospital and a community hall.

Gurudwara Maithan also upheld the tradition of Langar, which has been followed over the centuries. Guru Arjan Dev and Mata Ganga set the precedent of preparing and serving food to the hungry, in the langar hall, where all social, economic and religious barriers collapse and all – the laborer, the lord, the peasant and the prince, are treated alike and served the same food in the same manner.

This is a practice of great social significance, and it is the key to the understanding of Sikhism. By Brijesh Sharma (ANI)

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SC extends stay on Kanshi Ram memorial construction

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 18 (ANI): Expressing dissatisfaction over the Mayawati Government’s plea, the Supreme Court on Friday extended the stay order on its earlier ruling for stoppage of work at Kanshi Ram Memorial Sthal in Lucknow.

“The affidavit is not satisfactory. The question here has many, many burning issues,” it observed during a brief hearing in the case,” a Bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal and Aftab Alam noted.t said the question was whether one could spend so much of money from the state or public exchequer for the purpose.

“Suppose today the legislature decides that 80 per cent of budgetary allocation should be spent on such works of memorials and statues…is it not justiciable,” the Bench asked.

“Serious questions arise in this petition…the cabinet and the legislature have to act under the Constitution,” the Bench added.

The next hearing in the case is on October 5th, and the parties are asked to file their responses to the affidavit by September 29th.

In a detailed affidavit filed in response to the show cause notice issued on September 11, the state government had claimed it had the highest regard for the apex court and that it believed in carrying out its directions in “letter and spirit.”

On September 8, the apex court had ruled that no further construction activities should take place at the memorials which have cost the exchequer 2,600 crore rupees.

However, media reports said construction activities were going on in full swing despite the court’s directive, following which the bench had issued a show cause notice. (ANI)

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Farmers protest against Hydro Power Project in Himachal

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rampur (HP), Sept 18 (ANI): Hundreds of residents and farmers here protested against the construction of run-of-river hydropower plant project on the river Satluj.

The campaigners called for Save Satluj drive and complained that the hydropower plant would disturb the ecological balance of the region.

“Our protest is to save our environment and our natural resources. They are being affected by the project. Because of this, the Sutlaj river will dry up, water mammals will die and the temperature of the region will also rise,” said Mohan Singh, a farmer.

Environmentalists believe that the 412MW Rampur hydropower project is not suitable to the fragile ecology of the region.

“The project will divert this river through the tunnel leaving the river bed dry which will disturb the ecological balance. This will not only affect the course of river but will also harm the crop grown in the area,” said Jai Chand, head of the Village Committee for Environment Protection.

The activists were protesting against the Rampur hydropower project authorities and the district administration.

The campaigners later staged a sit-in-protest outside the office of Sub-Divisional Magistrate demanding his intervention into the matter.

Rampur Hydropower Project will provide renewable and low carbon energy to the country’s over-stretched Northern Electricity Grid. (ANI)

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Even a simple road can turn subsistence communities into commercial hunting camps

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 13 (ANI): In a new study, scientists have found that even a simple road can turn subsistence communities into commercial hunting camps that empty rainforests of their wildlife.

The study was carried out by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the IDEAS-Universidad San Francisco de Quito at Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park.

The researchers, in the park, found that the presence of a single road in a protected area and the subsidies provided by oil companies to local people can fundamentally change how indigenous communities use their resources by providing both access to deeper parts of the forest and a cheap means of getting meat to nearby wildlife markets.

“We’ve found that a road in a forest can bring huge social changes to local groups and the ways in which they utilize wildlife resources,” said WCS and USFQ researcher Esteban Suarez, lead author of the study.

“Communities existing inside and around the park are changing their customs to a lifestyle of commercial hunting, the first stage in a potential overexploitation of wildlife,” Suarez added.

“A simple, seemingly inoffensive road can have far-reaching effects on a landscape and its people,” said Dr. Avecita Chicchon, Director of WCS’s Latin America and Caribbean Program.

“It provides hunters with more access to a wider range of forest while providing a low-cost transportation route to markets. More importantly, it plugs communities more easily into the larger economic world while creating increased demand for numerous species of animals. It is the road to unsustainability,” he added.

In the study, WCS scientists measured the levels of wild meat sold in a market in Pompeya, located about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) outside Yasuni National Park, between the years 2005-2007.

The wild meat market emerged shortly after the construction of the road.

Although road access was strictly controlled, the oil companies operating this concession provided free travel along the road for hunters from local Waorani communities, according to the study.

