Air India, Jetlite cut fares steeply

It’s turning out to be a new-year bonanza for flyers with two more airlines — Air India and Jetlite — announcing cut in domestic fares on Tuesday.

Air India slashed basic air fares by a massive 35 to 82 per cent and stated that the average reduction was about 52 per cent with immediate effect.

Air India’s fare for Hyderabad-Delhi flight would cost Rs 5,300, Mumbai Rs 2,950, Chennai 2,950, Kolkata 5,300 and Bangalore Rs 2,800.

Meanwhile, low cost carrier Jetlite (the erstwhile Air Sahara that was taken over by Jet Airways) also announced slashing of basic air fares in the domestic sector upto 40 percent.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.dc-epaper.com

Sania hasn’t paid for her gunmen

Tennis star Sania Mirza owes the police Rs 2 lakh, and is not responding to requests to pay up.

Officials of the City Security Wing said Sania had not replied to the notices sent to her regarding the payment of arrears.

Mr R.B. Nayak, the CSW deputy commissioner of police, told this correspondent that police had sent her the notices four times “but she has neither paid nor replied to the notices.”

A senior official said, “they have to get a waiver from the government or they have to pay.”

Ms Mirza was given a gunman each in two shifts for more than nine months, she was to pay Rs 25,000 per month for the security.

In May last, the police withdrew security to Sania as she was not paying user fee for her bodyguards.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/30/index.shtml

Indian Administrative Services quota for state increased

The state will have more young bureaucrats as the Centre has sanctioned higher IAS quota from the next year.

The Centre cleared the state government’s plea to increase IAS quota based on the present-day requirements. Now, the state would have 33 more IAS officers in its quota increasing the number to 347 from 314.

For the first time after 20 years, the state is set to receive more number of direct recruits and promotee officers.

There have been 219 direct recruitee IAS officers in the state service and the number has been raised to 242 from the next batch.

“Next year, we will get more officers from Mussorie, fresh from training,” a senior general administration official said.

Meanwhile, the number of IAS officers for promotion from the state service has also been increased to 105 from present 95.

“Ten more IAS posts for the state is a wonderful news in the back drop of intense competition among state officers these days. The increase would bring an equilibrium in the quota of direct recruitees and promotees, which has been a contentious issue for long,” a senior bureaucrat said.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/29/index.shtml

Evacuation alert after Pakistan moves

In an atmosphere of heightened military activities across the border and aggressive posturing by Pakistan’s Army and Air Force, New Delhi has activated the country’s civil defence network for any eventuality.

The Union home ministry has put civil defence volunteers on alert, particularly in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, following reports and indications of movements on the Pakistani side of the border. The civil defence volunteers have been asked to be ready to evacuate people from border villages “if necessary”.

Speaking to this newspaper on Thursday, the Union home secretary, Mr Madhukar Gupta said the home ministry was “working on a scheme to have civil defence volunteers in all states to assist the local police in activities ranging from law and order to internal security.” Mr Gupta added that the move “has nothing to do with the so called military activities on the Pakistani side.”

Confirming activities on the Pakistan side of the border, the BSF director-general, Mr M.L. Kumawat, said his men remained fully vigilant and were prepared to deal with any eventuality.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/26/index.shtml

Ghajini hit by High Court order

The Madras High Court on Tuesday restrained Geetha Arts, a division of Allu Entertainment Private Ltd, and director A.R. Murugadoss from releasing the Hindi version of the Tamil film Ghajini, scheduled for a nationwide release on December 25, in any other language other than Telugu.

Justice P.R. Shivakumar granted the injunction on a civil suit filed by Mr A. Chandrasekharan, producer of the Tamil film Ghajini, over alleged copyright violation. The producer claimed he had invested Rs 10 crore to produce the Tamil film, directed by Murugadoss, also dubbed and released in Telugu.

When the prints were to be processed and released by the laboratory, a further amount of Rs 2.60 crore was required. That is when he alleged that Murugadoss approached Mr Allu Aravind of Geetha Arts, who paid the amount on certain conditions.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/24/index.shtml

Bill gives Centre right to spy on e-mail

The Information Technology (Amendment) Bill 2006 will enable the government to intercept any Internet messages if it feels necessary in national interest.

According to provisions of the amendment bill, the government will have the powers to intercept such messages for investigation, monitoring or decryption or any other information through a PC.

