Bhubaneswar, May 1 (IANS) Indian cricketer Pragyan Ojha is all set to tie the knot in his home state Orissa May 16, his family said Saturday.The left arm spinner will marry Karabee Baral, a post-graduate in micro biology, at Hotel Mayfair Lagoon in Bhubaneswar.
Ojha, who represented India at the under-19 level, and Karabee met a year ago at a function, Ojha's family sources told IANS.
A member of the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ohja was the leading wicket taker in the just ended IPL-3.
The TIME Magazine annual list of 100 most influential people in the world consist of Nine Indians. The Indians in the list includes the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, little master Sachin Tendulkar.The other Indians on the list are as follows
Nobel winner economist Amartya Sen
Eye doctor Perumalsamy Namperumalsamy
Humanitarian worker Sanjit Buker Roy
Writer Chetan Bhagat
Harvard professor Atul Gwande
Paramedic Toronto Rahul Singh
Entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
London, April 29 (IANS) Singer Shakira's hit number "Waka Waka" has been named official song of this year's soccer World Cup in South Africa."I am honoured that 'Waka Waka' was chosen to be part of the excitement and the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup," contactmusic.com quoted her as saying.
"The soccer World Cup is a miracle of global excitement, connecting every country, race, religion and condition around a single passion."
Shakira will also attend the opening of the tournament in South Africa June 10 and perform along with Alicia Keys and Black Eyed Peas. The concert is expected to be attended by an audience of 30,000 at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.
Thane (Maharashtra), April, 29 (IANS) An elderly Christian priest was found murdered in his residence in this district adjoining Mumbai Thursday morning, police said.
The body of Father Peter Bambacha, 74, was discovered by police in Babola village in Vasai sub-district around 6.45 a.m., an official of Vasai police station said.
He had been repeatedly stabbed by some sharp object.
Bambacha was the priest of St. Peter's Church in Vasai over a decade ago and later engaged himself in social service.
He was running some ashrams, a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts and engaged in other social activities.
Police have launched a manhunt to trace the killers.
Senior church officials from Mumbai and Vasai visited the scene of the crime and expressed grief over Bambacha's killing.
Vasai is around 15 km north-west of Mumbai in Thane district.
The body of Father Peter Bambacha, 74, was discovered by police in Babola village in Vasai sub-district around 6.45 a.m., an official of Vasai police station said.
He had been repeatedly stabbed by some sharp object.
Bambacha was the priest of St. Peter's Church in Vasai over a decade ago and later engaged himself in social service.
He was running some ashrams, a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts and engaged in other social activities.
Police have launched a manhunt to trace the killers.
Senior church officials from Mumbai and Vasai visited the scene of the crime and expressed grief over Bambacha's killing.
Vasai is around 15 km north-west of Mumbai in Thane district.
The following is the list of all the 12 participating teams for the World Twenty20 cricket that starts Friday with New Zealand taking on last year's finalists Sri Lanka at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Squads:
Afghanistan: Nawroz Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Rais Ahmadzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Saeed Nasrat, Shafiqullah Shafaq.
Australia: Michael Clarke (captain), Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes, Tim Paine (wicketkeeper), Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Naeem Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Syed Rasel, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Jahurul Islam (wicketkeeper)
England: Paul Collingwood (captain), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Craig Kieswetter (wicketkeeper), Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Ajmal Shahzad, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Vinay Kumar, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Rohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla.
Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien (wicketkeeper), Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary Wilson (wicketkeeper).
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), Brendon McCullum (wicketkeeper), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Aaron Redmond, Jacob Oram, Gareth Hopkins (wicketkeeper), Rob Nicol, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Shane Bond, Ian Butler.
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Hammad Azam, Kamran Akmal (wk),Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal.
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Kallis (vice-captain), Lungile "Loots" Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Juan Theron, Roelof van der Merwe.
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain/wicketkeeper), Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Thissara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Chanaka Welagedara, Chamara Kapugedara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chinthaka Jayasinghe.
West Indies: Chris Gayle (captain), Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.
