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Batman Joker voted world’s best-loved villain

September 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 7 (ANI): ‘The Joker’ in the Batman, who gave sleepless nights to the winged superhero, has been named the world’s best-loved villain in a poll.

The character, which first appeared in a 1940 Batman comic, has been played on the big screen by the likes of Jack Nicholson and late actor Heath Ledger.

A computer games company placed the Joker top of the new poll, reports Contactmusic.

It has beaten Magneto – played by Sir Ian MCKellen in the ‘X-Men’ film franchise – which scored the second position in the poll.

Third place was taken by Spider-Man’s psychotic archrival- the ‘Green Goblin’, brought to life by Willem Dafoe in the 2002 film.

Jabba the Hutt from ‘Star Wars’ came in fourth and Superman’s nemesis ‘Lex Luther’ wrapped up the top five. (ANI)

Batman voted Britain’s Favourite Super Hero Ever

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sept 3 (ANI): Caped crusader Batman has been voted Britain’s favourite super hero in a new poll.

The ‘Dark Knight’ pushed webslinger ‘Spider-Man’ at the second place followed by the ‘Superman’ at third.

Batman, the alter-ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, has been immortalised in the 1960s TV series as well as a big budget movie franchise.

A video game called Batman: Arkham Asylum was also released last week.

“No matter how often he’s reinvented – a noir detective in the 40s, a camp icon in the 60s, a gothic Knight in the 80s – he’s always the coolest, most iconic and recognisable superhero there is,” the Telegraph quoted Dave Golder, editor of SFX.co.uk, the website which conducted the survey, as saying.

‘Wolverine’ and ‘Iron Man’ wrapped up the top five.

Britain’s top 10 favourite super heroes are:

1. Batman

2. Spider-Man

3. Superman

4. Wolverine

5. Iron Man

6. Green Lantern

7. Captain Britain

8. Deadpool

9. Daredevil

10. Hulk (ANI)

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Brit workers have no confidence in their bosses

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 2 (ANI): One third of Brit workers have no trust in their senior managers, and the trend is more visible among those working in large public sector companies, according to a new study.

Conducted by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), the research has suggested that managers at larger companies trigger the least trust.

In fact, workers have instilled far more confidence in their line managers than chief executives.

Ever since the recession and expenses scandal, the reputation of businesses and politics has hit a low point, and thus local and national government bosses have become the least trusted positions.

Workers in the charity and retail sectors were found to trust their managers the most.

The study showed that workers want their chief executives to show more ability and integrity, while line managers were expected to demonstrate understanding and fairness.

ILM has claimed that their study has shown that high-up management is required to do more to win the trust of their employees.

“Teams are more effective in a trusting environment, and people work better and harder if they trust their leaders,” Sky News quoted Penny De Valk, ILM’s chief executive, as saying.

She added: “For leaders, being good at their job is simply not enough anymore. The more senior you are, the more gap between what you say and what you do… is amplified.” (ANI)

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BJP- Shiv Sena finalises seat sharing for Maharashtra assembly polls

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Aug 31 (ANI): Though the party’s top leadership is struggling to set the house in order, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra unit has finalised the seat sharing agreement with the Shiv Sena on Monday for the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

According to BJP sources the talks with Shiv Sena are almost over and an official announcement would be made in a day or two.

Both the parties agreed for the existing 171:117 formula for the 288 Assembly seats, sources added.

In the 2004 Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had allotted seven seats to Shetkari Sanghatana led by vetern farmer’s leader Sharad Joshi. As Joshi’s party is no more a partner of Sena-BJP combine, both the parties are expected to share these seats.

BJP is claiming the Chindwada seat, as the sitting legislator of that constituency joined the party.

The poll managers of the saffron alliance are confident of achieving seat matrix despite trouble faced by the BJP central leadership.

Meanwhile, the ruling Congress – Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine is still not sure on maintaining the alliance. Also the strategy of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is not yet clear.

The MNS is holding its cards close to the chest as to go alone or ally with one of the two major political groups, or opt for the Third Front. (ANI)

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Two third of Brits hoping to get out of credit crunch within a year

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 31 (ANI): It seems that the days of economic slump are getting over for Britons, for at least two thirds of them believe that their financial situation will stay the same or improve over the next year.

According to a poll conducted by the Daily Telegraph/YouGov, with a growing number of people now feeling the worst of the recession has passed, the country appears to be regaining its “feel-good factor”.

