Train accident in Tamil Nadu: 9 killed, 100 injured
Wednesday 14 September, 2011CHITHERI: Nine persons were killed and 100 others injured when a speeding passenger train rammed into a stationary train here, leading to derailment of five coaches.
The Chennai Beach-Vellore Cantonment Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) train rammed into the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger from behind as it was waiting for a signal at Chitheri station, about 90 kms from Chennai, around 9.40pm on Tuesday night, police and railway officials said.
Of the nine killed, bodies of seven have been recovered and efforts were on to retrieve the other two buried under the mangled bogies, IG North Zone Shailendra Babu said.
He said nearly 100 people including the driver of the MEMU train were injured and of them 83 were admitted to nearby Arakkonam Government hospital. Later, 25 injured were shifted to Chennai for treatment, he said, adding "all of them are out of danger".
Southern Railway general manager Deepak Krishnan said the MEMU driver had apparently ignored the signal and speed restrictions.
The Arakonam-Katpadi passenger was waiting for the signal. Being an automatic signalling territory, trains move one after another in this section, he said.
"Normally the previous signal would be danger (red). But apparently the MEMU train driver has not adhered to the signal," he said.
Officials said the last bogie of the stationary passenger train bore the brunt under the impact of the collision.
This is the third major accident in two months. On July 10, 70 people were killed when the Howrah-Kalka Mail derailed near Kanpur and three weeks later some coaches of Guwahati -Bangalore Express derailed in West Bengal's Malda district and were hit by another train leaving three dead.
The impact of the collision could be gauged from the heap of mangled metal and derailed bogies which the rescue workers are trying to clear.
Personnel of Tamil Nadu Commando police, special police and National Disaster Response Force besides Naval personnel from the nearby INS Rajali base have been deployed for rescue and relief works, which were initially hampered by heavy rains and poor light.
Passengers' bags and other belongings and metal parts of the train were seen strewn around the site which become slushy because of heavy overnight rains.
The accident disrupted running of several trains to Coimbatore and Bangalore in the Chennai-Katpadi section and both the up and down track were expected to be restored by around 6 PM today, they said.
Tamil Nadu health minister Dr V S Vijay visited the accident spot last night along with district officials and reviewed the relief measures.
For More Information :- Live News
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Train-accident-in-Tamil-Nadu-9-killed-100-injured/articleshow/9976744.cms
Volkswagen’s Radical Electric Roadster of the Future
Saturday 3 September, 2011Volkswagen has designed a unique single-seat electric sports car it calls NILS.
The radically designed concept vehicle is inspired by open-wheel F1 race cars. While its electric motor can only crank out 30 hp, the 10-foot-long aluminum-framed vehicle is so small and light, you might think you’re in a race car when its torque-rich little engine delivers that neck-snapping acceleration of which we are all so fond.
Low-speed acceleration notwithstanding, you won’t want to enter it into any impromptu street races, because its 0-60 time is a leisurely 11 seconds, with its top speed a rather tame 80 mph.
Volkswagen says this electro-cart only needs a couple of hours to charge from a 230V electrical outlet. The downside is its range is only 40 miles on each charge. Still, that’s farther than the average commute.
Wondering when you can get one? Like most concept cars, this one’s not for sale. The car maker plans to show off NILS at the upcoming auto show in Frankfurt this month.
Even if you won’t be getting behind its wheels soon, the design exploration gives you a sneak peek at the cars you might be driving a few years down the road.
http://mashable.com/2011/09/02/volkswagen-electric-roadster/
Chase for Gaddafi continues in Libya amid more external support
Thursday 25 August, 2011BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Libyan rebel troops are continuing their chase for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after they captured his stronghold in Tripoli Tuesday, while more and more outside forces are cheering them on.
Libya's rebel troops Wednesday took control of the Mazraq al-Shams army base in Libya's port city of Zuara, some 60 km from the Tunisian border, the Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV reported.
In the capital of Tripoli, sporadic clashes were reported between Gaddafi's forces and rebel troops fighting to consolidate their grip on the capital.
A military spokesman for the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) said Wednesday that Gaddafi has lost control of 95 percent of Libya, spelling an end to his rule.
Libyan rebels Tuesday captured the Bab al-Azizya compound, Gaddafi's last stronghold in Tripoli after heavy fighting. However, the whereabouts of the embattled Libyan leader are still unknown.
Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the NTC, said Wednesday that Libyan rebels put a bounty of about 1.67 million U.S. dollars on Gaddafi's head, dead or alive.
Meanwhile, the rebel leader said that those who kill or catch Gaddafi will be pardoned for past crimes. He denied negotiations with Gaddafi forces in Sirte.
Jalil noted some rebel fighters from eastern Libya had already penetrated into Gaddafi's hometown.
NTC military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani said at a press conference earlier that Gaddafi might have hidden in the desert areas between Sirte and Sabah.
"We will track him down and catch him as soon as he appears," Bani said.
Early on Wednesday, Gaddafi said his withdrawal from Bab al-Azizya was a tactical move, local al-Orouba TV reported.
The defiant Libyan leader said the compound had been leveled to the ground by as many as 64 NATO airstrikes, al-Orouba said, adding Gaddafi vowed death or victory in his fight against the "aggression."
Ethiopia and Nigeria, the two most populous African countries, announced Wednesday that they have recognized the NTC as Libya's legitimate government as it is controlling most of Libya, including Tripoli.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his Nigerian counterpart Oubeng Ashiru told journalists in Ethiopia that the two countries have decided to jointly recognize the NTC as the interim legitimate authority in Libya.
In the joint press statement, they also called on all peace-loving countries in general and those of Africa and the African Union (AU) in particular to contribute to peace and stability in Libya by recognizing the authority and legitimacy of the NTC.
Hailemariam said the two countries would try to provide the necessary support, including the political support requested by the NTC, for a smooth transition in Libya.
The Arab League (AL) said Wednesday it wanted to help war-torn Libya rebuild its health sector.
The efforts will be exerted within the frame of the Arab Council of Health Ministers, aiming to better the humanitarian situation in Libya, according to Egypt's official news agency MENA.
The AL has been supporting the Libyan people since the unrest started. It has sent a large convoy and a delegation accompanied by a fully equipped ambulance offered by the Arab Council of Health Ministers, said Laila Negm, director of the AL Department of Health Affairs and Humanitarian Aid.
Besides, the league has assigned the medical center in Benghazi to conduct a study evaluating the health and social conditions via a technical committee in five areas: Benghazi, Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Ajdabiya, Misrata, and Jabal Nafusa, the minister said.
The Damascus-based Islamic Hamas movement Wednesday congratulated the Libyan people on the success of the popular uprising, saying it hopes the Palestinian question would remain among the top priorities of the Libyan people.
Hamas expressed the hope that the Libyans could establish a modern society, where democracy, freedom, and independent national decisions could prevail without foreign intervention.
At the request of the United States, the UN Security Council met behind closed doors Wednesday afternoon to discuss whether to unfreeze 1.5 billion dollars in Libyan assets.
The United States has called a meeting to introduce a resolution that would unfreeze roughly 1.5 billion dollars of Libyan assets to meet urgent humanitarian needs, although it faces opposition from countries like South Africa, a non-permanent member of the council.
NTC head Jalil said Wednesday at a joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the Elysee Palace that the contact group will meet on Sept. 1, stressing the importance of the meeting and the urgent need of Libya's transition authority for more security and funds.
Jalil said that this aid included the release of Libyan assets that had been frozen as sanctions against Gaddafi's regime.
French foreign ministry sources said that France is working with its partners at the United Nations to unfreeze Libyan assets.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/25/c_131073246.htm
Libya's rebel troops Wednesday took control of the Mazraq al-Shams army base in Libya's port city of Zuara, some 60 km from the Tunisian border, the Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV reported.
In the capital of Tripoli, sporadic clashes were reported between Gaddafi's forces and rebel troops fighting to consolidate their grip on the capital.
A military spokesman for the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) said Wednesday that Gaddafi has lost control of 95 percent of Libya, spelling an end to his rule.
Libyan rebels Tuesday captured the Bab al-Azizya compound, Gaddafi's last stronghold in Tripoli after heavy fighting. However, the whereabouts of the embattled Libyan leader are still unknown.
Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the NTC, said Wednesday that Libyan rebels put a bounty of about 1.67 million U.S. dollars on Gaddafi's head, dead or alive.
