Airshow-Boeing Dreamliner makes first overseas landing

July 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

England, July 18 (Reuters) – Boeing’s (BA.N) new 787 Dreamliner touched down in Britain on Sunday on its first trip outside the United States, thrilling hordes of eager planespotters who came out to see the breakthrough carbon-composite plane.

It is expected to take the spotlight at next week’s Farnborough Airshow and was the talk of British TV and Twitter in the moments leading up to its landing. Last-minute technical issues had raised some fears in recent weeks that the plane might not make its long-anticipated trip to the show.

The aircraft promises greater fuel efficiency, and its lightweight materials and innovative design have captured the imagination of both the industry and the broader aviation fan community. Dozens of journalists and throngs of flight enthusiasts assembled near the runway to watch the landing. (Reporting by Kyle Peterson, Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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Europe, UK flights delayed until Sunday

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Qantas estimates flights to Europe and the UK will not be operating again until Sunday as a result of volcanic ash blasting out of an Icelandic glacier.

The volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier is spewing a plume of grey ash up to 10 kilometres high across the Atlantic, closing major airports more than 2,000 kilometres away in the most extensive shutdown of airspace since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

The entire airspace in the UK, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden is closed and there are partial closures in France and Finland.

Qantas has cancelled today’s flights to London and Frankfurt and over 1,500 travellers are now stranded in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok airports waiting for a connecting flight.

Airline spokesman David Epstein says passengers trying to get to Europe from Australia should not fly to Asia as all hotels there are booked out.

He says passengers travelling in the next few days should not go to the airport unless the airline has directed them to do so.

“We’d urge you to go to qantas.com,” he said.

“People travelling with us in the next few days, don’t got to the airport until you have confirmed with us.

“It is going to take some time [to] work through the backlog of flights coming in from Europe.”

Qantas passenger and New South Wales Liberal Party Director, Mark Neeham, flew into Singapore early this morning only to be told his flight to the United Kingdom will not be taking off until Saturday night.

But Mr Neeham says he is grateful he has been put up in a hotel and does not have to wait at the airport.

“Just as you came off the aircraft what greeted you was the hordes of people wandering around, people laying against the walls, laying against seats, every bit of floor space available somebody was sitting on it or asleep on it so it was not a pleasant place to be,” he said.

Rhianne Hole was due to leave Melbourne Airport to visit family in Wales.

She says she is annoyed the airline told her to reschedule the flights herself.

“Not happy at all, the fact that we have to call the reservation line and do it ourselves like they should… if they’re sending us home they should be rebooking the flights for us,” she said.

Mr Epstein says Qantas is at the mercy of the volcano and then the British authorities.

He says Qantas has provided the passengers stranded in Asia with meal vouchers and accommodation.

“We are working through the situation with them. Whether they want to remain in situ in Asia … or whether they want to return home,” he said.

But he says accommodation in Asia is already under pressure as the number of stranded tourists increases.

Mr Epstein says Qantas has experience operating around volcanic activities and he says there will be no flights until officials say there is no threat to safety.

“Qantas does have some experience in dealing with volcanic activities. Our meteorological people pay a lot attention to volcanic activity,” he said.

Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverised rock, which can melt in plane engines, causing a loss of power.

The flight safety officer for the British Airline Pilots’ Association, Dave Reynolds, says the problem with the ash is not confined to it getting into engines.

“Also as significantly, the ash can get inside the aircraft’s instrument systems and under conditions where the pilots are using their instruments to fly the aircraft, they’ll find themselves in the very dangerous situation of not being able to have reliable instruments,” he said.

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iPad, a day before launch, still awaits the rush

April 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

* Few lines at stores so far, in contrast to iPhone launch

Stocks | Media

* Pre-ordering of Apple’s new tablet device cuts crowds

* IPad sellouts expected this weekend

By Gabriel Madway

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – Apple’s (AAPL.O) iPad has generated a flood of hype since its unveiling in January, but a day ahead of its official launch the crowds have yet to arrive, a contrast to the iPhone launch three years ago.