Zimbabwe: Prosper Utseya (captain), Brendan Taylor (wicketkeeper), Charles Coventry, Andy Blignaut, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu (wicketkeeper), Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, Chamu Chibhabha, Chris Mpofu, Timycen Maruma, Craig Ervine.
Fixtures of the World Twenty20 which begins here Friday at the Providence Stadium, Guyana, with last year's finalists Sri Lanka taking on New Zealand.April 30: Group B - New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Providence Stadium, Guyana
April 30: Group D - West Indies v Ireland, Providence Stadium, Guyana
May 1: Group C - Afghanistan v India, Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 1: Group A - Bangladesh v Pakistan, Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 2: Group C - India v South Africa, Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 2: Group A - Australia v Pakistan, Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 3: Group B - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Providence Stadium, Guyana
May 3: Group D - West Indies v England, Providence Stadium, Guyana
May 4: Group B - New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Providence Stadium, Guyana
May 4: Group D - England v Ireland, Providence Stadium, Guyana
May 5: Group A - Australia v Bangladesh, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 5: Group C - Afghanistan v South Africa, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 6: A1 v D2 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 6: C1 v B2 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 7: A2 v C2 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 7: B1 v D1 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 8: A1 v B2 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 8: D2 v C1 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 9: C2 v D1 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 9: B1 v A2 - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
May 10: A1 v C1 - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 10: B2 v D2 - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 11: B1 v C2 - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 11: D1 v A2 - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 13: 1st Semi-Final - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 14: 2nd Semi-Final - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
May 16: Final - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Mumbai, April 29 (IANS) INS Shivalik, the first indigenous stealth frigate in the Indian Navy, was commissioned Thursday by Deffence Minister A.K. Antony at the naval dockyard here."It is a red letter day for the navy, armed forces and ship building industry of India. We can consider ourselves a really potent force," said the minister on the occasion.
He added that the "navy has to maintain eternal vigilance since we have a long coastline".
The frigate, built at Mumbai's Mazagaon Dock Ltd (MDL) as part of the Indian Navy's Project 17, is a 143-metre-long warship with 6,000-tonne displacement. It has numerous new design features to effectively reduce the probability of the warship being detected at sea.
The navy will get 10 more stealth warships in the next 10 years.
The in-built structural, thermal and acoustic stealth features augment the potent capability of the ship to address threats in all dimensions of maritime warfare.
Said MDL Chairman and Managing Director Vice Admiral (Retd) H.S. Malhi: "This ship is a testimony to the collaborative efforts of the MDL and the navy and in more ways than one, this project has raised the benchmarks in our indigenous warship design and shipbuilding efforts."
The warship is equipped with a mix of Indian, Russian, Israeli and Western weapons and sensors. A 250-member crew, including 35 officers, will man INS Shivalik.
It is equipped with state-of-the-art defence against nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.
It is also the first warship of the Indian Navy to provide for separate rooms for women crew.
"The ship has been constructed for considerable reduction in radar cross section signature and various measures have also been taken to suppress noise and vibration, infrared and magnetic signatures," said Malhi.
The other two frigates of this class are Satpura and Sahyadri. While the construction of INS Shivalik began in 2002, that of Satpura and Sahyadri started in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
The second of these ships is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year, and the other in 2011.
The follow-on of the Shivalik class would be Project 17 Alpha, under which a total of seven ships will be built.
The Indian Navy currently has a fleet of 130 warships, which includes an aircraft carrier, 20 landing ships, eight destroyers, 12 frigates and 16 attack submarines based in four commands, headquartered in Mumbai (Western Naval Command), Visakhapatnam (Eastern Naval Command), Kochi (Southern Naval Command) and Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Joint Command).
London, April 29 (IANS) "Girls Aloud" star Cheryl Cole has been crowned the world's sexiest woman for the second consecutive year.The singer topped the FHM's 100 Sexiest Women World among Megan Fox, underwear model Marissa Miller and Kirsten Stewart. Fox, 23, is on second place while Miller landed the third spot.
Newly-single Saturdays bandmember Frankie Sandford is on the fourth spot and glamour model Keeley Hazell spent a second year at number five, reports dailymail.co.uk.
"Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart also made it to the list but at number six and actress Kelly Brooke came next.
Brazilian model Adriana Lima, Jessica Alba and Abbey Clancy wrapped up the top 10.
Film: "Raavan"; Music Director: A.R. Rahman; Lyricist: Gulzar; Singers: Kirti Sagathia, Vijay Prakash, Karthik, Sukhwinder Singh, Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali, Reena Bhardwaj, Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala; Rating:****When the credits boast of composer A.R. Rahman, lyricist Gulzar and director Mani Ratnam, expectations are bound to be high. In "Raavan", the trio has brought out a lethal combination presenting a soundtrack that is fresh, high on energy and in tune with the soul of the movie.
Starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, "Raavan" has six songs but no remixes.
The album starts with "Beera" that describes Abhishek's character in the film. With strong orchestration, congo beats and foot-tapping rhythm, the song instantly connects with the listener and is highly intriguing. Sung by Vijay Prakash, Mustafa Kutoane and Keerthi Sagathia, "Beera" is truly enthralling.
Next is "Behene de". Wonderfully crooned by Karthik and Mohammed Irfan, it is the best song of the album. Even though it has a 50-second-long and haunting prelude, the listener doesn't lose interest. In fact, the prelude creates more curiosity about what is in store. The track has a punch and holds the attention of the listener till the end.
Changing the mood of the album is the next song called "Thok de killi". Sung by Sukhwinder Singh, the fast-paced track is loud, rustic and yet impressive. The increased pace and rise in the tempo towards the end gives an adrenalin rush.
Then there is "Ranjha ranjha", which is an average track belted out by Rekha Bhradwaj and Javed Ali. The other songs of the album are so captivating that this one fails to create a mark.
Up next is "Khilli re", a slow, soft love song that brings out the longing of a woman for her lover. Sung by Reena Bhardwaj in her sweet melodious voice, it has a balmy effect and the melody strikes a chord with the listener.
Finally, there is a wedding song "Kata kata". The thumping beats and strong orchestration can make it chartbuster. Sung by Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala, the track has a celebratory tune and a Rajasthani folk touch.
On the whole, the album is a musical treat and impresses thoroughly. Away from the usual psychedelic beats and run-of-the-mill compositions, the music of "Raavan" shows that Rahman is truly a maestro and when he teams up with Gulzar and Mani Ratnam, the result is pure magic.
Vatican City, April 29 (IANS/AKI) The number of Catholics in the world rose by 11.5 percent to 1.166 billion between 2000 and 2008 that includes a "dramatic increase" in Africa and Asia, the Vatican has said.The biggest increases were recorded in the Third World - with a 33 percent rise in Africa and a 15.6 percent rise in Asia, statistics revealed by the Vatican said Wednesday.
The number of followers backed up by a rise in clerics in Africa and Asia - up by 33 percent and 24 percent respectively, it said.
The statistics, however, showed barely any increase in Europe in the same period, which has led to speculation that allegations of sexual abuse by the clergy may drive more people away from the Church.
Between 2000 and 2008, the number of Catholics in Europe rose a "generally stable" 1.17 percent, according to the study. Looking at the overall European population, the number of Catholics decreased by 2.5 percent.
In Latin America, the Catholic population expanded by 10.93 percent.
The Vatican has come under fire of late for its poor response to the widespread accusations of clerical sexual abuse.
Reports from Germany said thousands of Catholics have turned their back on the Catholic Church with the scandal and the reinstatement of four "ultra-conservative" bishops.
Only one in six German Catholics say they believe in the Church since the scandal broke out, Stern magazine said in March, while a recent poll by CBS News said more than two-thirds of Americans think Pope Benedict XVI has done a bad job in handling the crisis.
Benedict's favourability rating among US Catholics has fallen to 27 percent in 2010 from 40 percent in 2006.
Washington, April 29 (IANS) Influential US senator Christopher Dodd will be presented "Friend of India Award" by the Connecticut unit of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) at its Annual Awards Banquet May 2.
Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and Co-chairman of the India Caucus in the US Senate, will be honoured in recognition of his leadership in advancing economic and political cooperation between India and the United States, and his years of support to the Indian-American community.
Besides Dodd, two Indian Americans, Dinesh Paliwal and Neesha Ramchandani, will also be honoured by the organization for their outstanding achievements and contributions at its fourth anniversary event at the Italian Centre of Stamford.
While Paliwal, chairman, president and CEO of Harman International is being recognised as "Indian-American Achiever", Ramchandani gets the "Young Person Of The Year" award, GOPIO announced Wednesday.
Stamford's Mayor Michael Pavia will be the Guest of Honor at the banquet. Also attending will be Lt. Governor Michael Fedele and India's Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal.
Paliwal has instituted numerous initiatives and programmes to strengthen company operations, including driving innovation and breakthrough technologies, expanding the company's footprint in emerging markets, and dramatically improving its cost structure.
He has lived and worked in six countries on four continents. Prior to joining Harman, he was with the ABB Group for 22 years.
Ramchandani is a pediatric nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator. She is coordinator of the paediatric diabetes programme at Maimonides Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York. While the majority of her time is spent doing clinical work and diabetes education, she has been doing innovative research in paediatric diabetes technology and has presented her research all over the US, Europe and South Africa.
GOPIO serves as a non-partisan, secular, civic and community service organization promoting awareness of Indian culture, customs and contributions of PIOs
Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and Co-chairman of the India Caucus in the US Senate, will be honoured in recognition of his leadership in advancing economic and political cooperation between India and the United States, and his years of support to the Indian-American community.
Besides Dodd, two Indian Americans, Dinesh Paliwal and Neesha Ramchandani, will also be honoured by the organization for their outstanding achievements and contributions at its fourth anniversary event at the Italian Centre of Stamford.
While Paliwal, chairman, president and CEO of Harman International is being recognised as "Indian-American Achiever", Ramchandani gets the "Young Person Of The Year" award, GOPIO announced Wednesday.
Stamford's Mayor Michael Pavia will be the Guest of Honor at the banquet. Also attending will be Lt. Governor Michael Fedele and India's Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal.
Paliwal has instituted numerous initiatives and programmes to strengthen company operations, including driving innovation and breakthrough technologies, expanding the company's footprint in emerging markets, and dramatically improving its cost structure.
He has lived and worked in six countries on four continents. Prior to joining Harman, he was with the ABB Group for 22 years.
Ramchandani is a pediatric nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator. She is coordinator of the paediatric diabetes programme at Maimonides Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York. While the majority of her time is spent doing clinical work and diabetes education, she has been doing innovative research in paediatric diabetes technology and has presented her research all over the US, Europe and South Africa.
GOPIO serves as a non-partisan, secular, civic and community service organization promoting awareness of Indian culture, customs and contributions of PIOs
Mumbai, April 28 (IANS) As many as 30 beautiful women selected through a nationwide hunt have made it to the "I Am She" contest - the preliminary to the 2010 Miss Universe competition and the winner will represent India at the international pageant.The "I Am She" platform is part of Sushmita Sen’s production company Tantra Entertainment, which was awarded the India franchise to select participants by the Miss Universe Organisation in December.
Miss Universe Organisation conducts the pageant in 95 countries across the world every year through its global franchises. This year the winner from "I Am She" contest will represent India at the Miss Universe contest unlike previous years where the Femina Miss India winner used to represent the country.
"Today, being the India licence holder for holding the preliminary to ‘2010 Miss Universe’ pageant, 16 years after bringing the crown to India, feels like life has come full circle for me," Sushmita Sen said in a press release here Wednesday.
"I believe Indian girls are the most beautiful in the world and without doubt have the most substance and courage in them. I aspire to celebrate the uniqueness of these 30 deserving contestants and hope to bring back the crown this year," she added.
The 30 contestants will undergo three weeks of intensive training in communication, diet, personal grooming, fashion, and fitness. Experts like Sathya Saran, Jamuna Pai, Lubna Adam, and Sandip Soparrkar will guide them through to the finale that will take place May 28.