Meanwhile, the rebel leader said that those who kill or catch Gaddafi will be pardoned for past crimes. He denied negotiations with Gaddafi forces in Sirte.
Jalil noted some rebel fighters from eastern Libya had already penetrated into Gaddafi's hometown.
NTC military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani said at a press conference earlier that Gaddafi might have hidden in the desert areas between Sirte and Sabah.
"We will track him down and catch him as soon as he appears," Bani said.
Early on Wednesday, Gaddafi said his withdrawal from Bab al-Azizya was a tactical move, local al-Orouba TV reported.
The defiant Libyan leader said the compound had been leveled to the ground by as many as 64 NATO airstrikes, al-Orouba said, adding Gaddafi vowed death or victory in his fight against the "aggression."
Ethiopia and Nigeria, the two most populous African countries, announced Wednesday that they have recognized the NTC as Libya's legitimate government as it is controlling most of Libya, including Tripoli.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his Nigerian counterpart Oubeng Ashiru told journalists in Ethiopia that the two countries have decided to jointly recognize the NTC as the interim legitimate authority in Libya.
In the joint press statement, they also called on all peace-loving countries in general and those of Africa and the African Union (AU) in particular to contribute to peace and stability in Libya by recognizing the authority and legitimacy of the NTC.
Hailemariam said the two countries would try to provide the necessary support, including the political support requested by the NTC, for a smooth transition in Libya.
The Arab League (AL) said Wednesday it wanted to help war-torn Libya rebuild its health sector.
The efforts will be exerted within the frame of the Arab Council of Health Ministers, aiming to better the humanitarian situation in Libya, according to Egypt's official news agency MENA.
The AL has been supporting the Libyan people since the unrest started. It has sent a large convoy and a delegation accompanied by a fully equipped ambulance offered by the Arab Council of Health Ministers, said Laila Negm, director of the AL Department of Health Affairs and Humanitarian Aid.
Besides, the league has assigned the medical center in Benghazi to conduct a study evaluating the health and social conditions via a technical committee in five areas: Benghazi, Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Ajdabiya, Misrata, and Jabal Nafusa, the minister said.
The Damascus-based Islamic Hamas movement Wednesday congratulated the Libyan people on the success of the popular uprising, saying it hopes the Palestinian question would remain among the top priorities of the Libyan people.
Hamas expressed the hope that the Libyans could establish a modern society, where democracy, freedom, and independent national decisions could prevail without foreign intervention.
At the request of the United States, the UN Security Council met behind closed doors Wednesday afternoon to discuss whether to unfreeze 1.5 billion dollars in Libyan assets.
The United States has called a meeting to introduce a resolution that would unfreeze roughly 1.5 billion dollars of Libyan assets to meet urgent humanitarian needs, although it faces opposition from countries like South Africa, a non-permanent member of the council.
NTC head Jalil said Wednesday at a joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the Elysee Palace that the contact group will meet on Sept. 1, stressing the importance of the meeting and the urgent need of Libya's transition authority for more security and funds.
Jalil said that this aid included the release of Libyan assets that had been frozen as sanctions against Gaddafi's regime.
French foreign ministry sources said that France is working with its partners at the United Nations to unfreeze Libyan assets.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/25/c_131073246.htm
Raksha Bandhan
Friday 12 August, 2011Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi (???i ) is a Hindu festival and also Sikh festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Shraavana and in 2009 it falls on August 5 .As we all know that Raksha Bandhan is the celebration of bond of love among brothers and sisters. But there are numerous legends associated with the origin of Rakhi. If we try to find out the origin behind Rakhi we will have to refer
Hindu mythology as most of the roots of Hindu festival can be traced from Hindu mythology. The festival nurtures a varied and rich heritage of legendry epics. According to Bhavishya Purana there was a battle between gods and demons, and Indra (the king of the gods) was defeated by the demons and he was totally shattered. At that time on advice of Guru Brihaspati, (the guru of Devtas) Indra's wife Sachi took a silken thread, popularly known as 'Raksha' and charged it with sacred verses for protection and tied it on Indra's wrist. As a result the strength of the sacred thread helped Indra conquered his enemies. Since then till today this festival is celebrated. It is considered as gesture of goodwill and protection.