According to the bill, with proliferation of information technology-enabled services, such as e-governance, e-commerce and e-transactions, protection of personal data and information and implementation of security practices and procedures relating to these applications of electronic communications have assumed greater importance and they require harmonisation with the provisions of the Information Technology Act.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/23/index.shtml

Musi farming, health hazard

Hyderabadis, who consume fruits and vegetables grown over 3,600 hectares under the Musi ayacut, run the risk of severe worm infection that may cause appetite loss, abdominal pain, shortness of breath and a variety of skin diseases.

According to a joint study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the International Water Management Institute, Hyderabad, farmers and consumers are hit by use of sewage in agriculture in and around Hyderabad.

The research team, which divided the city and its suburbs into three zones, centre of Hyderabad (high concentration of hookworm eggs), peri-urban zone of Hyderabad (medium concentration of hookworm infection) and villages downstream of the river Musi, found prevalence of hookworm and other intestinal parasites like Ascaris (giant round worms) and Trichuris (whip worms)

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/22/index.shtml

Rajus make $1.5b, shortchange investors

Satyam Computer Services Ltd gave its investors a nasty surprise on Tuesday by acquiring a 100-per cent stake in Maytas Properties for $1.3 billion (Rs 6,228 crore) and a 51 per cent stake in Maytas Infra for $0.3 billion (Rs 1,437 crore).

Analysts called the deal “unethical” and said it presented conflict of interest.

Both Maytas Properties and Maytas Infra are promoted by the Satyam Computers’ promoters and headed by Satyam Computers chairman Ramalinga Raju’s son Teja Raju.

Maytas Properties is an unlisted company owned by Mr Ramalinga Raju’s family, his relatives and friends. The promoters have a 36 per cent share in Maytas Infra, which was listed last year.

They stand to make nearly $1.48 billion from the deal valued at $1.6 billion.

The deal evoked protests from investors, and the government has promised to examine the fine print. The company’s ADRs shed more than 50 per cent of its value on the New York markets.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:http://www.dc-epaper.com

Miss World’s jury was not fair: Parvathy

Parvathy Omanakuttan, who emerged as the first runner up in the Miss World contest, feels the jury’s decision to push her in the second position was “unfair.”

“I have performed better than others in the personality and question-answer round. This is not just. All those who watched it yesterday (on Saturday) felt like that. I feel the jury’s decision was unfair,” Parvathy told India Vision channel on Sunday.

“I had confidence. I could do well. The question-round did not come as a challenge to me considering my background in literature,” Parvathy, who hails from Kottayam in Kerala, said disputing the selection of Miss Russia as Ksenya Sukhinova as Miss World.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/15/index.shtml

Bharatiya Janata Party buckles, backs Centre

In a swift change of strategy, the BJP on Thursday joined the government not merely in targeting Pakistan but it also pledged total support to the Centre on a hard line against Pakistan in the war on terrorism.

Sources said that with its terrorism plank finding no takers in the recent Assembly elections, the BJP’s spin doctors have consciously decided to change the party’s tactics and strike a “positive note” in the nation’s fight against terror.

The BJP had at first adopted a double-pronged strategy: while prime ministerial candidate, Mr L.K. Advani, maintained a conciliatory tone, other leaders were unleashed to attack the government.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/12/INDEX.SHTML

China, United Nations helped Laskhar-e-Tayyaba front

Even as India and the West try to get the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the frontal organisation of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Laskhar-e-Tayyaba banned, it has emerged that China had thrice in the past blocked efforts at the UN Security Council to proscribe the organisation.

With India putting in a formal request for declaring JuD as a terrorist outfit for its involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks, all eyes are now on Beijing’s decision on the matter.

The sanctions committee of the Council had circulated a note to its members that the US, backed by Britain and France, had twice tried to add JuD chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed to the list of individuals and organisations connected to terrorism last May, but the move was blocked by China. A similar attempt directed against the organisation in April 2006 was also blocked by China.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the JuD was helped by the UN in gaining a foothold in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the 2005 earthquake.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/06/index.shtml

India says Pakistan steps are just not enough

The pressure brought to bear upon it by the international community in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai might be beginning to tell on Pakistan, but New Delhi has made it known that token detentions of a handful of terrorists was simply not enough.

Adopting an aggressive stance, the government and Indian intelligence agencies have suggested to Pakistan that it take more concrete action.