At mid-afternoon Friday, only a smattering of customers had lined up at stores in New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In fairness, unlike the iPhone’s debut in 2007, there wasn’t necessarily any reason to stand in line for the iPad ahead of Saturday’s 9 a.m. launch, at least for those who planned ahead.

Apple has been taking pre-orders for the iPad since mid-March, guaranteeing those who ordered online that they would get one of the company’s new tablet devices on Saturday, either for pickup at a store or via home delivery.

IPad sellouts are widely expected this weekend. Pre-orders may have made the iPad launch more efficient for customers, but it may have also succeeded in reducing some of the buzz generated by hordes of people standing in line a day before.

Of course, there are always some folks hearty enough to wait overnight. At Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, around 10 people were in line Friday afternoon. They came armed with beach chairs, umbrellas, jackets, McDonald’s fast food, camping mats and other first-day-of-sale survival gear.

The iPad is Apple’s most important launch since the iPhone. Wall Street is keen to gauge consumer response to the device, and the crowds at Apple stores this weekend could provide an early indication of its popular appeal.

It was all quiet at the Apple store on upscale Bolyston Street in Boston at midday.

Visiting Londoners Mark and Angela Rebbettes said at the store that they would likely swing back by on Saturday morning and try to get a look at the iPad.

“I think everyone’s interested,” said Mark Rebbettes, a salesman. Ultimately he thought he would buy one, although she didn’t understand the point of the device.

Analysts say the company has already received several hundred thousands pre-orders, with first year sales estimated at anywhere from 4 million to 7 million.[ID:nN29117228]

THE BIG DAY

Apple has staked much of its reputation on the iPad, pitched as a revolutionary new category of device: a lightweight mobile computer that strives to combine the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

The iPad is a sleek 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that resembles an oversized iPhone and runs on the same operating system. It starts at $499 for a short-range Wi-Fi model and tops out at more than $800 for a high-speed, go-anywhere 3G-enabled version.

It is designed for consuming all sorts of media, from games and video, to electronic books and magazines. Analysts say content deals are key to the iPad’s success. [ID:nN29117228]

The iPad can use most of the roughly 150,000 apps already available for the iPhone, and more than 1,000 new iPad apps are ready to go on launch day.

IPad apps include an offering from Netflix (NFLX.O) to stream movies and one from Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) ABC network that features TV shows.

There is also a slew of games from developers such as Electronic Arts (ERTS.O) and startup ngmoco. Many analysts expect the iPad to provide stiff competition for Nintendo’s (7974.OS) DS and Sony’s (6758.T) PSP handheld gaming devices.

In addition, iPad apps from the New York Times (NYT.N) and News Corp’s (NWSA.O) Wall Street Journal will offer some access to content from the two newspapers.

Apple is also launching its own digital book business that will compete with Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) Kindle.[ID:nN27203955]

AMERICAN ONLY

The iPhone set a high bar for product launches, with sales passing the 1 million mark within 74 days. Apple sold more than 2 million in the holiday quarter that year.

But IPad expectations keep climbing by the day. On Friday research group iSuppli said it expects first-year shipments to hit 7 million in 2010. Many Wall Street analysts expect Apple to sell 1 million or more iPad’s in the June quarter.

Reviews of the iPad has been largely positive, emphasizing its ample battery life and ease of use.[ID:nN01128173]

Saturday’s iPad launch is only in the United States and only for the Wi-Fi model. It will be available in nine other countries later this month.

Apple’s stock is up around 10 percent this year and has been setting new all-time highs. Analysts say that regardless of how well the launch goes, its shares are likely to slip next week as investors cash in profits. (Reporting by Gabriel Madway; additional reporting by Ros Krasny in Boston, Michelle Nichols in New York, Alexandria Sage in San Francisco and Edwin Chan in Los Angeles; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

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iPad still awaits the rush

April 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Apple’s iPad has generated a flood of hype since its unveiling in January, but a day ahead of its official launch the crowds have yet to arrive, a contrast to the iPhone launch three years ago.