The availability of cheap transportation is the biggest factor in determining the large amount of wild meat making it to market from Waorani communities.

In fact, the road’s very existence prompted many Waorani to abandon their semi-nomadic lifestyle; three Waorani communities now live along the road.

Between the years of 2005 and 2007, the researchers recorded more than 11,000 kilograms (24,000 pounds) of wild meat moving through the Pompeya market each year. (ANI)

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9/11 memorial to have disturbing graphic images

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Sep. 11 (ANI): The proposed 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero is going to have 400 oak trees on the outside and disturbing graphic images of people jumping and planes hitting the towers inside the museum.

The New York Post quoted Joseph Daniels, president of the 9/11 Memorial Foundation, as saying that construction of the museum is moving forward.

The museum and memorial sprawled over eight acres is set to open in 2012.

The last column pulled out from the World Trade Center rubble has been returned to bedrock and will serve as a focal point, along with the so-called Survivors’ Stairs used by people fleeing the towers, the report says.

The Memorial Foundation has compiled 500 hours of video archives with help of a private team of filmmakers who collected professional and amateur videos from the day and its aftermath.

CameraPlanet’s archive includes a five-minute video shot in the streets of lower Manhattan on the evening of the attacks, with office stairwells filled with reams of paper and half-open offices with family pictures still inside.

A dust-covered Brooks Brothers logo is in one frame under shattered windows.

What appears to be an airliner seat is strewn in the street. “God Bless America! Unity!” is scrawled in the dust of one window. (ANI)

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MIC CWC candidate urges Indian businessmen to think big

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Petaling Jaya (Malaysia), Sep. 9 (ANI): Malaysian Indian Congress’s CWC seat hopeful Jaspal Singh has urged Malay-Indian businessmen to think big and incorporate technology into their ventures for more profit.

Singh said Indians should be prepared to work hard and take up challenges to compete at a global platform.

“Investors will come to Malaysia to open business here and we cannot be asking for protection. We must prepare ourselves to stand on our own two feet,” the Star Online quoted Singh, as saying.

Singh has been given the task of coordinating the construction of two 18-storey tower blocks in Bandar Utama which will become the new MIC headquarters.

During his campaign, Jaspal said he would strive for excellence, bring innovation to deliver change effectively and efficiently and be result-oriented.

Singh, who born in Bedong in 1962, enrolled for a engineering degree course at Universiti Malaya.

The secretary of the MIC economic bureau is credited for a development programme to assist new entrepreneurs. (ANI)

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Congress party activists court arrest in Gwalior

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Gwalior, Sep 9 (ANI): Hundreds of activists of Congress party courted arrest in Gwalior protesting against State government for power cuts, increasing crime, inadequate water supply and other local issues.

The activists, joined by several drought-hit farmers, raised slogans as women agitators protested by showing bangles to the authorities.

The protesters also scuffled with police as the ground virtually turned into a garrison.

“If fighting for undeclared power cuts, cause of poor labourers, demanding adequate water supply, road construction, etc, is a crime, then we are ready to commit such crimes more often and we are ready to go to the jail. Let the authorities come and take us away,” said Pradyuman Singh local leader.

“We are preparing the list of those arrested. Our team of 10 officials are preparing the list in the jail and only after that we can give the exact figure.But we have arrested many people and sent them by 15 buses,” said Bhagwat Singh Chauhan, Additional Superintendent of Police, Gwalior.

Congress party is the main opposition in the state, ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). (ANI)

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NREGA transforming lives in rural Mizoram

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Aizwal, Sep.8 (ANI): By generating employment opportunities through infrastructure development projects, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has helped people in rural areas of Mizoram.

In Vairengte, located about 130 km from Aizawl, the state capital, many villagers are being employed in road construction projects.

They earn rupees 103 per day.

The roads help the farmers to sell their agricultural products.

The project is being implemented in three phases to cover all the eight districts of Mizoram.

Over 100,000 job cards have been sanctioned for the current financial year (2009-10) at a cost of around rupees 1.67 billion rupees.

“This scheme is beneficial for rural people because most of the people, about 70-80 per cent doesn’t have job in Industrial or Private or Government sectors. So, this kind of scheme is very helpful for them,” said Zomingthang, Superintendent under NREGA in Mizoram.

“After the coming of NREGA, we are getting jobs. We can earn our own day-to-day livings now. The project is also aiding in the development of our village. We are very happy,” said Joeph, a local resident.