The findings have indicated that the measure of people’s confidence in the future remains negative, at minus 14.

But it is much better than what it was 12 months ago – a miserable minus 67 – thus making the people in UK all smiles.

The researchers worked out the measure of confidence by asking respondents whether they believed their prospects were looking good, and would remain the same or grow worse in the coming 12 months.

They then calculated the feel-good factor by subtracting the percentage of those who thought their situation would worsen from the percentage who thought it would get better.

While this feel-good factor was minus 20, in June, it has risen by six more points since then.

Meanwhile, the most recent Business Confidence Monitor by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales showed confidence among business professionals had moved into positive territory for the first time in two years.

This was interpreted as further evidence of an improving UK economy. (ANI)

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By 2015, 2 million people would die annually from tobacco-induced cancers

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 26 (ANI): By 2015, at least 2.1 million people will die each year because of tobacco-induced cancers, revealed The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition.

Published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, the Atlas has estimated that tobacco use kills some six million people each year (more than a third of whom will die from cancer), and drains 500 billion dollars annually from global economies.

The Atlas graphically displays how tobacco is devastating both global health and economies, especially in middle- and low-resource countries, and tracks progress and outcomes in tobacco control.

Not only the death toll due to tobacco-induced cancers will go around 2 million by 2015, the Atlas predicted that by 2030, 83 percent of these deaths will occur in low and middle-income countries.

However, unlike other cancer-causing agents, the danger of tobacco is completely preventable through proven public policies.

Major measures include tobacco taxes, advertising bans, smokefree public places, and effective health warnings on packages.

These cost-effective policies are among those included in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a global treaty endorsed by more than 160 countries, and recommended by the World Health Organization MPOWER policy package.

The Atlas revealed that the global economy lost a staggering 500 billion dollars due to tobacco use.

These economic costs come as a result of lost productivity, misused resources, missed opportunities for taxation, and premature death.

The Atlas revealed that in 2006, about 600 billion smuggled cigarettes made it to the market, representing an enormous missed tax opportunity for governments, as well as a missed opportunity to prevent many people from starting to smoke and encourage others to quit.

Tobacco replaces potential food production on almost 4 million hectares of the world’s agricultural land, equal to all of the world’s orange groves or banana plantations.

In developing countries, smokers spend disproportionate sums of money relative to their incomes that could otherwise be spent on food, healthcare, and other necessities.

The Tobacco Atlas established an undeniable trend-the tobacco industry has shifted its marketing and sales efforts to countries that have less effective public health policies and fewer tobacco control resources in place:

It predicted that in 2010, 72 percent of those who die from tobacco related illnesses would be in low- and middle-income countries.

It revealed that since 1960 global tobacco production has increased three-fold in low- and middle-resource countries while halving in high-resource countries.

“The Tobacco Atlas is crucial to helping advocates in every nation get the knowledge they need to combat the most preventable global health epidemic,” said Dr. John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society.

The Tobacco Atlas was unveiled at the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit. (ANI)

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Churchill statue in Paris desecrated

August 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Paris, Aug.20 (ANI): French anti-war campaigners have desecrated a statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the anniversary of Paris’s liberation from Nazi rule.
The red paint attack on the bronze hands of the 250, 000 pound statue took place at night, The Telegraph reports.

The initials RH were also daubed on the statue, perhaps a reference to Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler’s deputy, who flew to Britain at the height of the Second World War to allegedly try and make peace.

Instead, Churchill had him thrown in prison in 1941, and the war continued for a further four years.

Some in France view Churchill as a war criminal himself because of his decision to scuttle the Vichy French fleet in Tunisia rather than let it fall into the hands of Third Reich forces.

He is also remembered for ordering the Allied bombing of occupied France, which led to thousands of French deaths.

But today there was nothing but widespread anger at the attack on the statue, which is situated next to the Champs Elysee.

“There are French people who are not great fans of Churchill, but the vast majority honour and respect him and will be disgusted by this cowardly attack,” said a spokesman for Paris city hall.

The statue was unveiled in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth. The 10 foot high statue by French sculptor Jean Cardot is made of bronze and weighs two-and-a-half tons.