Technology | Media

At mid-afternoon Friday, only a smattering of customers had lined up at stores in New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In fairness, unlike the iPhone’s debut in 2007, there wasn’t necessarily any reason to stand in line for the iPad ahead of Saturday’s 9 a.m. launch, at least for those who planned ahead.

Apple has been taking pre-orders for the iPad since mid-March, guaranteeing those who ordered online that they would get one of the company’s new tablet devices on Saturday, either for pickup at a store or via home delivery.

IPad sellouts are widely expected this weekend. Pre-orders may have made the iPad launch more efficient for customers, but it may have also succeeded in reducing some of the buzz generated by hordes of people standing in line a day before.

Of course, there are always some folks hearty enough to wait overnight. At Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, around 10 people were in line Friday afternoon. They came armed with beach chairs, umbrellas, jackets, McDonald’s fast food, camping mats and other first-day-of-sale survival gear.

The iPad is Apple’s most important launch since the iPhone. Wall Street is keen to gauge consumer response to the device, and the crowds at Apple stores this weekend could provide an early indication of its popular appeal.

It was all quiet at the Apple store on upscale Bolyston Street in Boston at midday.

Visiting Londoners Mark and Angela Rebbettes said at the store that they would likely swing back by on Saturday morning and try to get a look at the iPad.

“I think everyone’s interested,” said Mark Rebbettes, a salesman. Ultimately he thought he would buy one, although she didn’t understand the point of the device.

Analysts say the company has already received several hundred thousands pre-orders, with first year sales estimated at anywhere from 4 million to 7 million.

THE BIG DAY

Apple has staked much of its reputation on the iPad, pitched as a revolutionary new category of device: a lightweight mobile computer that strives to combine the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

The iPad is a sleek 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that resembles an oversized iPhone and runs on the same operating system. It starts at $499 for a short-range Wi-Fi model and tops out at more than $800 for a high-speed, go-anywhere 3G-enabled version.

It is designed for consuming all sorts of media, from games and video, to electronic books and magazines. Analysts say content deals are key to the iPad’s success.

The iPad can use most of the roughly 150,000 apps already available for the iPhone, and more than 1,000 new iPad apps are ready to go on launch day.

IPad apps include an offering from Netflix to stream movies and one from Walt Disney’s ABC network that features TV shows.

There is also a slew of games from developers such as Electronic Arts and startup ngmoco. Many analysts expect the iPad to provide stiff competition for Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP handheld gaming devices.

In addition, iPad apps from the New York Times and News Corp’s Wall Street Journal will offer some access to content from the two newspapers.

Apple is also launching its own digital book business that will compete with Amazon.com’s Kindle.

AMERICAN ONLY

The iPhone set a high bar for product launches, with sales passing the 1 million mark within 74 days. Apple sold more than 2 million in the holiday quarter that year.

But IPad expectations keep climbing by the day. On Friday research group iSuppli said it expects first-year shipments to hit 7 million in 2010. Many Wall Street analysts expect Apple to sell 1 million or more iPad’s in the June quarter.

Reviews of the iPad has been largely positive, emphasizing its ample battery life and ease of use.

Saturday’s iPad launch is only in the United States and only for the Wi-Fi model. It will be available in nine other countries later this month.

Apple’s stock is up around 10 percent this year and has been setting new all-time highs. Analysts say that regardless of how well the launch goes, its shares are likely to slip next week as investors cash in profits.

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; additional reporting by Ros Krasny in Boston, Michelle Nichols in New York, Alexandria Sage in San Francisco and Edwin Chan in Los Angeles; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

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EU supported urban agricultural market popular in Kerala

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Maradu (Kerala), Sept 18 (ANI): Agricultural Urban Wholesale Market at Maradu in Kerala has become popular among residents and farmers alike.

