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ISRO's 100th mission ready to take off, Prime Minister to witness event

The Indian Space Research Organisation  is on the verge of a historic century as it gears up for its 100th indigenous mission today. The space agency's old warhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle , will blast off into space with two foreign satellites from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota to witness the landmark event as the PSLV is scheduled to take off at 9:51 am. During the 51-hour countdown that began at 6:51 am on September 7, mandatory checks on the launch vehicle and spacecraft would be carried out and charging of batteries and pressurisation of propellant tanks on board the satellite would be performed, ISRO had said. As part of the mission, 720-kg SPOT-6 remote sensing satellite from France and a 15-kg Japanese spacecraft Proiteres would be placed in orbit by ISRO's PSLV C-21. The launch of the foreign satellites is also indicative of the rapid strides made by ISRO in furthering the nation's space programme - today's launch, a purely commercial one, has firmly placed the country in a select club of rocket-makers on which private utilities can bank upon to launch their operational satellites in a cost-effective and reliable manner.  

Neighbour Says Talwars had taken his Terrace key

A neighbour of Talwars on Friday told a CBI court hearing the Aarushi-Hemraj case that he never saw the door of their terrace locked and the couple's driver had twice come to take keys of his terrace on the day the girl's murder came to light, saying their own key was misplaced.   Puneesh Rai Tandon, who lives on the right side of Talwars' L-32 house and was today fielded by the CBI, stated in the special CBI trial court here that he never saw the door of the terrace closed at the residential premises of the Talwars at Noida where the twin murder had taken place. He stated the door was closed on the day of the crime. Aarushi was found murdered on May 16, 2008 in her bedroom, while the body of Hemraj, domestic help of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, was found the next day on the terrace.

Congress leader Jadgish Tytler booked for criminal conspiracy

Congress leader Jadgish Tytler, party's in-charge of Odisha, has been booked for criminal conspiracy for the clashes that broke out outside the state Assembly during a protest by Congress workers in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Several protesters as well as 60 police personnel were injured in these clashes. And a woman cop was beaten up by a mob on the rampage. So far, 35 people have been arrested in this connection.  Pramila Padhi, the 39-year-old from the Bhubaneswar City Police was thrashed by the mob, has alleged that she was attacked after Mr Tytler called for barricades to be broken. Ms Padhi is currently at a private hospital battling shock and trauma apart from bruises all over.  

Supreme Court issues notice to Stalin on land grab charges

The Supreme Court today issued a notice to former Tamil Nadu deputy Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi among others on land grab charges. The Jayalalithaa-led government in Tamil Nadu had approached the Supreme Court against the Madras High Order which had quashed the land grab case against Mr Stalin. The case relates to leasing of land by Mr Stalin's son Udhayanidhi for his film unit in 2008. When the Jayalalithaa government came to power in 2011, the owner of the property complained that he was threatened to part with the land and implicated Mr Stalin and his son. He later withdrew his complaint after an out-of-court settlement. The Madras High Court had then quashed the criminal case. The Tamil Nadu government, however, had appealed against this order saying mere withdrawal of the complaint would not obliterate the criminality of the action and  the trial to proceed further to reach its logical conclusion.

SM Krishna to meet Hina Rabbani Khar

A liberalised visa agreement and some cross-LOC Confidence Building Measures or CBMs for Jammu and Kashmir are expected to come through when External Affairs Minister SM Krishna holds talks with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in Islamabad today. will look at increased trade, group tourism, better communication facilities, and multiple entry permits. The new visa agreement will benefit people of both the countries as it will facilitate multiple-entry and reporting-free visas for businessmen, allowing them to visit five cities instead of three as is the case at present.

Historic PSLV launch on Sunday

ISRO is ready to launch the historic PSLV-C21 on Sunday morning. The wholly commercial launch will be the space agency's 100th mission in 49 years. So far it has built 62 satellites and flown 37 launch vehicles. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is slated to arrive at the space port of Sriharikota, some 120 km from Chennai and located in coastal Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday evening and witness the launch on 9.51 a.m. on Sunday. The PSLV will carry France’s SPOT-6 earth observation satellite as the primary payload and PROITERES, a small spacecraft built by a team of Osaka Institute of Technology in Japan, as a secondary rider. They will be put into their respective pole-to-pole orbits at a distance of 655 km from Earth. Scientists at the launch site, Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, began a 51-hour countdown at 6.51 a.m. on Friday, a release said. The Launch Authorisation Board met on Thursday and cleared the event. During the run-up, teams associated with the launch will complete filling liquid propellants in the second and fourth stages of the launch vehicle. The rocket and the spacecraft will be checked. Batteries will be charged and the fuel tanks on the satellites will be pressurised, the ISRO officials said.