Its plinth bears the words: “We shall never surrender.” (ANI)

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Oz batsmen move up Reliance Mobile ICC player rankings

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Dubai, July 13 (ANI): Australia’s batsmen are on the move in the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen with three of them achieving career-best rankings after a nail-biting finish in the first Ashes Test against England at Cardiff.

pener Simon Katich, middle-order batsmen Marcus North and wicket-keeper Brad Haddin all scored centuries to help Australia declare its first innings at 674-6 in reply to England’s first innings score of 435. And for these efforts, all the three batsmen have been rewarded with big jumps in the rankings which are updated after every Test.

Katich, who scored 122, has gone up by four places and now sits in 14th position alongside India great Sachin Tendulkar. Marcus North, who struck an unbeaten 125, has rocketed 23 places to 43rd position while Haddin, who scored 121, has climbed six places to 30th spot.

Besides the trio, captain Ricky Ponting has also inched towards the top five after scoring an elegant 150 and is now in sixth place after swapping positions with Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena, vice-captain Michael Clarke has replaced South Africa captain Graeme Smith in eighth place and opener Phillip Hughes has lifted himself two places to 33rd position.

Australia’s only disappointment is the fall of Mike Hussey whose first innings contribution of three has resulted in him dropping of the top 20 for the first time since his rapid rise up the table at the start of his international career.

England’s only batsman to make an upward movement is Paul Collingwood who has returned to the top 20 by climbing five places to 19th position after scoring two half-centuries in the match, including a gritty 74 in the second innings that spanned almost six hours of batting.

Three of the top four England batsmen – Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara – have dropped in the latest rankings while Kevin Pietersen has managed to hang on to his 10th place.

England captain Strauss, who scored 30 and 17, has dropped out of the top 20 after falling three places to 22nd place, Cook has slipped three places to 24th position after a match contribution of 26 runs and Bopara has dropped eight places to 59th position after scores of 35 and one.

Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan lead a Pakistan 1-2 in the batting table with India’s Gautam Gambhir in third place.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, the only change in the top 20 is England fast bowler Andrew Flintoff who has slipped two places to 19th position.

The bowling list is headed by Sri Lanka’s iconic spinner Muttiah Muralidaran who is likely to concede his number-one spot to South Africa’s Dale Steyn when the latest rankings are released at the end of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Flintoff has dropped one place to fifth after figures of 1-128 with the ball and contributions of 37 and 26 with the bat.

Jacques Kallis continues to lead the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders with Mitchell Johnson of Australia in second and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori third. (ANI)

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Salt-tolerant crops come a step closer to reality

July 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 8 (ANI): An international team of scientists has developed salt-tolerant plants using a new type of genetic modification (GM), bringing salt-tolerant cereal crops a step closer to reality.

The research team, based at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus in Australia, has used a new GM technique to contain salt in parts of the plant where it does less damage.

Salinity affects agriculture worldwide, which means the results of this research could impact on world food production and security.

The work has been led by researchers from the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, in collaboration with scientists from the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, UK.

According to Professor Tester, his team used the technique to keep salt – as sodium ions (Na+) – out of the leaves of a model plant species.

“Salinity affects the growth of plants worldwide, particularly in irrigated land where one third of the world’s food is produced. And it is a problem that is only going to get worse, as pressure to use less water increases and quality of water decreases,” said the team’s leader, Professor Mark Tester, from the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide and the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG).

“Helping plants to withstand this salty onslaught will have a significant impact on world food production,” he added.

The researchers modified genes specifically around the plant’s water conducting pipes (xylem) so that salt is removed from the transpiration stream before it gets to the shoot.

“This reduces the amount of toxic Na+ building up in the shoot and so increases the plant’s tolerance to salinity,” Professor Tester said.

“In doing this, we’ve enhanced a process used naturally by plants to minimize the movement of Na+ to the shoot. We’ve used genetic modification to amplify the process, helping plants to do what they already do – but to do it much better,” he added.

The team is now in the process of transferring this technology to crops such as rice, wheat and barley.

“Our results in rice already look very promising,” Professor Tester said. (ANI)

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India, Japan agree to fast track work on freight, industrial corridors

July 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Tokyo, July 3 (ANI): India and Japan on Friday agreed to take steps to fast track work on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project.

The decision was announced at a joint press conference by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries-Hirofumi Nakasone and S.M. Krishna-after the conclusion of the two-day Third Japan-India Strategic Dialogue here.