Fresh and cheap agricultural products are available here and the farmers have the storing, testing and other facilities.

The market is run by the Kerala Government and is financially aided by the European Union (EU). Fresh fruits, vegetables, spice and other agriculture produces are sold in the market.

The place is attracting hordes of customers, as the prices of products are cheaper compared to other shops.

“Most of the products sold in this market are fresh and of a good quality. Earlier, I used to go to main market. But this place is cheap, easy and products come directly from the farms as compared to other shops,” said Sebastian, a customer.

The setting up of warehousing, packaging and marine testing units for frozen or dried fish, vegetables and fruits at the Urban Market are some of the facilities available to farmers.

Prices are low since the farmers directly supply their produce in this market and own shops.

“Compared to other markets here, the prices are low as we have no labour cost involved During festival and other occasions, sellers used to charge high but here prices always remain low because we ourselves produce and later sell and for customers,” said Saji Kumar, a farmer and a shop owner.

Recently, various programmes and exhibitions have been introduced with the help of the State Government and horticulture mission to make the market more farmer-friendly.

The market was set up to improve the marketing infrastructure and enabling farmers to get a better price for their produce.

The market is developed at an area of 46 acres that can handle more than 2,500 tons of produce.

Facilities such as internet access enable the farmers keep track of the daily prices, Agmark certification for the produce is also available at the Agmark Testing Laboratory functioning at the market. By Juhan Samuel (ANI)

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Boxer Vijender Singh returns home

September 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 14 (ANI): Boxer Vijender Singh, who has won a bronze medal for the first time in the World Boxing Championship, returned to New Delhi on Sunday night.

Vijender made India proud at the World Boxing Championships in Milan on Wednesday by winning a bronze medal. He is the first Indian to win a bronze in the World Championships.

He had defeated Derevyanchenko Sergiy of Ukraine by 12-4 in quarterfinal round but lost to Attoev Abbos by 3-7 in the semi-final round of the 75-kilogram category.

Atoev had earlier lost to Vijender in the Asian Boxing Championship.

Vijender was given a warm welcome in the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Hordes of people gathered outside the airport to take a glimpse of the boxer.

The boxer was euphoric to see such a huge amount of crowd waiting to welcome him.

“It was a wonderful experience and I am quite elated to see such a grand welcome for me. It shows India has many people who love boxing. It feels nice to see that and win the medal,” said Vijender Singh.

Meanwhile, coach G S Sandhu proudly walked with his boxing champs claiming that boxing has started creating history from last year.

“Boxing is creating a history from last year starting from Olympics to Asian Boxing Championship and now in World Boxing Championship,” said G.S Sandhu. (ANI)

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Foreign tourists throng Kashmir valley

August 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Sonamarg, Aug 27 (ANI): Hordes of foreign tourists especially from Taiwan have arrived at the famous tourist destination Sonamarg in Kashmir valley to spend their holidays.

Sonamarg is a favourite destination among the tourists especially foreigners as from Sonamarg, they can go to different trekking places including Ladakh.

Presently, groups of tourists from Taiwan have installed their tents in Sonamarg because of its high mountains and waterfalls, which come from different glaciers including the Thajwas glacier.

“As this time in Taiwan, it is hot and humid. So, it is a very good change to have a vacation here because it’s a cool, dry and different climate,” said Chain, a tourist from Taiwan.

Tourists do trekking and ride ponies.

“People from foreign countries love this natural beauty. Here one can see more than 10-15 groups of foreign tourists in a day,” said Shaahnaaz, a tour operator.

The tourism director of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Shah said that unlike other countries, Kashmir is being developed keeping in mind the environment and ecology while preserving its natural beauty.

“Kashmir is a paradise for the foreigners. We have golfing, adventure tourism, water sports and angling,” said Farooq Shah.

Kashmir has been among the top Asian tourism destinations.