New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) A senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and some excise officials have been booked for causing a loss of Rs.340 crore to the exchequer in connivance with other people, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said here Wednesday.
"A case of fraud and criminal conspiracy was registered Tuesday against O. Ravi, joint secretary (disaster management) in the ministry of home affairs, two excise inspectors - Ramesh Mahyavanshi and Vijay Halpati - and excise sub-inspector Suresh Dhodi," CBI spokesman Harsh Bhal said.
They connived with some people in six Daman-based distilleries and others to cause a loss of Rs.340 crore to the Daman and Diu administration, Bhal added.
The CBI said searches were being conducted at 36 places linked to the accused in Daman, Mumbai and New Delhi. Offices of distilleries in Daman were also raided.
The distillers of Daman, in connivance with some officials of the excise department, resorted to under reporting of production by preparing fake documents.
They sold unauthorised, under-reported liquor bottles to the neighbouring states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra to evade excise duties.
"One of the distillers was in regular touch with Ravi to utilise his services, for which he (the bureaucrat) was paid Rs.25 lakh," he added.
"A case of fraud and criminal conspiracy was registered Tuesday against O. Ravi, joint secretary (disaster management) in the ministry of home affairs, two excise inspectors - Ramesh Mahyavanshi and Vijay Halpati - and excise sub-inspector Suresh Dhodi," CBI spokesman Harsh Bhal said.
They connived with some people in six Daman-based distilleries and others to cause a loss of Rs.340 crore to the Daman and Diu administration, Bhal added.
The CBI said searches were being conducted at 36 places linked to the accused in Daman, Mumbai and New Delhi. Offices of distilleries in Daman were also raided.
The distillers of Daman, in connivance with some officials of the excise department, resorted to under reporting of production by preparing fake documents.
They sold unauthorised, under-reported liquor bottles to the neighbouring states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra to evade excise duties.
"One of the distillers was in regular touch with Ravi to utilise his services, for which he (the bureaucrat) was paid Rs.25 lakh," he added.
New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) The radio-active material Gamma Cell, which claimed one life and caused injuries to seven people in a west Delhi scrap market, was auctioned by Delhi University two months ago, police said Wednesday.
"Delhi University auctioned it Feb 26. The radio-active material Gamma Cell was purchased by Harcharan Singh Bhola, who dismantled it and sold it further," Deputy Commissioner of Police (west Delhi) Sharad Aggarwal told IANS.
"The chemistry department of the varsity had purchased it from Atomic Energy Canada Limited in 1970 for experimental purposes. But it was not in use since 1985," he added.
Aggarwal said Bhola removed the iron part from the cell and sold the lead part to scrap dealer Giriraj Gupta, who got it dismantled and sold the lead to some other scrap dealers. Gupta kept the iron part found embedded in lead.
"Apparently, part of iron scrap of Gamma Cell removed by Bhola reached Jain through Rajinder, who suffered maximum radio-active exposure and died Monday," he said.
Aggarwal said no arrest has been made so far.
A fortnight ago, radiation leak was reported from the scrap market in Mayapuri area of west Delhi. Eight people, affected by radiation poisoning, were admitted to various hospitals, where one person died. One man is still battling for life and others are said to be out of danger.
A team of radiation safety experts from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Mumbai, the Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) and AERB identified the radiation source at shop No. D2/32 in Mayapuri Phase-II.
The team located and recovered six sources of different intensity. The radio-active Gamma Cells were placed in a lead shielded flask. Two more such materials were recovered from Jain's godown, who is struggling for life. Further searches led to recovery of two more radio active materials from Gupta's shop.
The police officer said radio-active source Gamma Cells was used for conducting experiments in analysing effect of Gamma Rays on chemicals.
"Delhi University auctioned it Feb 26. The radio-active material Gamma Cell was purchased by Harcharan Singh Bhola, who dismantled it and sold it further," Deputy Commissioner of Police (west Delhi) Sharad Aggarwal told IANS.
"The chemistry department of the varsity had purchased it from Atomic Energy Canada Limited in 1970 for experimental purposes. But it was not in use since 1985," he added.