Foreign Minister Nakasone also confirmed bilateral collaboration on the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad.

On the issue of disarmament and non-proliferation, the Japanese Minister revealed that he had shared Tokyo’s ’11 benchmarks’ for promoting the same, and added that Krishna and he had agreed that both countries should work together to commence negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) at the earliest.

It was also agreed that there was a need to enhance bilateral exchange of views between Japan and India, on the regional situation in South Asia, international challenges and regional situations.

Both ministers shared the view that the nuclear and missile development by North Korea is a threat to the international community, and that there was a need to implement the measures set out in the UN Security resolution 1874 and make North Korea to take this very seriously.

Endorsing the views of Nakasone, Krishna said New Delhi attached high importance to its bilateral relations with Tokyo.

“We thoroughly reviewed our bilateral relations since my Prime Minister’s visit to Tokyo in October 2008. We agreed that the Strategic and Global Partnership between us is an important factor in furthering our ties, as well as in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world,” said Krishna.

“We are making progress in our negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Foreign Minister Nakasone and I agreed on the necessity of concluding a high quality and mutually beneficial agreement,” he added.

Krishna also revealed that Japan’s Official Development Assistance to India was reviewed and New Delhi appreciated Tokyo’s contribution to “our economic development”.

He also said that both ministers reviewed the follow-up on the implementation of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation.

Other issues taken up were UN reform and the important global challenge of climate change.

Krishna said that he would be calling on Prime Minister Taro Aso before returning to New Delhi. (ANI)

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Men, too, feel anxious to strip off on the beach

July 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 3 (ANI): It’s not just the women who worry about body image and are reluctant to bare it all, for men too feel uncool about stripping off, according to researchers.

The survey by Tescodiets.com revealed that almost 50 percent men worry about baring their stomachs on the beach.

In fact, one in three men have considered avoiding a beach holiday altogether because of how they look in their swimming trunks.

Seven in 10 men surveyed were worried about baring their bodies, 47 percent were most cautious about revealing their stomachs.

More than 2,000 men were questioned for the survey, out of which, almost 75 percent thought that British men get just as nervous as women, when it comes to slipping on the swimwear.

The boys resort to many tactics to cover up in the heat-nearly a quarter wear shorts or a T-shirt even in the sea, 40 percent diet and around one third strip off only when in the water.

Over three-quarters of men were jealous of toned, athletic men they spotted on the beach.

One third of men said that they were most worried about how they looked to the opposite sex, as compared to just 13 percent who worried about what other men would think.

“Every summer we hear plenty about women dreading having to wear a swimsuit but men clearly have many of the same issues,” Sky News quoted Catherine Ambrozewicz, head of Tescodiets.com, as saying. (ANI)

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Marie Curie named greatest woman scientist of all time

July 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 2 (ANI): Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physicist Marie Curie, who discovered that radiation therapy could treat cancer, has been voted the greatest woman scientist of all time.

The Polish-born researcher bagged over a quarter of the votes (25.1 per cent), almost double the votes received by her nearest rival Rosalind Franklin (14.2 per cent), the English biophysicist who helped discover the structure of DNA.

Third on the list was Hypatia of Alexandria, played by Rachel Weisz in a recent film about the fourth century Egyptian philosopher.

New Scientist magazine conducted the poll of 800 scientists and members of the public, which was commissioned by cosmetics company L’Oreal.

At the fourth position was astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell with 4.7 per cent votes.

London-born Ada, the Countess of Lovelace, the mathematician who wrote the first computer programmes grabbed the fifth spot in the poll.

Austrian physicist Lise Meitner who discovered nuclear fission was sixth in the list, while British chemist Dorothy Hodgkin who pioneered X-ray techniques was at seventh.

Then came French-born Sophie Germain, who was one of the world’s greatest mathematicians, followed by American marine biologist Rachel Carson, who pioneered the global environmental movement ninth.

Standing proudly at the tenth spot is modern role model Dr Jane Goodall, the world famous primatologist, with 2.7 percent votes.

“The poll indicates the vital need to celebrate and raise awareness of the many female scientists who have shaped modern science since Marie Curie – and who are making a bigger contribution than ever,” the Telegraph quoted Dr Roger Highfield, the editor of New Scientist magazine, as saying.

Grita Loebsack, of L’Oreal said: “Women are at the forefront of advances in many scientific disciplines, particularly in health and life sciences.”