According to official figures, 430,000 tourists including 23,000 foreigners visited Kashmir in 2008. By Afzal Bhatt(ANI)

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Pharaohs’ tombs in Egypt may disappear in 150yrs, warns head of antiquities

August 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, August 19 (ANI): Egypt’s head of antiquities Zahi Hawass has warned that the tombs of the pharaohs in Valley of the Kings may disappear within 150 to 500 years if they remain open to tourists.

The Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, where Ancient Egypt’s royalty was mummified, is home to the tombs of legendary pharaohs such as the boy king Tutenkhamun and Queen Nefertiti.

Hawass said that humidity and fungus were eating into the walls of the royal tombs in the huge necropolis on the west bank of the Nile across from Luxor.

Pointing out that several thousand tourists visit the place every day, he said that poor ventilation and the breath of the hordes of visitors were causing damage to the carvings and painted decorations inside the tombs.

He said so while on a tour of the royal necropolis with journalists on Monday. e also revealed that the authorities had decided to close some tombs to tourists, and replace them with replicas, including those of Tutenkhamun, Nefertiti and Seti I.

According to reports, the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities have already taken a series of measures to protect the tombs, including setting up new ventilation systems and restricting the number of visitors.

“The tombs which are open to visitors are facing severe damage to both colours and the engravings,” the Telegraph quoted Hawass as saying.

“The levels of humidity and fungus are increasing because of the breath of visitors and this means that the tombs could disappear between 150 and 500 years,” he added. (ANI)

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Demolition drive to knock down illegal structures in Nainital

August 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Nainital (Uttarakhand), Aug. 9 (ANI): Civic authorities in Naintal launched a fresh demolition drive of illegal buildings and structures, which were posing a threat to the fragile landscape and environment of the region, on Sunday.

The natural beauty of Nainital that attracts hordes of tourists every year is gradually fading away with the coming up of several concrete structures, both legal and illegal.

The Supreme Court also had taken a serious view of such developments, forcing the Nainital Development Authority to knock down all these illegal structures.

“We had sealed this building in January. But, despite that, they carried on construction activities. An FIR (First Information Report) has also been lodged against this person. But, still he continued constructing. So, in the end, we had to demolish the building,” said Dheeraj Gabryal, Secretary of Nainital Development Authority.

However, one of the building owners complained that he was not given any prior notice.

“They did not give us notice. If they had given us a notice, we would not have built this,” said Ajiz Ahmed, owner of an unauthorised building.

Environmentalists have maintained that the rapid illegal construction were responsible for the decline of greenery in the city.

“The natural beauty of Nainital is extraordinary. In order to protect its beauty, we should have put a check on construction of several buildings. But, unfortunately, building after building was constructed, both legal and illegal. You can see many unauthorised buildings being demolished,” said Navin Verma, an environmentalist.

Situated at an altitude of 1,938 metres above sea level, Nainital is surrounded by mountains and boasts of a world famous lake named Naini, which is the prime attraction of the city.

Tourists in large numbers throng the city every year to catch a glimpse of its natural beauty, which unfortunately has been marred by the illegal construction activities. (ANI)

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Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Bruno’ to have special 15-certificate version

July 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, July 14 (ANI): Brit comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s film ‘Bruno’ will now also have a special 15-certificate version, after many under 18 youngsters thronged movie theatres to view it.

The move was announced by studio chiefs on July 13, after hordes of young fans had to be turned away from cinemas that were showing the above 18 version, reports the Sun.

This means that 37-year-old Cohen’s controversial comedy film will be the first to have two versions released at the same time.

Now Universal Pictures will chop one minute and 50 seconds of clips from the movie to give it a 15 rating.

The clips that will be omitted from the movie are a gay sex montage of Bruno and his co-star, him miming sex as he visits a medium, and swingers having sex at a party.

The new 15-version will be released on July 24. (ANI)

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Honeybees form ‘bee balls’ to mob and smother invading hornets

July 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, July 5 (ANI): Honeybee hordes form “bee balls” to mob and smother their predators, giant hornets, killing them within 10 minutes of trapping, scientists have observed.