Aggarwal said Bhola removed the iron part from the cell and sold the lead part to scrap dealer Giriraj Gupta, who got it dismantled and sold the lead to some other scrap dealers. Gupta kept the iron part found embedded in lead.
"Apparently, part of iron scrap of Gamma Cell removed by Bhola reached Jain through Rajinder, who suffered maximum radio-active exposure and died Monday," he said.
Aggarwal said no arrest has been made so far.
A fortnight ago, radiation leak was reported from the scrap market in Mayapuri area of west Delhi. Eight people, affected by radiation poisoning, were admitted to various hospitals, where one person died. One man is still battling for life and others are said to be out of danger.
A team of radiation safety experts from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Mumbai, the Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) and AERB identified the radiation source at shop No. D2/32 in Mayapuri Phase-II.
The team located and recovered six sources of different intensity. The radio-active Gamma Cells were placed in a lead shielded flask. Two more such materials were recovered from Jain's godown, who is struggling for life. Further searches led to recovery of two more radio active materials from Gupta's shop.
The police officer said radio-active source Gamma Cells was used for conducting experiments in analysing effect of Gamma Rays on chemicals.
New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) A Pakistani national could go to the website of India's Ministry of Home Affairs, fill the online visa form, click submit, show the relevant documents to the local mission and get the visa.
That's the idea at least - it has been applicable since April 1 - but not a single visa has been issued through this method yet.
The ministry had a very low profile launch, with no accompanying publicity - not surprisingly as several chinks have to be smoothened out before this becomes the preferred method of application for visa.
And India would very much like that, as it is designed to be the first step in the implementation of the ambitious mission mode project of Immigration, Visa and Foreigner Registration and Tracking (IVFRT).
This scheme, to cost around Rs.1,000 crore, plans to computerise the entire life cycle of a foreigner in India, right from the time they apply for a visa, stand in front of an immigration post, travel inside the country and eventually exit the borders.
Pakistan was chosen to be the first country to open the online visa process - with Bangladesh and the United Kingdom to be included by June 15.
Both these countries have the highest daily application numbers, with 2,000 visa forms submitted daily.
"It (online visa application) is the same system like Indian passport application. Public will apply online, submit the documents, which will be scanned and sent to India for verification," he said.
In fact, it is the last part - the verification of documents - that is a key part of the new online visa process.
For Pakistani citizens, the online visa process is not all good news, as it means they will have to provide an extra document for getting a visa - a letter from an Indian sponsor duly authorised by an Indian official.
"So far, a sponsor letter was not essential. But now the new online visa application form has mandatory columns to be filled with details of a sponsor in each city or place and also a list of Indian officials of certain ranks who can authenticate the invitation letter," a senior government official told IANS, not wishing to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
This information will be then sent down to the police district, for verifying the authenticity of the sponsor. "The issuance of the visa will be based on the credentials of the sponsor," he said.
Naturally, this will increase the time for getting an Indian visa. "We are setting a target of 20 days from applying to issuing of visa," added another official.
The two-page online visa for Pakistani citizens is perhaps the most elaborate for any foreign national entering India, even in the special category of seven prior reference countries. In fact, it takes so long to be filled that technicians are giving a special feature for this form.
"We know that the internet network is not very stable in Pakistan. So, we will ensure that the filled contents of the form are saved automatically after every few minutes," he said.
Incidentally, the Indian high commission's website displays an online form on its website since February, which Pakistanis could fill up and submit the printout to the high commission. "We found that while 150-200 forms were filled up online, the rest about 300 forms were typed out on the normal form," he said.
The regular mode of filling a form manually and submitting it will continue to exist for some more time. In this case, the grant of visa is largely dependent on the discretion of the visa officer.
With no publicity, the MHA online visa form has so far not got any legitimate application. Even high commission officials are still confused on how to incorporate it into the current work process.
Last week, the home ministry wrote to the high commission to remove the earlier form and link to the newer version on the ministry's website. The implementation of this simple step will, however, take a few days.
"As per instructions, we cannot send any sensitive orders to Pakistan through fax or e-mail, as they can be intercepted. All these are sent through diplomatic bags, which takes more time," he said.