“The aim of the poll was to celebrate the contribution women have made to scientific research but also to highlight the lack of modern role models to encourage young women to pursue careers in science,” she added.

The Top 10 woman scientists of all time are:

1. Marie Curie (25.1 percent)

2. Rosalind Franklin (14.2 percent)

3. Hypatia of Alexandria (9.4 percent)

4. Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell (4.7 percent)

5. Ada, Countess of Lovelace (4.5 percent)

6. Lise Meitner (4.4 per cent)

7. Dorothy Hodgkin (3.8 percent)

8. Sophie Germain (3.7 percent)

9. Rachel Carson (3.3 percent)

10. Dr Jane Goodall (2.7 percent) (ANI)

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AIEEE Seat Allotment ~ AIEEE Counselling Result ~ AIEEE Counselling 2009 ~ AIEEE Seat Allotment 2009 ~ CCB ~ CCB AIEEE First Round of Seat Allotment ~ www.ccb.nic.in ~ ccb 2009 website

June 30, 2009 By admin 2 Comments

AIEEE Seat Allotment ~ AIEEE Counselling Result ~ AIEEE Counselling 2009 ~ AIEEE Seat Allotment 2009 ~ CCB ~ CCB AIEEE First Round of Seat Allotment ~ www.ccb.nic.in ~ ccb 2009 website

The First round of seat allotment for the All India Engineering Entrance Examinations (AIEEE 2009) will be made today, 30th June 2009.

The allotment results can be downloaded from the website www.ccb.nic.in

Best of Luck Guys !!!

Note:

The successful candidates have to go to any one of the designated admission centres for Remote Reporting during the scheduled dates, failing which their seat allotment shall automatically cancelled and candidate will not be considered for further rounds of seat allotment. The seats thus falling vacant will be considered for allotment in the subsequent rounds of allotment.

The allotment will be made in four rounds. In the First round, all the seats will be allotted to the candidates and the result indicating the institution and the branch allotted will be available on the website. In the Second, Third and Fourth rounds, seats will be allotted against the available vacancies in the respective rounds, and the results will be available on the web site. In the second, third and fourth rounds no fresh registrations and choice filling will be permitted. Registered candidates will not be allowed to alter or resubmit their choices.

AIEEE 2009 Admission Schedule :

Registration, filling up choices, Indicative allotment (MOCK Counselling) and Locking – June 8 – 28 , 2009
Deadline for Registration, Choice filling and Locking – June 28, 2009 by 11.55PM
First round of seat allotment – June 30, 2009
Reporting at Admission centers against the First round of allotment – July 01 to July 5, 2009
Second round of seat allotment – July 07, 2009
Reporting at Admission centers against the Second round of allotment – July 08 to 12, 2009
Third round of seat allotment – July 13, 2009
Reporting at Admission centers against the Third round of allotment – July 14 to 18, 2009
Fourth round of seat allotment – July 19, 2009
Reporting at allotted institutions against the Fourth round of allotment – July 20 to 24, 2009
Reporting at the allotted institute – July 16 to 24, 2009

For more details visit www.ccb.nic.in

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First Ashes cricket pitch brought back to life

June 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 29 (ANI): The first cricket pitch used for an Ashes series on English soil has been returned to sporting use after seventy years.

According to The Telegraph, veteran international cricketers stepped onto the wicket at Sheffield Park near Uckfield in East Sussex to play a match more than a century after a game was first played there.

Back in 1884 it hosted a warm-up match between the first Australian touring side to try for the Ashes here, and an English side captained by W G Grace.

Henry Holroyd, the Third Earl of Sheffield, a keen cricket supporter, created the pitch. During his day crowds approaching 25,000 came to enjoy first-class matches that often featured Grace, a friend of Lord Sheffield.

Cricket then was accompanied by “a fanfare of fireworks and hundreds of fairy lights which illuminated the glorious parks, water and pavilions, swathed in silks and fauna”, according to one historian.

Lord Sheffield’s influence arguably contributed to Australia’s cricketing dominance in the modern era, as he put up 150 pounds to fund a inter-state competition called the Sheffield Shield, which continues to this day.

However, on his death in 1909, the country estate was sold. The pitch was dug up during the First World War and used for growing wheat. It became a cricket pitch again between 1918 and 1939 and thereafter was converted into a military base for the Canadian armoured division during the Second World War.