According to the journal Naturwissenschaften, honeybees use heat and carbon dioxide as part of their mechanism to guard themselves from their natural enemies.

“They can survive for 10 minutes at a temperature up to 47C, and the temperature inside the bee balls does not rise higher than 46C,” the BBC quoted researcher Fumio Sakamoto, Kyoto Gakuen University in Japan, as saying.

Sakamoto, one of the authors of the study, added: “So we concluded that carbon dioxide produced inside the bee ball by the honeybees is a major factor, together with temperature, involved in the bees’ defence.”ut it was yet to be determined if the bees were “gassing” the hornets, or simply depriving them of oxygen.

He said: “Either way, the carbon dioxide increase and/or the oxygen decrease lowered the temperature that was lethal to the hornets.

“We are going to do the additional experiments about this point using mixed air of various oxygen and carbon dioxide (concentrations).” (ANI)

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George Clooney – George Clooney denies being dead

July 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, June 30 (IANS) Hollywood superstar George Clooney has joined the latest league of Hollywood A-listers to deny their own death after online hoaxers spread rumours that he had died.

The Oscar-winning actor, like actor Jeff Goldblum and singer Britney Spears, was compelled to deny his own death, following a surge of celebrity demise stories since the real passing away of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson last week, reports imdb.com.

The actor’s publicist Stan Rosenfield was bewildered when hordes of reporters rang to ask if Clooney had passed away and he insists there is no truth to the rumours.

Rosenfield added that a host of Clooney’s friends have been left upset and shaken by the erroneous claims.

The first victim to fall in the trap was Goldblum after an online stunt by pranksters insisted he had fallen to his death while filming in New Zealand just hours after the news of Jackson’s fatal cardiac arrest broke around the world.

Following suit was the news of Spears’ passing away and her representatives also had to confirm that the singer was alive and well after a hacker broke into her Twitter.com account and sent a message to her two million followers claiming she had died.

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Mumbai hosts two-day War Film festival

June 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Mumbai, June 25 (ANI): Hordes of movie enthusiasts thronged a film festival of rare and vintage war movies besides many other documentaries related to Indian independence and defence forces here.

Organised by the Films Division (FD), in cooperation with the Armed Forces Film and Photo Division (AFFPD), the two-day War Film Festival was inaugurated by Major General (retired) E D’souza who was decorated with Victoria Cross in World War-II on Thursday.

In all, 80 films on World War II, the struggle for Indian Independence and Indian troops in action on the warfront (all in original) are being screened during the festival.

Kuldeep Sinha, Chief Producer of the Films Division mentioned that such festivals are a must for the present and future generations.

“We should try preserving our heritage and culture because this is one thing we can pass on to our next generation and nothing else,” said Kuldeep Sinha, Chief Producer, Films Division, Government of India, Mumbai.

He also announced that they would try to organise more such festivals across the country.

“We have our Films Division offices across the country. Through them we will try to organise more such two-day film festivals in other parts of the country,” said Kuldeep Sinha, Chief Producer, Films Division, Government of India, Mumbai.

Among the movies and original footage screened at the festival are ‘Indian Independence in 1947′, ‘India Strikes’ (45 minutes), ‘Indian Armed Forces Officers in WW-II’ and ‘Delhi Victory Parade’ (10 minute).

The film festival will conclude on Friday (June 26). (ANI)

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Jack Tweed parties at Ascot in his wedding suit

June 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Jun 20 (ANI): Jack Tweed was spotted partying at Ascot, wearing the same suit he had worn during his wedding to late celebrity Jade Goody and later to her funeral.

Tweed, 21, left his Essex home in the 1,100 pounds outfit on June 19 and hooked up with former model Calum Best, 28, when he arrived at the racecourse.

The widower was seen drinking Pimm’s, charming the women, basking in their attention, and later placing some bets.