There are various other legends also associated with Rakhi. In the pages of history also we have seen Rakhi had played an important and significant roles in building strong relations and bonds among two rulers and kingdoms. For instance Alexander's wife believed to have tied rakhi to King Porus during that time due to which in battlefields he had to restrain himself from attacking Alexander inspite of having numerous opportunities. Even history evidences show that during Mughal period the custom of tying rakhis helped bind the Hindu Rajputs and Mughal rulers together. According to legend, when Bahadur Shah of Gujarat attacked Rani Karnavati of Chittor, she sent a rakhi to Humayun as bond of love and requested him to help. So all of these legends associated with the festival teaches us one thing that there is nothing above true love and affection. It is this bond of togetherness that binds us. So these are the few legends associated with the festival of Rakhi, which signifies the importance of Raksha Bandhan celebration in India.
http://holidays.vgreets.com/Rakhi/history/
Kaun Banega Crorepati 5 gets bigger, better
Thursday 11 August, 2011Sony TV's popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is set to return to small screen in a newer and a bigger avatar with megastar Amitabh Bachchan as a host, with an aim to expand their reach to smaller cities.
"Last year KBC was a hit in small parts due to Mr Bachchan. His creativity, professionalism and talent had played a prominent part in attracting people from smaller places and we hope to do so again through this season. It will help take the channel to new level," said Manjeet Singh, CEO, Multiscreen Media, of which Sony TV is a part, during the launch of the show Tuesday night.
And with the kind of people Amitabh met in the last season, the veteran star agrees that there is a lot of untapped talent in the smaller cities.
"In last season, the kind of contestants with whom I got a chance to meet were really good and even I learnt that fact that no one should be underestimated. People from small towns came in, some of them from the places we didn't even know came out with flying colours on the show. This shows there is so much talent in the interiors," said the 68-year-old looking dapper in blue velvet coat.
"Through this show I got a chance to meet people whom I would never have met," he added.
Holding true to their aim, the channel has even changed the time slot of the show from 9 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. slot.
"The objective of the time slot is to expand the reach of both the channel and the show. The idea is here to get larger audiences from the smaller towns," said N.P. Singh, COO Multi Screen Media.
Produced by Big Synergy Media, the fifth season of KBC, which goes on air Aug 15, is back with host of innovative and fresh developments, top prize of Rs. 5 crore and a new philosophy "Koi insaan chhota nahi hota" (Don't underestimate anyone).
Last year, there were two safe havens at Rs 10,000 and Rs 3,20,000, where if a contestant reaches, he or she would take home at least that much money, however, in the new season the contestants would be allowed to choose their own safe havens in the money tree. However, the four lifelines remain the same Audience Poll, Ask an Expert, Phone a Friend and Double Dip.
And Siddharth Basu of Big Synergy promises to provide audiences with more humane and motivational stories shown in the previous season.
"While creating the show, there have been many challenges as you have to reach out far and wide. The show has always been about human story, this time we have dug deeper in the country to find contestants and each of them have a range of motivational and humane stories," said Basu.
Sneha Rajani, executive vice president and business head of the channel admits that the new contestants on the show "represent the modern India".
"The demand of the show was so much that we had to bring back the show within nine months, much earlier than we anticipated. In this season we got close to 45 lakh entries, during the auditions we realise that the contestants represented India of today. There were people of various colours, caste and creed with no limitations at all," said Rajani.
The show, which will run for 14 weeks, will also have special themes and special episodes.
Actors Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone have already shot for an episode.
Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?section=Movies&Id=ENTEN20110181923&keyword=bollywood&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&nid=125640&cp
Aircel & Huawei Conduct LTE Field Trials, 4G Looms Closer?
This is certainly good news for all mobile internet users. Chinese manufacturer Huawei and Indian service provider Aircel recently conducted the world’s first LTE field trial, signaling that 4G, the next generation technology to power mobile connectivity, could hit Indian shores sooner than expected.
While it is indeed true that 3G services have just been introduced this calendar year onwards, even as it rolled out in certain circles very recently, it is certainly heartening to see that for once, our country is taking a pro active approach in making sure that it stays technologically up to date and ready for any latest changes.