Once all the processes are tested without any glitches, the Indian high commission will publicise the new online application process, as well as guidelines on getting an authenticated sponsor letter.
(Devirupa Mitra can be contacted at devirupa.m@ians.in)
That's the idea at least - it has been applicable since April 1 - but not a single visa has been issued through this method yet.
The ministry had a very low profile launch, with no accompanying publicity - not surprisingly as several chinks have to be smoothened out before this becomes the preferred method of application for visa.
And India would very much like that, as it is designed to be the first step in the implementation of the ambitious mission mode project of Immigration, Visa and Foreigner Registration and Tracking (IVFRT).
This scheme, to cost around Rs.1,000 crore, plans to computerise the entire life cycle of a foreigner in India, right from the time they apply for a visa, stand in front of an immigration post, travel inside the country and eventually exit the borders.
Pakistan was chosen to be the first country to open the online visa process - with Bangladesh and the United Kingdom to be included by June 15.
Both these countries have the highest daily application numbers, with 2,000 visa forms submitted daily.
"It (online visa application) is the same system like Indian passport application. Public will apply online, submit the documents, which will be scanned and sent to India for verification," he said.
In fact, it is the last part - the verification of documents - that is a key part of the new online visa process.
For Pakistani citizens, the online visa process is not all good news, as it means they will have to provide an extra document for getting a visa - a letter from an Indian sponsor duly authorised by an Indian official.
"So far, a sponsor letter was not essential. But now the new online visa application form has mandatory columns to be filled with details of a sponsor in each city or place and also a list of Indian officials of certain ranks who can authenticate the invitation letter," a senior government official told IANS, not wishing to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
This information will be then sent down to the police district, for verifying the authenticity of the sponsor. "The issuance of the visa will be based on the credentials of the sponsor," he said.
Naturally, this will increase the time for getting an Indian visa. "We are setting a target of 20 days from applying to issuing of visa," added another official.
The two-page online visa for Pakistani citizens is perhaps the most elaborate for any foreign national entering India, even in the special category of seven prior reference countries. In fact, it takes so long to be filled that technicians are giving a special feature for this form.
"We know that the internet network is not very stable in Pakistan. So, we will ensure that the filled contents of the form are saved automatically after every few minutes," he said.
Incidentally, the Indian high commission's website displays an online form on its website since February, which Pakistanis could fill up and submit the printout to the high commission. "We found that while 150-200 forms were filled up online, the rest about 300 forms were typed out on the normal form," he said.
The regular mode of filling a form manually and submitting it will continue to exist for some more time. In this case, the grant of visa is largely dependent on the discretion of the visa officer.
With no publicity, the MHA online visa form has so far not got any legitimate application. Even high commission officials are still confused on how to incorporate it into the current work process.
Last week, the home ministry wrote to the high commission to remove the earlier form and link to the newer version on the ministry's website. The implementation of this simple step will, however, take a few days.
"As per instructions, we cannot send any sensitive orders to Pakistan through fax or e-mail, as they can be intercepted. All these are sent through diplomatic bags, which takes more time," he said.
Once all the processes are tested without any glitches, the Indian high commission will publicise the new online application process, as well as guidelines on getting an authenticated sponsor letter.
(Devirupa Mitra can be contacted at devirupa.m@ians.in)
London, April 28: A lot of celebrities who have landed in trouble due to an SMS they have sent out would wish they had this new service - an SMS that self-destructs after it has been read once.The new service, called Safe Text, sends messages to mobile phones that self-destruct as soon as they have been read, The Telegraph reported.
Ogilvy Advertising, the creator of the service, said that "one day, everyone will have a facility like Safe Text".
Those keen to use the service had to sign up, giving access to a web page that can be seen on a mobile phone having a data connection.
Users are warned that they will only have one chance to read the SMS before it’s deleted. (IANS)
New Delhi, April 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday withdrew support to the Shibu Soren-led government in Jharkhand. The decision was taken at the BJP's parliamentary board meeting held at Parliament House here.(IANS)