Mizoram Government has sent proposals to the Centre for other developmental schemes related to agriculture, forest, water resources, land resources and rural roads that will help in increasing the productivity of assets and resources under NREGA.

Such developmental projects are hoped to improve the living conditions of people in Mizoram. By Pinaki Das (ANI)

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SC committee: Halt Noida park construction

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 4 (ANI): The Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has recommended on Friday to halt the construction of Ambedkar Park in Noida with immediate effect.

The Mayawati Government is constructing the Bhimrao Ambedkar Park in Noida with an estimated cost of Rs.550 crore on the banks of the River Yamuna.

The committee has sighted the violation of environmental laws as the reason for such recommendation.

According to sources, the committee headed by former Union Environment Secretary, P.V. Jayakrishna has conveyed the apex court that the project does not have the required environmental clearance.

The court is expected to give its opinion on the recommendations next week.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday accused the Central Government of obstructing the dream projects of Mayawati.

The project came into the spotlight after a residents’ association of Noida moved a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the apex court raising environment issues against the construction

The apex court constituted the CEC to look into the issue following which the committee visited the site Aug 12. (ANI)

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Engineers design buildings that can stand plumb after violent quakes

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 3 (ANI): A team of engineers from the Stanford University has designed a new earthquake-resistant structural system for buildings, which will not only help a multi-story building hold itself together during a violent quake, but also return it to standing up straight on its foundation afterward, true and plumb, with damage confined to a few easily replaceable parts.

Professor Greg Deierlein, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, used the world’s largest shake table to test a new structural design that lets buildings rock during earthquakes, then pull themselves into plumb when the shaking stops, confining damage to replaceable steel “fuses.”

During testing on a massive shake table, the system survived simulated earthquakes in excess of magnitude 7, bigger than either the 1994 Northridge earthquake or the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California.

“This new structural system has the potential to make buildings far more damage resistant and easier to repair, so people could reoccupy buildings a lot faster after a major earthquake than they can now,” said Greg Deierlein, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, who led the team that designed the new system.

The system dissipates energy through the movement of steel frames that are situated around the building’s core or along exterior walls.

The frames can be part of a building’s initial design or could be incorporated into an existing building undergoing seismic retrofitting.

They are economically feasible to build, as all the materials employed are commonly used in construction today and all the parts can be made using existing fabrication methods.

“What is unique about these frames is that, unlike conventional systems, they actually rock off their foundation under large earthquakes,” Deierlein said.

The rocking frames are steel braced-frames, the columns of which are free to rock up and down within steel “shoes” secured at their base.

To control the rocking and return the frame to vertical when the shaking stops, steel tendons run down the center of the frame from top to bottom.

These tendons are made of high-strength steel cable strands twisted together and designed to remain elastic during shaking.

When shaking is over, they rebound to their normal length, pulling the building back into proper alignment.

At the bottom of the frame sit steel “fuses” designed keep the rest of the building from sustaining damage.

“The idea of this structural system is that we concentrate the damage in replaceable fuses,” Deierlein said.

The fuses are built to flex and dissipate the shaking energy induced by the earthquake, thereby confining the damage. (ANI)

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Is Pak Navy building new base for US Marines in Sindh ?

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep.3 (ANI): While the United States has repeatedly denied reports about a surge in US marines in Pakistan, an unconfirmed report has revealed that Pakistani Navy is secretly constructing operational facilities in Gharo, Sindh, which is meant to serve as a base for about 200 US marines.

Highly placed sources within the Pakistan Navy have disclosed that the Special Service Group Navy (SSGN) is constructing a massive complex in the Gharo comprising of halls, residential units, and storage facilities, the PKKH reported.

Speculations are rife that with the construction of the base near the coastal area, the SSGN would allow more US Marine ‘trainers’ to land on Pakistani soil on the pretext of training the country’s naval commanders in newly-acquired weapons and tactics.

It is worth mentioning here that Washington is planning to spend a whopping one billion dollars for revamping its main embassy building in Islamabad and increase the strength of its staff.

The Obama Administration is about to spend 405 million dollars for the reconstruction and refurbishment of the main embassy building and 111 million dollars for constructing a new complex for 330 personnel. A further 197 million dollars would be spent for construction of a housing unit for about 250 personnel.

Eighteen acres of land has already been acquired by the US for the project for a one billion rupees, and a Turkish firm has already built a 153-room compound for the embassy.

The US is also planning to send about 1000 additional staff to Pakistan, where 750 US officials are already stationed against a sanctioned strength of only 350 personnel.