China Earthquakes 2012: 80 Dead, 700 Injured

Earthquake China: At least 80 people were killed Friday when a pair of earthquakes jolted a mountainous region of southwestern China, triggering landslides, damaging thousands of buildings and forcing thousands of residents from their homes.   The first quake, a magnitude 5.7, shook the border region of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces at 11:19 a.m. An hour later, the second quake struck, a magnitude 5.6. The temblors destroyed or damaged 20,000 homes and injured more than 700 people in the largely impoverished, rural area. State media reported that 100,000 people had been evacuated.

Manmohan accuses Opposition of derailing democracy

with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accusing the Opposition of derailing parliamentary democracy and the BJP announcing a nationwide campaign to end corruption. The disrupted monsoon session of Parliament came to an unceremonious end on Friday. The CPI called for the enforcement of a no work, no pay policy on MPs, while the sought a special session for the passage of the Bill to provide for reservation in promotions for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. In a statement, Dr. Singh held the Opposition guilty of disrupting and negating a functioning democracy. Countering this, Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley argued that the BJP had, in fact, sent out a strong message by holding up Parliament. They said that Parliament had functioned well in the early part of the session and became dysfunctional only after the Comptroller and Auditor-General’s report on corruption in the coal blocks allocation was tabled. The BJP initially insisted on Dr. Singh’s resignation, but later she herself told Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the party was willing to discuss Colgate, provided the government cancelled all 142 allotments and ordered an impartial inquiry.

After Congress protestors assault policewoman, Odisha cops up in arms

A day after a woman cop was beaten by a rampaging mob of protesting Congress workers in Bhubaneswar, the Odisha Police Association has threatened to protest if the attackers are not arrested within 48 hours. On Thursday, a crowd of more than 25,000 Congress workers tried to storm the Odisha Assembly to demand the resignation of Chief Minister Navin Patnaik for what they allege is his involvement in the coal block allocation scam that has rocked Parliament as well. Though the police had prepared for the protest by calling in for reinforcements in advance, the state's director general of police Prakash Mishra said that his force was not ready for the organised hooliganism that broke out. DGP Mishra said the crowd had come armed with sticks and stones and that his officers handled the situation with as little force as possible.

Last day of Monsoon Session, Rs. 10 crore lost, only 6 bills passed

Another session of Parliament closes today without any work getting done so far, even though MPs came to both Houses, shouted, even assaulted each other, took their daily allowances and went home.  It is estimated that the repeated adjournments that washed out the Monsoon Session have cost the taxpayer Rs. 10 crore for the two weeks they lasted. Of the 31 bills listed, only six were passed. The one introduced in the Rajy Sabha on Tuesday to allow reservation in promotions for SC/ST public sector employees too has landed in cold storage. The month-long session was marked by constant protests by the Opposition BJP over the coal allocation issue. It stuck to its demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister, saying he must take responsibility since he was the Coal Minister for part of the period in which the allocations were made. The Comptroller and Auditor General's report on coal block allocations has alleged that faulty allotment caused a R 1.86 lakh windfall gain for several private firms that were favoured. The BJP has also sought that all the licences issued in the period that the CAG surveyed. The Congress says, no way.

Shiv Sena declares Heritage war on Maharashtra

Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday dared the Congress-NCP Maharashtra government to execute the civic heritage committee’s recommendations. The sparring between the State government and the Opposition parties, notably the Shiv Sena and the Raj Thackeray Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is over the Heritage Committee’s proposal to add 868 new structures, sites and precincts to the list of heritage properties in Dadar and Mahim, including Shivaji Park. The move has drawn flak from both the Shiv Sena and the MNS, with both the cousins vociferously attempting to be the champions of redevelopment projects of old and dilapidated building in the area. Meanwhile, a delegation of politicians and activists led by MP Priya Dutt met the Chief Minister on Thursday afternoon on the issue, suggesting that the Heritage Committee list had created panic among people. Chavan informed the delegation that the list was prepared by a Committee in 2005 and later in 2008, while stating that the whole process would be revised and a fresh list drawn up after removing from the list all the structures already being developed. The Chief Minister said the new list was being worked out and if objections were received for the structures in the list the same would be looked into, while adding that the entire process was on hold till then and there was no cause for concern.

12 held for Sivakasi blast

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into Wednesday’s blast at a private fireworks unit at Mudalipatti, near Sivakasi. The Virudhunagar police arrested 12 persons. Thirty-eight persons died and 55 are being treated in various hospitals. The probe by the District Revenue Officer would go into how the factory functioned on September 5, a day after its licence was cancelled, and the cause of the blast, an official release said. The State government had allocated Rs.1.13 crore for establishing a burns ward at the Sivakasi government hospital. Steps would be taken to open an intensive care unit, an operation theatre, a plastic surgery unit, an orthopaedic unit, a physiotherapy unit and a rehabilitation centre; double the bed strength to 60 and make the burns ward a centre of excellence under the control of the Madurai Medical College Hospital. A total of Rs.4.50 crore would be earmarked, the release said. The Virudhunagar Collector was directed to make an immediate inspection of all cracker units.