Trees were later planted on it before ownership passed to the National Trust, which converted it back to a field again.

Having lain fallow for decades, the pitch has been restored after the Trust allowed a local side called the Armadillos to restore it.

On Sunday former internationals including Australians Dean Jones and Rodney Hogg, and Englishmen John Snow, John Lever and Martin Bicknell took to the pitch in a match between the old rivals – Lord Sheffield’s Australian XI and Old England XI.(ANI)

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Prakash Karat says people voted back Congress for a stable government

June 23, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 23 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat has said the Congress party won the recently held general elections as a result of people’s concern for a stable and secular government.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, Karat said, “Congress party’s success is mainly due to the fact that people were concerned having a stable and secular government in the center. The divisive communal politics of the BJP was rejected by the people and this was to the benefit of the Congress party.”

Karat also accepted that the Third Front failed to create a viable and credible alternative to the alliances led by the Congress and the BJP.

“We failed to create an alliance at national level, which was viable and credible. We have recognised that,” he added.

Once seen as vital for any national coalition building, communist parties were left badly bruised in the general election, losing even in West Bengal, which they have ruled for more than three decades. (ANI)

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Iran’s Guardian Council admits presidential vote was flawed, but won’t change results

June 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

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London, June 22 (ANI): Iran’s powerful Guardian Council has ruled out changing Iran’s presidential election result, but admitted that the vote was flawed.
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The calls came as the Guardian Council, the body charged with reviewing the contested election, said it had concluded an investigation but would not be overturning the result. /pp
Its spokesman, Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, said the number of votes collected in 50 cities was more than the number of eligible voters, but the discrepancy was not sufficient to account for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s margin of victory, The Telegraph reports. /pp
The admission was made as the main presidential challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, implored supporters to renew street protests in Tehran on Monday and defy the threat of a brutal crackdown by the security forces. /pp
Organisers of the campaign to overturn the result of the June 12 election, which gave Ahmadinejad, the incumbent president, a landslide victory said demonstrations must continue after petering out on Sunday. /pp
The campaign called on people to march with black candles or turn on the lights on their cars during an afternoon rally./pp
Mousavi reiterated his backing of the protests at the end of a tense weekend in which at least 17 people were killed in the Iranian capital. /pp
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave the greet light to the repression when on Friday he declared the protests were illegal. /pp
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at foreign media and Western governments. Its spokesman Hasan Qashqavi accused them of a racial mentality that Iranians belong to the Third World. (ANI)/p

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Civic body employees’ strike disrupts normal life in Uttarakhand

June 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Dehradun, June 19 (ANI): Normal life has been badly disrupted following an indefinite strike by civic body employees, causing acute water shortage and leading to growing garbage dumps in various parts of Uttarakhand.
Tourists and local residents are bearing the brunt of the ongoing strike as there is acute water shortage and accumulation of garbage dumps in the city.

“We are facing lot of problems. Water comes in the morning and that too for one hour. After one hour it stops coming and the water pressure is also very less. We don’t get any water to drink. There is growing garbage dump and no cleanliness. Also, there is power shortage. What should we do in such condition?” said Sushma, a local resident in Dehradun.

Even the supply of drinking water bottles in the market has run out due to heavy demand.

On Thursday, striking employees gathered at Gandhi Park in Dehradun city and raised anti-government slogans.

The agitating employees demanded implementation of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and pledged to continue the strike until their demands were met.

“Our demands are first, that there should be no disparity in the payments or salaries of employees and recommendations of sixth pay commission should be implemented. Second, daily wage workers and PTC workers should be regularised. Third, pension and other allowances of all civic body workers should be at par with the state employees. Fourth, appointment should be made for all vacant posts that are vacant for past several years,” said Bhupindar, State President of Local Bodies Association.

The employees belonged to Uttarakhand civic bodies Dehradun Municipal Corporation, Jal Sansthan, and Panchayats. (ANI)

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Oz conman says Blair fathered his ex-girlfriend’s child

May 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Sydney, may 25 (ANI): Notorious conman Peter Foster has claimed on Australian radio that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair might have fathered the baby of his ex-girlfriend Carole Caplin, who was a former confidant of Cherie Blair.