But what is more worrying for Islamabad is that this surge would also boost the number of Marines by over 350.

However, Washington, time and again, has rejected reports regarding stationing of Marines in Islamabad. (ANI)

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Maoists attack private plant in Bihar, kidnap security guards

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Patna, Sep 2 (ANI): About 400 armed Maoists attacked a plant owned by a private road construction firm and kidnapped six security guards on Wednesday in the Jamui district of Bihar.

The Jamui district comes under the Maoist affected areas of the state.

According to Additional Director General of Police Neelamani, the red ultras raided the SMPL’s plant at Hariondhi village and damaged pay loaders and three trucks.

Neelamani confirmed the kidnapping of six private security guards of the company by the Naxals.

The non-payment of ransom demanded by the Maoists from the private firm owner was said to be the reason behind the attack, Neelmani said

The Special Task Force (STF) And the District armed policemen had an encounter with the Maoists for some time after the incident, but they managed to escape into the thick forest area on Jamui-Chakai road, sources said. (ANI)

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Chattisgarh seeks central assistance for development in Maoist hit areas

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Raipur, Sep 2 (ANI): The Chhattisgarh Government on Wednesday placed a demand for grant of Rs 94.22 crore from the Central Government to develop educational facilities in the Maoist- affected areas.

According to State Government sources, Chief Minister Raman Singh himself put the demand before Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kantilal Bhuria when the duo met here.

According to sources, Singh also submitted the details of assistance anticipated by the State Government to Bhuria.

Singh informed Bhuria that Chattisgarh needed central’s assistance mainly for construction of some 218 ashram schools, sources said.

State Government is also looking for the assistance to the programmes of job-oriented training to the unemployed tribal youths and constructing houses for the tribals,” sources added.

The State Tribal Welfare Department-run ashram schools are basically residential schools where all the needs of the students will be looked after by the state government.

Unfortunately many of the Ashram Schools became the victims of Maoist attacks, especially in the Bastar region where the red ultras are in dominating position.

The red rebels demolished dozens of such school buildings in the interiors of Bastar region, which is spread out over 40,000 sq km.

The Maoist claims that they blow up the school complexes because they provided shelter to the forces involved in anti-naxal operations, sources said. (ANI)

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Bhajji fined for breaking Chandigarh traffic rules with his Hummer

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sep. 1 (ANI): Driving his dream Hummer landed Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh in trouble on Tuesday, when he was fined by Chandigarh traffic police for using the vehicle without a valid number plate.

Singh had to pay a 3000-rupee fine for the offence, according to reports.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (traffic), H S Doon, told reporters that this episode would promote better traffic sense among the general public.

The off-spinner became the latest Indian cricketer to buy the American SUV after skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Harbhajan imported the car from England, which costs about 70 lakh rupees in India. After paying the duty, the cost of the vehicle has come to one crore rupees.

While Dhoni’s Hummer is silver in colour, Harbhajan has opted for a “Black Beauty”.

Harbhajan is also looking forward to shifting to a new home.

The house is under construction in the New Baradari area of the city. The plot was given by the state government for his outstanding performance in the 2001 home series against Australia.

However, he has no plans to sell off his ancestral home where he was brought up.

“It has memories of my late father Sardev Singh,” he said. (ANI)

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Only four percent Israelis think Obama is pro-Israel: Poll

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Jerusalem, Aug. 28 (ANI): Only four percent Israelis consider the policies of President Barack Obama as pro-Israel, a Smith Research poll conducted by The Jerusalem Post has revealed.

More than half (51 percent) of Jewish Israelis consider Obama’s administration more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israel, according to the survey, while 35 percent consider it neutral.

The support for Obama Administration has fallen 2 percent from an earlier poll published in the paper.

In June, 6 percent Israelis had viewed the policies of the Obama administration more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli, while less than four in 10 said the policies were neutral.

The poll of 500 people representing a statistical model of the Jewish Israeli population had a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

Obama’s popularity among Israelis has been plummeting since a May 17 Post poll on the eve of a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Obama at the White House.

The new poll was taken on Monday and Tuesday, before reports that Obama had agreed to exclude Jerusalem from a deal with Netanyahu on a construction freeze and to allow construction of essential public buildings, such as schools, to continue in Judea and Samaria.

The poll asked Jewish Israelis whether they would support freezing settlement construction for a year as part of an American-brokered deal.

Fifty percent said no, 41 percent said yes and 9 percent did not express an opinion. (ANI)

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