Brian Belo, 21, also joined the two for photographs with the girls, and Tweed was later seen spending a long time talking to a pretty brunette in a pink hat.

“Jack was loving all the attention, he was being stopped everywhere he went by hordes of girls and he had clearly been drinking,” the Daily Star quoted an onlooker as saying.

“He spent ages chatting to one particular girl and they were really making each other laugh. He made a beeline for Calum and Brian as soon as he saw them and he was putting bets on almost every race.

“I reckon Jack will have a pretty sore head tomorrow,” the onlooker added. (ANI)

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Congress sweeping Delhi in initial voting results

May 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi/Kanpur/Mathura, May 16 (ANI): With their arms in the air and banners of star campaigners Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi in either hand, Congress Party supporters set off firecrackers in New Delhi over the news that their party is surging in on all the seven seats.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal appeard joyous over the initial leads. He said, “This is a mandate for Sonia Gandhi’s leadership and the Prime Minister’s leadership in government. People have voted overall for stability, secularism and a Prime Minister who wants to serve the nation, and not be involved in politics.”

Sibal added that all allies are with the UPA and there is no falling out.

Meanwhile in Kanpur, Congress Party workers organised fire ritual in anticipation of the party’s victory.

“In the last five years the way Manmohan Singh’s UPA Government has worked for country’s development and prosperity, we wish that it once again comes to power. We have offered prayers and organized fire ritual. We wish that Congress Government-led by Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi comes to power,” said Ram Manohar, a party worker.

In Mathura, hordes of people are busy preparing ‘Ladoo’ in large numbers which would be distributed after the final results are out.

The UPA is leading in 224 seats and the NDA in 154 seats. The Third Front is leading in 69 and Others are leading in 30, till the reports last filtered in. (ANI)

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Congress sweeping Delhi in initial voting results

May 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi/Kanpur/Mathura, May 16 (ANI): With their arms in the air and banners of star campaigners Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi in either hand, Congress Party supporters set off firecrackers in New Delhi over the news that their party is surging in on all the seven seats.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal appeard joyous over the initial leads. He said, “This is a mandate for Sonia Gandhi’s leadership and the Prime Minister’s leadership in government. People have voted overall for stability, secularism and a Prime Minister who wants to serve the nation, and not be involved in politics.”

Sibal added that all allies are with the UPA and there is no falling out.

Meanwhile in Kanpur, Congress Party workers organised fire ritual in anticipation of the party’s victory.

“In the last five years the way Manmohan Singh’s UPA Government has worked for country’s development and prosperity, we wish that it once again comes to power. We have offered prayers and organized fire ritual. We wish that Congress Government-led by Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi comes to power,” said Ram Manohar, a party worker.

In Mathura, hordes of people are busy preparing ‘Ladoo’ in large numbers which would be distributed after the final results are out.

The UPA is leading in 224 seats and the NDA in 154 seats. The Third Front is leading in 69 and Others are leading in 30, till the reports last filtered in. (ANI)

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Pet parrot’s birthday celebrated in Uttar Pradesh

May 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Varanasi, May 12 (ANI): A musical band, hordes of sweets and a cake, made a perfect birthday bash thrown up by painter Baijnath Sharma, for his pet parrot.

The birthday bash was held in traditional style as Sharma offered prayers at one of the numerous temples dotting the landscape of Varanasi, for a long life of his pet on the occasion of the parrot’s 25th birthday.

The aging parrot, which has lost all his hair, was garlanded and made to eat sweets on his birthday.

“We have prepared sweets for him and also cut a cake. We are celebrating its 25th birthday,” he said.

The birthday party took the devotees visiting the temple by surprise and the children were even treated to birthday sweets.

“We had come to pay obeisance to the deity. We saw that a parrot’s birthday was being celebrated here. We pray that all the hair that the parrot has lost grow back,” said Sakshi, a devotee.