Cosmetic action such as the reported detention of Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar was not adequate, the sources said. They also said that Islamabad must come clean on its support to terrorists, and demonstrate its sincerity by handing over fugitives wanted by New Delhi for various terrorist attacks in India.

The Indian intelligence agencies have made it clear that Pakistan needs to hand over 20 terrorists in order to complete the investigation of various terrorist attacks in India.

o read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/06/index.shtml

Petrol bunk looted, staff injured

Four dacoits shot at and injured the staff of a petrol bunk at Yellampet in Medchal and looted Rs 90,000 from them in the early hours of Friday.

Inspector of Medchal police, Mr Mohammad Ghouse Mohiuddin, said four armed dacoits entered the Bharat petrol bunk premises at 3 am on Friday.

The dacoits demanded money from the staff, Mr Danish Ismail and Mr Surivi Jangaiah.

But when they resisted, the dacoits whipped out country made pistols and forcibly took away Rs 90,000 from the bunker.

Noticing something untoward, Mr Chinni, the petrol bunk manager, and Mr Ravinder Reddy, the cashier, rushed out.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/06/index.shtml

Airports turn into fortresses

Airports across the country — particularly those in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai — have become fortresses in view of intelligence inputs received about a possibility of “armed assault at airports” and “hijacking” of aircraft.

At New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, for instance, CISF personnel are on “high alert” and NSG commandos have been put on “standby”, sources confirmed. At least, three to four sky marshals will also be on board most flights, sources indicated.

In Hyderabad, security has been beefed up at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad following an intelligence alert that terrorists might strike at airports on the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6.

The airport alert has made passengers cancel their flight tickets at several airports.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/05/index.shtml

Terror suspects in city shoot at unarmed cops

Two Counter Intelligence cell cops were injured after six suspected terror operatives opened fire at a police team at Santosh nagar in the city on Wednesday afternoon and escaped.

Alarmingly enough, the three-member team of police personnel were unarmed though they had come to the IS Sadan locale to nab Viqar, a Simi activist, a suspect in the Mecca Masjid blast, on the basis of a tipoff. They turned out to be sitting ducks when the armed terror suspects started shooting.

Security experts were alarmed at the incident which makes it evident that the city police has learned no lessons from the Mumbai attacks and had casually allowed unarmed cops to try to trap a terror suspect.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/04/index.shtml

Wheelchairs, ramps at Taj

Over the years, disabled visitors who came to see the Taj Mahal could only gaze at it from the entrance. Now, thanks to the efforts of the authorities they will be able to get a closer and more intimate view of the magnificent monument of love.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has responded to the needs of physically challenged tourists by constructing nine ramps at various points in the complex. This is the latest in a series of initiatives that have been taken here for improving the quality of life of the disabled. The ramps apart, a dozen wheelchairs are made available to enable the physically challenged to move conveniently around the Taj complex.

Mr Munazzar Ali, an ASI official at the Taj, said: “Foreign tourists usually come with their own motorised wheelchairs and freely move around without assistance, but the domestic tourists use the wheelchairs provided by us.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/03/index.shtml

All in tears as Moshe cries

A Jewish congregation dissolved in tears in a synagogue Monday at the grief of a two-year-old orphan who cried out for his father— a Rabbi— and mother slain by terrorists at Nariman House amid emotional scenes during a memorial service.

Two-year-old, Moshe, dressed in a bright green T-shirt and blue shorts was carried into a synagogue here for a prayer meeting in memory of the six Jews killed in the terror attack that included his parents Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and Rivika.

Holding a ball in hand, Moshe who was ironically orphaned on the day of his birthday (November 28) kept looking around, probably wanting to see his parents even as his 44 year-old nanny, Ms Sandra Samuel, lifted him up in his arms.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/02/index.shtml

AIDS, a misunderstood malaise

Discrimination against HIV positive patients continues, underscoring the need for concerted efforts on many fronts to give them space and scope in the mainstream public life. A painful fact remains that some patients are discriminated against by their own family members.

To overcome this, many HIV positive people have found a solution on their own: Networking and marriages within the group.

Sapna, president of ‘HIV positive Network People of Ranga Reddy’, says: “I am living with HIV for the past eight years. When I first launched the network of HIV positive people, very few came forward. But now, our network in the state has grown to 60,000 people living with HIV.”

Sapna lamented that there are several cases of discrimination, especially, legal discrimination against HIV positive persons. “People with HIV are denied the right to property,” she said.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2008/12/01/index.shtml