Foster, recently released from prison after serving one third of a seven year sentence for money laundering in Australia, also repeats discredited claims that Tony and Cherie Blair used offshore trusts to avoid paying British taxes.

Foster, who infamously helped Cherie Blair buy two cut price flats in Bristol makes the claims in an interview on ABC Radio National which were aired this morning.

“When I was still dating Carole, when she was pregnant with our child at that stage, there were communications between myself and my lawyer because I had very real concerns about the relationship between Tony and Carole and the possible parenting of the child,” he tells the Sunday Profile programme.

“I had reason to believe that perhaps there was a possibility he was the father,” he says.

He also complains about the fallout from the Bristol flats scandal, which became known as Cherie Gate.

He has consistently claimed to have a “smoking gun” against the Blairs. (ANI)

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14yr-old Indian-origin boy bags second spot in National Geographic Bee contest

May 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 21 (ANI): Arjun Kandaswamy, a 14-year-old boy of Indian origin in Oregon, has won second place in the annual National Geographic Bee geography contest, and bagged a 15,000-dollar college scholarship.

He is an eighth grader at Meadow Park Middle School in Beaverton.

Seventh grader Eric Yang, 13, of Griffin Middle School in The Colony, Texas, won the toughest National Geographic Bee to date during a tie-breaker round.

Third place and a 10,000-dollar college scholarship went to North Carolina’s Shantan Krovvidi, 13, a seventh grader at Ligon Middle School in Raleigh.

The Google-sponsored event was held at National Geographic Society headquarters this week in Washington, D.C.

Bee director Mary Lee Elden revealed that the finalists prepared more vigorously than in previous years, prompting organizers to make the questions more difficult for the national finals.

Yang said that this year’s questions were “challenging”, but he didn’t change his strategy.

“I just built on what I already knew,” National Geographic News quoted him as saying.

His father William Yang was “very excited” about his victory.

He described Eric as a “very independent boy”.

“We try to provide all the support we can, but most of the time he spends his time by himself,” William said.

The teen enjoys history books, cookbooks, and travel guides. (ANI)

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Admiral Mehta commissions fifth Landing Ship Tank ‘Airavat’

May 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Visakhapatnam, May 19 (ANI): Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on Tuesday commissioned Indian Navy’s fifth Landing Ship Tank (Large) ‘Airavat’ here.

On the occasion, Mehta said the Airavat would augment the operational capabilities and reach of the Eastern Naval Command, in addition to enhancing the amphibious and disaster relief potential of the fleet.

Airavat, previously known as Yard 3016, was christened and launched by Maria Teresa Mehta in Kolkata on March 27 2006.

The ship was formally handed over to the Indian Navy on March 30, 2009 at Kolkata’s M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited.

Airavat is the fifth LST (L) of the Indian Navy and third of the Shardul class. As a platform designed for amphibious operations against the enemy, it is a further upgrade on the Magar Class (the First LST (L)) in its suite of weapons, sensors and indigenous content.

With a significantly enhanced Weapon package, latest Control Systems and better Habitability conditions, Airavat delivers considerable punch and amphibious capabilities to the fighting prowess of the Indian Navy.

The ship can carry 10 Main Battle Tanks, 11 Combat Trucks and 500 Troops and has a considerable range and endurance at sea.

Besides undertaking amphibious operations, the ship is a potent assault platform capable of operating both Seaking 42C and the indigenous Dhruv helicopters.

It is fitted with two indigenous WM 18A Rocket Launchers to support successful amphibious operations. The threat from air is dealt with through two indigenous CRN 91 Anti-Aircraft Guns auto-controlled by Optronic Sights and shoulder launched IGLA Surface to-Air Missiles.

It also has soft kill ability through Chaff Rockets, which can be used to clutter the sensory inputs of an incoming enemy aircraft or missile.

The ship is fitted with Remote Propulsion Control, Battle Damage Control System and Automated Power Management System. These are fully integrated, microprocessor based, digital control systems for providing control and for monitoring ships machinery and systems.

The ship also has a microprocessor based anti-roll Flume Stabilisation System and Smoke Curtains to impede spreading of smoke and toxic gases in case of fire onboard.

In addition, the ship can act as a Fleet tanker through stern refueling of other naval vessels and as a hospital ship. The ship can be effectively tasked for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions during natural calamities like tsunami, cyclone, earthquake etc, and can operate independently at high seas for as long as 45 days. (ANI)

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