No one however asked Baijnath how he came to know about the bird’s birthday. By Girish Kumar Dubey (ANI)

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Pak students being granted British visa after telephone interview only

April 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr.21 (ANI): Students of Pakistani origin are being granted British visas on the basis of a telephone interview, even as investigation teams probe different aspects of a crackdown involving twelve alleged Pakistan ‘student’ terrorists.

The Telegraph reports that British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted that some visa applications are being decided over the telephone.

Smith is facing severe criticism over weaknesses in the system following her claims that the security services had previously issued warnings about faults in the whole process of issuing visas.

It has also been revealed that a report from a chief immigration officer raising questions over the handling of student visas in Pakistan, three years ago, was suppressed.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, while criticizing Smith for her inability to deal with the circumstances, said the past few weeks have been another ‘chapter of chaos’ in the Home Office.

Former Labour Minister Kate Hoey also lashed out at the Home Office for its ignorant attitude over the issue.

“The way international terrorism was handled in this country had been brought in to disrepute by hordes of police officers trailing around an individual MP over something that ended up othing to do with national security,” Hoey commented. (ANI)

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Police arrests BJP’s Party divisive Kandhmal candidate Ashok Sahu in Phulbani

April 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Going by the instructions given by the Election Commissioner, the police Tuesday arrested BJP’s Kandhamal candidate, Ashok Sahu, when he was addressing a public gathering in Phulbani. The arrest comes in reaction to Sahu’s April 5 inflammatory speech at an election meeting at Raikia; an FIR was lodged against him on April 9.

Sahu, who ironically is an ex-police officer, was arrested for going against the established code of conduct by making hate speeches against Christians in Kandhamal district, which is considered a communally-susceptible area. According to the information provided by the Kandhamal Police Superintendent S Praveen Kumar, Sahu would be produced in a local court.

The police traced the divisive BJP candidate on Sunday night in Nayagarh district of Orissa, and surrounded the Phulbani hotel where he was staying; but could not arrest him for want of arrest warrant. By the wee-hours of Monday morning, Sahu had managed to flee. When he was questioned about his imminent arrest by NDTV on Sunday, Sahu had said that instead of surrendering to the police, he would prefer appealing to the court for bail.

As the police was taking Sahu away, hordes of BJP activists and Sahu’s followers raised slogans in his support. Terming Sahu’s arrest as “undemocratic” and “arbitrary,” the BJP called it a “black day for democracy in Orissa.”

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Election sweets in Vadodara

April 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

By Gayatri

Vadodara (Gujarat), Apr 11 (ANI): With an eye on the upcoming general elections, a sweet shop in Vadodara has started producing sweets in the shape and colours of various political party symbols.

This unique concept has been successful in attracting hordes of customers in the city.

“It”s the time of Lok Sabha elections. So being a sweetshop owner,
even I thought of preparing sweets especially for the season to attract the
customers and party workers,” said Ramesh Aggarwal, owner of the sweet shop.

The sweets are in shape of the Lotus (symbol of Bharatiya Janata Party),
Hand (symbol of the Congress party), Elephant (symbol of Bahujan Samaj Party) and Cycle (symbol of Samajwadi Party).

What catches the eye of the customer is the perfect colour and shape given to each sweet.

At present the shop is selling the sweets at a nominal rate of rupees 150
per kilograms.

All the sweets are a hit amongst the local residents. However, the sweets in shape of hand and lotus are the most sold.

The locals feel that these tactics are excellent ways to encourage the young voters to caste their votes.

“It feels so good to see Indians going to any extent for the elections. They (the sweetshop owner) have made sweets in shape of lotus and symbols of Congress party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi party. Today”s youth should be aware of their voting rights and should caste their votes on a mandatory basis,” said Roshni Tripathi, a customer.

Elections in Gujarat are to be held on April 30.

India will hold general elections between April 16 and May 13, in which approximately 714 million people would be eligible to cast their votes.

The results would be known only after May 16. (ANI)

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