For those who are unaware, 4G technology is implemented either through LTE or WiMax. While devices employing the latter are already out in the market, LTE ready devices should be out by the end of this calendar year, as per those in the industry. Most prefer LTE, as it is backward compatible, meaning that any device that works with LTE will also work on GSM, CDMA and 3G networks. Also, auctions for the 4G spectrum were held earlier this year after the 3G spectrum auction. Here are the key allocations that were a result of the auction:
* Reliance bagged spectrum in all the 22 circles
* Airtel got spectrum in 4 circles
* Aircel has spectrum allocation in 8 circles
* Tikona has spectrum allocation in 5 circles
* QualComm has spectrum allocation in 4 circles
* State players BSNL and MTNL were already allocated spectrum before the auction, but have launched WiMax services in very few loactions
http://gigjets.com/08/aircel-huawei-conduct-lte-field-trials-4g-looms-closer/
Sensex down 132 points in choppy trades
Wednesday 10 August, 2011If Monday was a day of sell-offs, Tuesday turned out to be the day global markets found their feet, even if it turns out to be short-lived. As major Asian markets opened lower on the back of an overnight fall of 636 points in the Dow Jones index, a slow recovery set in.
The Indian market, following its Asian peers, opened sharply lower and in early trades the benchmark BSE sensex was down over 550 points, but soon embarked on a remarkable recovery. By mid-session, the index was trading in positive territory, up nearly 150 points, thus recording a recovery of about 700 points from the day's low. However, uncertainty and volatile trading in the European markets took a toll on trading on Dalal Street and the sensex closed 136 points lower at 16,858, down less than 1% from its previous close.
The day's recovery came despite a Rs 2,100-crore net outflow by foreign funds while domestic institutions clocked a net inflow of about Rs 1,400 crore. Institutional dealers said domestic insurance companies, led by LIC, were big buyers.
The day's slide left investors poorer by Rs 73,000 crore with BSE's market capitalization now at Rs 61.8 lakh crore.
Among the sectors, FMCG and auto stocks closed with smart gains while IT and metal stocks led the pack of laggards. Of the 30 sensex stocks, M&M was the top gainer with a 4.3% rise to Rs 695 while DLF closed 2.5% higher at Rs 201. Among the top losers were Tata Steel, down 4.9% at Rs 486 and Tata Motors, down 4.3% at Rs 796.
For Wednesday, market players said that with the US markets rebounding, there is every chance of a rebound in the domestic market. At 10pm, the Dow Jones index was trading 2% higher, while FTSE in London closed nearly 2% higher and Dax in Germany ended flat. Earlier in the day, Shanghai closed flat, Nikkei in Japan lost 1.7% and Hang Seng in Hong Kong was the worst performer among major markets, closing 5.7% lower.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Sensex-down-132-points-in-choppy-trades/articleshow/9547026.cms
The Indian market, following its Asian peers, opened sharply lower and in early trades the benchmark BSE sensex was down over 550 points, but soon embarked on a remarkable recovery. By mid-session, the index was trading in positive territory, up nearly 150 points, thus recording a recovery of about 700 points from the day's low. However, uncertainty and volatile trading in the European markets took a toll on trading on Dalal Street and the sensex closed 136 points lower at 16,858, down less than 1% from its previous close.
The day's recovery came despite a Rs 2,100-crore net outflow by foreign funds while domestic institutions clocked a net inflow of about Rs 1,400 crore. Institutional dealers said domestic insurance companies, led by LIC, were big buyers.
The day's slide left investors poorer by Rs 73,000 crore with BSE's market capitalization now at Rs 61.8 lakh crore.
Among the sectors, FMCG and auto stocks closed with smart gains while IT and metal stocks led the pack of laggards. Of the 30 sensex stocks, M&M was the top gainer with a 4.3% rise to Rs 695 while DLF closed 2.5% higher at Rs 201. Among the top losers were Tata Steel, down 4.9% at Rs 486 and Tata Motors, down 4.3% at Rs 796.
For Wednesday, market players said that with the US markets rebounding, there is every chance of a rebound in the domestic market. At 10pm, the Dow Jones index was trading 2% higher, while FTSE in London closed nearly 2% higher and Dax in Germany ended flat. Earlier in the day, Shanghai closed flat, Nikkei in Japan lost 1.7% and Hang Seng in Hong Kong was the worst performer among major markets, closing 5.7% lower.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Sensex-down-132-points-in-choppy-trades/articleshow/9547026.cms
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