Obama accepts nomination, promises better days

Barack Obama promised better days ahead, as he accepted the Democratic Party nomination for President before thousands of charged-up party loyalists and millions of television viewers. In a crucial speech at the Democratic National Convention, just two months before the November 6 vote, Obama looked to reignite the excitement that powered his first run for the presidency. Obama needed to win over undecided voters, especially those who had been swayed by his inspiring message of hope in 2008, but now feel disillusioned after years of economic weakness and persistent political bickering. Obama built on the message delivered throughout the convention that America is on the road to recovery while Republican rival Mitt Romney would revive failed policies, cutting taxes for the rich and slashing programs that give regular Americans a chance for a more prosperous future. The two candidates are locked in tight race. Polls show that Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, is seen as the better candidate for improving the economy, while Obama is viewed as more likable and having a better understanding of everyday Americans. Obama was setting out a goal of creating 1 million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016 and push for more aggressive steps to reduce American dependence on foreign oil.

Bus Carrying 100 Washed away by Flash Floods

A bus carrying about 50 passengers has been washed away by the flash floods in Bankura in West Bengal. Reports said that 45 passengers have been rescued and the rest are still missing. The bus was going from Jhargram in West Midnapore district to Durgapur in Burdwan.Districts of south and central Bengal have been receiving heavy rains for the past two days. Heavy rainfall in the region is disrupting rescue operations. Five-ten people are still missing that could include women and children.

Roger Federer out of US Open 2012

Roger Federer: Five-time champion Roger Federer was knocked out of the U.S. Open by Tomas Berdych on Wednesday, with the Czech completing a 7-6 (1), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory.   It is the first time since 2003 that Federer had not reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows. “I just didn’t come up with the goods tonight,” Federer said. “It was unfortunate.” Federer’s forehand was way off, while Berdych kept pounding serves and groundstrokes right where he wanted them. It was Berdych’s fourth victory in his past seven meetings against Federer, including in the 2010 Wimbledon quarterfinals. “There is no better moment than this one so far,” said Berdych, who will face Olympic champion Andy Murray in the semifinals Saturday.

Book criticises Mamata, police raid publishing house

First a professor over a cartoon, then a farmer for his question and now an IPS officer for his book. Mamata Banerjee's crackdown on free speech continues. This renowned publishing house of Kolkata was raided by the police after it published a book - 'Musalmander ki Karaniya' (What Muslims Should Do) - written by top cop Dr Nazrul Islam. The book is critical of Mamata Banerjee's vote bank politics.  

A week on, villagers protest in neck-deep water in MP

Over 130 villagers in Madhya Pradesh have been protesting in neck-deep water for the past one week to seek compensation from the government. The protest is the first of a kind in Gopalgaon in the Khandwa district. The villagers are demanding compensation for their land which was submerged after the Omkareshwar Dam height was raised. The Supreme Court has said they should be compensated adequately and rehabilitated as well. The Narmada Bachao Andolan is demanding land for land for the villagers, but the government says they have already been compensated. There were similar scenes in Khardna in Harda district where 90 villagers affected by the Indira Sagar project are seeking relief.

CBI names Congress MP in coal block cases, raids 30 sites

Congress MP Vijay Darda and 17 senior executives of five private companies were named by the CBI in cases registered in connection with the allocation of coal blocks, as agency sleuths raided 30 sites belonging to them in 11 cities across the country on Tuesday. More companies and people might come under the scanner, a Central Bureau of Investigation. The first information report registered after three months of the initial probe named the five firms, their directors and unknown government officials as having indulged in misrepresentation and dereliction of duty. The five companies named in the FIR are AMR Iron and Steel, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog, Nav Bharat Power, JLD Yavatmal Energy and JAS Infrastructure Capital. Darda and 17 others have been named as accused, some of them in more than one FIR. The cases followed preliminary enquiry by the CBI of the irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks during the period 2006-09 on the basis of a reference made by the Central Vigilance Commission.

CBI files FIR against 5 companies in Coal scam

CBI on Tuesday registered five cases in connection with the alleged scam in allocation of coal blocks and conducted searches in nearly 30 places across the country. After registering five FIRs in court, CBI teams fanned out to nearly 10 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna, Hyderabad, Dhanbad and Nagpur and searched premises of owners of some companies. The companies named in the FIR by the CBI are Vini Iron and Steel, Nav Bharat Steel, JLD Yavatmal, which is said to be linked to the family of Congress MP Vijay Darda, JAS infrasrtucture of Abhijeet Group and AMR Iron and Steel and their directors and unknown government officials, the CBI said. The agency, which had registered a Preliminary enquiry in June this year, has slapped charges of cheating and suppression of facts against the companies.